Become a Pediatric Sleep Consultant

There has been a lot of buzz lately around pediatric sleep coaching or sleep consulting. If you’ve landed on this blog post, you might be wondering what becoming a certified sleep consultant entails, and if it might be a good fit for you. 

This article will go over the steps that one might take in learning about becoming a sleep consultant and pursuing their certification.

If you love helping others, are interested in child development, are perhaps a parent yourself and look forward to having a job that allows you to have a flexible schedule, sleep consulting might be an ideal career path for you.

What does a pediatric sleep consultant do?

Sleep consultants help families by providing guidance in establishing a developmentally appropriate sleep schedule. As a sleep consultant, you’ll work with families to create healthy sleep routines for naps and bedtime. You’ll collaborate with parents to create a plan of action to reach their specific sleep goals. As you work on a sleep plan, you’ll remain in contact with parents on a daily basis to help them implement it. As a certified sleep consultant, you’ll leverage your expertise in sleep science to bring much-needed rest to families.

In addition to one-to-one consulting, you can focus on teaching small groups in preschools, daycares or in local parenting groups both in-person or virtually. You can create your own course or membership group, and participate in speaking engagements. There are also sleep consulting agencies that hire sleep consultants to be part of their team, but be sure to do the research on each agency’s specific requirements first. Working as a sleep consultant can easily fit into your existing life. You can choose to have it as a side hustle, work part-time, or even make it into your full-time career.

Why sleep consulting?

Getting enough sleep is vital for us to function properly, and the need to have support and easy access to this information is at an all-time high. If we don’t get the proper amount of sleep for our age group, it can have many negative impacts on our health. When dealing with sleep deprivation, parents are often overwhelmed by the information that they find online or advice they receive from friends and family. As a sleep consultant, you’ll provide parents with a clear plan of action and support to help get their children sleeping through the night.

Working as a sleep consultant is an incredibly rewarding experience. You’ll watch your clients go from exhausted, delirious and dreading bedtime, to well-rested, happy, and able to enjoy the time spent with their families. There is nothing more rewarding than that!

How much money can I earn as a certified sleep consultant?

As a part-time sleep consultant, your monthly income potential could be anywhere from $1,500 to $4,000. If you decide to work full-time, the earning potential ranges on average from $5,000 to $10,000 per month. This income is generated through services such as one-on-one consultations, “ask me anything” phone calls, group coaching or classes, speaking engagements and the creation of digital educational products such as e-books or courses. Becoming a sleep consultant means you will own your own business, so you are in control of where, when and how you want to work!

How do I get started?

The Center for Pediatric Sleep Management’s (CPSM) Sleep Consultant Certification Course trains prospective sleep consultants to offer sleep consulting services within their own communities. It is a comprehensive consulting course rooted in the foundations of sleep science that will prepare you to support parents through the process of teaching their children to sleep independently. Course students receive step-by-step guidance to help them launch and grow their independent businesses, as well as one-on-one mentorship that continues long after you complete the course.

CPSM is a self-paced course with a community social membership for additional support taught by Jayne Havens. Jayne is a respected leader in the sleep consulting field and owner of Snooze Fest by Jayne Havens, a well-known sleep consulting service. Jayne has helped hundreds of families with infants and toddlers get the consistent, restorative sleep that is vital to our wellbeing.

You can obtain your sleep consultant certification through CPSM. Through this course, you’ll learn how to:

• Educate families on the science of sleep and how it relates to children
• Explain to parents how infant-to-toddler development affects children’s sleep patterns at various ages and how stage development affects parents’ sleep training options
• Expertly communicate safe sleep guidelines outlined by the American Academy of Pediatrics
• Present and discuss a variety of sleep training options with parents and formulate age-appropriate sleep plans that complement various parenting styles
• Help families address specific challenges and circumstances that impact sleep training (i.e., adjusting to daylight savings time and how to sleep train twins.)

Beyond the scope of helping parents with the sleep training process, the curriculum and mentorship from Jayne will help you to:

• Identify and execute the critical steps required to establish a professional business within the sleep consulting field
• Not only share your sleep expertise with families who are in need of your services, but also convert them to paying clients
• Stay current on best practices and offer the most up-to-date resources to families.

Once you have obtained your certification by passing the course, the CPSM Sleep Consultant Certification Course will walk you through how to establish your business online by setting up a website and social media accounts. As you work on getting the word out about your business, remember not to see your potential clients as just a number. 

Focus on how you can help provide value to your audience by sharing your expertise to parents online who are seeking advice. Building genuine connections with people and providing value goes a long way. It will help your audience see you as an expert in your field, but most importantly a human being who truly cares about helping others.

If you have always wanted to start your own business and have a passion for educating families on the importance of healthy sleep, becoming a certified sleep consultant could be a fun and highly-rewarding career opportunity for you. Join the CPSM’s Facebook group to learn more about the work a sleep consultant does by connecting with Jayne, current sleep consultants and others who are interested in becoming a sleep consultant. 

Visit CPSM’s website to learn more about becoming a sleep consultant. If you’re ready to begin your journey, you can get started now and begin receiving your course access and materials right away.