Expect to be taken seriously
Respect is at the core of Good Sleepers business. Without respect there is no trust, without trust there is no empowerment, without empowerment there is no progress. Respect isn’t just a question of politeness. It comes in many shapes and forms: Respect of individualities, needs, feelings, limitations, strengths, boundaries, engagements, identities, time, etc. 
Viability is a key element in the advice I give to my clients. It is very important for me that all guided actions and situations are viable. In other words, they must have all the attributes to be durable . When a situation is modified, I believe it must be modified in a sustainable manner or it is doomed to fail under pressure.
Integrity is the glue to any high level customer services. It is one of the most important work ethics to implement. It incorporates:
- Honesty: I shall only work within the boundaries of my capabilities and never take advantage of a client’s vulnerability.
- No-judgement: All adults parent with the best of their knowledge and abilities. Everybody is different and will not be judged for not coping or finding themselves in difficulties.
- Consideration and courage: these two values go hand in hand. They are both absolutely necessary in the efficiency of a human centred improvement process.
- Confidentiality: Every conversation and piece of information collected is safe and remains confidential unless the client explicitly agrees to share information.
Diligence is the art of being aware of the elements that could have an impact on the success or the failure of a project. Diligence isn’t just an attention to details. It is a constant situation reassessment, a necessity in the efficient unfolding of a trouble shooting process. Diligence is also a duty towards individuals to raise their awareness of any physical or emotional risk that could compromise them.
Collaboration is very important to the good running of good sleepers’ services. It is the essence of any strong and durable partnership. This alliance is only possible with the presence of mutual respect, and the elements of integrity (honesty, no-judgement, Consideration, courage and confidentiality). 
Clarity is a necessity when working with people who are sleep deprived. It leads to understanding and a build up of knowledge. This knowledge in conjunction with confidence is the source of mindful decisions leading to progress. 
Expect durable results: transformed children and adults
We were up sometimes seven to eight times a night. Our 10 months old daughter, who woke up repeatedly, required a great deal of walking up and down to get back to sleep. By the time we finished our three
sessions with Isabelle, our daughter was sleeping twelve hours a night without waking up once. Isabelle's techniques, suggestions and explanations were immensely helpful in terms of working out what we needed to do to get
our daughter to sleep more quickly and sustainably. She was also very
helpful in thinking about daily routines and how to manage naps and
self-feeding effectively. All in all, I would strongly recommend Isabelle's
highly personalised and friendly approach to anyone who wants to help their children to get a good night's sleep.
We contacted Isabelle after 2 months of worsening sleep at night for our little boy. We had tried to work on day naps and had taken lots of advice from friends/family/books. We had a routine but he was still waking around every 30 mins during the day and 1-2 hourly over night. It could take up to 45 mins to settle him to sleep at the start of sleep and with each wake. We were using a lot of sleep aids - white noise, shhhh track playing on phone, singing, and tummy rub/bottom patting. This was all repeated at every wake in the night and we were both exhausted. We had decided to work in shifts so we could both get some sleep in the spare room when it was the other persons turn.
Isabelle gradually helped us remove the sleep aids and taught us how to help him fall asleep by himself. This took around a month but now we have a little boy who we put down into the cot awake, we leave the room and he will fall asleep without assistance in around 10 mins. This is for both day and night sleep. He usually only wakes once at night for a feed.
We are different people now we are getting enough sleep and we have more time in the evenings to spend with each other. Cannot recommend Isabelle's help highly enough.
Our 2 years old Maddie was breast feeding all the time, night and day. Our biggest problem was her very late bed time (past midnight) and co-sleeping was the only way she would sleep. It was making my and my husband's lives a misery. My husband was then coming to bed after 1 in the morning and it was making his day at work very difficult. I was feeling very out of control. Isabelle helped us realise that we needed to change our parenting approach, to help Maddie develop new coping mechanisms (not just constantly breast feeding) and set a new body clock. She gave me a very clear plan of actions to implement when Maddie was awake, and some specific timings for her naps. Practically it was very easy. Emotionally, I struggled over the first few days because it was a huge step for me, but it only took a few days and with Isabelle’s help and support, within a few days, we were there! Then everything started to fall into place. I felt far more relaxed, and so much more confident with my parenting. My friends and family noticed a huge difference in myself and in Maddie, and everyone comments all the time on what a joy Maddie is to be around. Now she sleeps for 11h in her own bedroom and I couldn’t be prouder. I would recommend Isabelle to everyone who struggles with parenting issues.
Isabelle has been a lifesaver for our family. Before we started our consultations, our son Otto was waking up to six times a night and unable to sleep for more than 30 mins during his day naps unless pushed in a buggy. With Isabelle's support Otto is now nailing day time naps and for the first time since starting maternity leave, I have time to catch my breath in the day. Otto is now waking only once at night for a feed so everyone is feeling rested and so much happier. Couldn't recommend working with Isabelle more. "You really have been a hero for us xx"
Dear fellow (tired) parents,
Within very few sessions Isabelle has completely turned our family's life around. Having a 3.5 year-old and a 1.5 year-old became increasingly difficult on us parents, as more and more months passed by without any improvement in our younger son's sleeping habits. He would take an hour at least, to fall asleep - only in our presence and while fiddling around in our hair, of course- both at nap-time and in the evening, only to then wake us up several times throughout the night. Our careers were starting to suffer, but also the mood at home and the patience with our kids during the day: on quite a few occasions everyday life felt unmeasurably difficult, simply because we were so sleep-lagged. If you are looking into getting help, I probably don't need to describe the devastating effects of long-term sleep deprivation.
Isabelle was recommended by a friend and before taking the step to contact her I was doubtful if she could help: After all the books and articles I had read? And all the methods I had already tried? Would this be another thing that would just disappoint our sleep-deprived selves even more?
Far from it: Isabelle knows what she is doing. She brings along a lot of empathy, knowledge, time, patience and solution-focused thinking. She takes the time to assess your individual situation and get to know all the people that are involved (in our case: our boys, myself, my husband and our au pair girl!) and thus presents you with exaclty what is needed for you to get to a better situation. In short: It is a tailor-made approach that takes into account your child's abilities and developmental stage as well as your own behaviour and capacities.
I appreciated her factual explanations and especially her methods, which started by changing my behaviour towards our son during the day time, when it was much easier to apply everything she taught me. In this way, my son and I learned to adapt our behaviours. Once this was accomplished, I was able to change my behaviour towards our son during the nights, and he had learned to deal with his frustrations and to accept what I was telling him. Your situation and needs might be completely different from our family's, but I am certain that Isabelle will have the right methods up her sleeve to also help you.
Our three kids (aged 2, 3 and 4) had been sleeping badly for months, as had we. It was a 2 hour fight every evening for us to get them into bed; often having to stay with one of them until they were asleep, or retrieve whoever who had got up again and run out into the garden. They were waking up multiple times each night, on a few occasions 10 times a night. We were exhausted and struggling to get anything done, and the kids were shattered. Following Isabelle's plan and routine one of us can get all of them into bed with minimal fuss and they're usually asleep within 15 minutes. We're only having occasional wake ups at night. The kids are much happier during the day, and we're having more fun together. We have our evenings back, and feel more able to cope with both working full time and spending time with the kids. We'd recommend Isabelle to anyone struggling with bedtime or in the night. Isabelle was non-judgemental, came up with a plan that would work for us and our situation, and helped us put it into practise. Regards, Jon and Liz
I contacted Isabelle Edmondson when my son was 22 months. I decided to get in contact because my son was waking up two to three times a night, needing help to get back to sleep. It was exhausting. Thanks to Isabelle’s listening and advice, my son finally sleeps all night. Here is how it went: First Isabelle learnt about all aspects of his life in details, because good nights’ sleep take root in a good parent/child relationship, in clear boundaries, in a securing rhythm and many more aspects of parenting…. In theory, I am perfectly aware of this, but in practice, I was lost. I was lacking the key to my son’s behaviour, techniques, practical ideas to implement, and this is the strength of Isabelle who has been able to transform our nights thanks to her precious advice and encouragements. The challenge carried an extra difficulty in the fact that we live (in Beirut), in an oriental society where many protagonists play an important role in the life of a child. This setting is different from the typical ones of western societies. Isabelle managed to work with this added difficulty which really isn’t simple at all. I advise parents who are at a loss with regards to their children’s sleep to get help from Isabelle as the sleep of a child benefits the entire family.
Isabelle has a way of changing people's mindsets into one of positivity. She uses her creativity to come up with trouble shooting strategies, instilling confidence in others. Throughout, it has been a joy to work with Isabelle, she is so thoughtful, personable, professional and she really knows her stuff.
Our 11wks old son would only sleep 40 minutes at a time day and night, and on one of us (parents). None of us were getting much sleep and it was having a significant detrimental impact. For me it affected my mental health and my ability to function at even a basic level. I was not leaving the house and had become anxious about the idea of ever being able to, let alone return to work. My husband was getting up at 4am to help, then doing full days at work afterwards, all the time worrying about how my son and I were getting on at home. This meant that he struggled to concentrate at work and didn't feel that he was performing well due to the sleep deprivation and stress. We felt we were at breaking point.
within just a few weeks of working with Isabelle, our son was sleeping on his own, day and night, and sleeping for periods of 3, 4 or 5 hours at night. I am less emotional, more in control and significantly happier. This has been so helpful and I feel I've build up the confidence that I need in order to return to work in the next couple of months.
As the Managing Director of a small but very busy company, I knew that there wouldn't be an option to take full maternity leave. We decided to take preventative action rather than wait for a crisis and contacted Isabelle. She was able to give advice on sleep best practices while I was pregnant. We felt prepared and confident for the challenges ahead.
I would strongly advise any parent to attend an informative workshop. It is not until you have a better understanding of how things can be improved that the benefits can be appreciated. It's a no-brainer! I really couldn't see the wood from the trees. Isabelle has a wealth of skills and knowledge which really opened my eyes and helped me to understand how I could help my son. My only regret is not having sought her advice earlier.
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Expect to be guided.
Isabelle Edmondson is a consultant, not a coach.
- A consultant is an expert in the subject matter. A client relies upon a consultant to analyse a situation, understand the problem, then present an expert opinion and provide a solution.
- A coach engages with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their potential. A coach is not necessarily an expert in the subject matter covered.
Although you will find Isabelle has a high level of empathy and coaching skills, the nature of Good Sleepers’ services is a consultancy. Isabelle Edmondson’s field of expertise is the resolution of paediatric sleep difficulties linked to behaviour, bad habits, and parenting challenges. Rachel Potter is a BACP registered child and adolescent psychotherapeutic counsellor. She supports and supervises Isabelle Edmondson in her consultancy to parents.
Expect a process
To rectify a crisis situation, expect a trouble shooting process:
- Expect a constant flow of questions to help identify amongst others the context of the situation, the difficulties at hand, the problem(s) to be solved , the parents and childrens’ natures, strengths and limitations, the family dynamics, the parental attachment styles etc.
- Expect a series of explanations (related to the context of the situation) to help the parents understand : where their child stands in terms of development – what affects their child sleep – what their child can and can’t do – What the problems are and how to fix them, etc.
- Expect homework! Whatever the stage of the process. You will be given homework-like tasks to be implemented after your consultation. They will be practical and accessible, tailored to your child’s needs and development . Sometimes and especially for toddlers, school children and teenagers, the tasks will seem unrelated to sleep but they will serve a purpose of parenting foundation vital to the achievement of a good sleeping habits.
Expect to be stepping out of your comfort zone, a fraction at a time.
There is always some comfort in the stability of a situation, however bad it is. Change means stepping out of that “uncomfortable” comfort zone. The fear of change is something very real and it affects even the strongest of characters. My job is to help you identify what changes need to be made in your and your child’s life, and help you implement them in safety (emotional and physical) without loosing your values, your identity or your beliefs.