Whether it's those first few weeks after birth or a baby sleep regression, new parents often find themselves pulling their hair out over the lack of sleep.
There comes a time when you can sleep train your baby in the hope of teaching them to fall asleep and self soothe on their own. But it doesn't always go according to plan.
With sleep deprivation having such an impact on our lives, it's no surprise to see a growing number of sleep training courses popping up online.
One of those is The Baby Sleep Course from sleep consultancy service The Bedtime Champ.
We gave two new parents the opportunity to try and test The Bedtime Champ's Baby Sleep Course to see if and how it helped to improve their baby's sleep.
Table Of Contents
Every product on DaddiLife is independently selected by our editors, writers, and experts. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission, but this never influences our product choices.
In Summary
The Baby Sleep Course is a sleep training programme developed for 0-18 month olds by Janine Orford, a sleep practitioner and founder of The Bedtime Champ.
New parents Hannah and Aaron
For more information on our scoring system, click here.
Overall score
22/25
Effectiveness
Ease of use
Value for money
Key features
Online buzz
You can find a more detailed review of their experiences below.
Overview
Created by OCN Level 5 certified sleep practitioner, Janine Orford, The Bedtime Champ offers a holistic approach to baby sleep training.
Janine launched the company following her own battles with sleep challenges. Her two sons both experienced separate sleep issues, and a plethora of conflicting advice online inspired her to train as a sleep practitioner.
As a sleep consultancy, The Bedtime Champ considers the full picture of a child's life in order to assess and address their sleep issues, including their environment, diet, temperament, and parental values.
How it works
The Baby Sleep Course is a step-by-step online programme designed to help new parents understand and tackle their baby's sleep challenges.
Designed specifically for babies aged 0-18 months, the programme consists of eight sleep guides covering everything from the foundations of baby sleep, to weaning off night feeds, and a gentle sleep training handbook.
Each guide comes complete with video and audio materials, enabling parents to learn in a way that suits them and their needs.
There's also 15 example sleep routines and access to a private Facebook group for ongoing community support.
The Baby Sleep Course costs £22 and is a one-time purchase, without any monthly subscriptions.
Our experience
Now that we've explained what the Baby Sleep Course is, how it works and its key features, let's find out how our two new parents, Hannah and Aaron, got on with it.
Hannah and Aarons's experience
Hannah and Aaron welcomed their first child, Rosie, in June. And with Aaron working full-time with a lengthy commute, and Hannah picking up the bulk of the night-time wakings, they wanted to better understand baby sleep and what they could do to improve Rosie's sleeping habits.
Hannah began: "We didn't have a clue about baby sleep before we became parents. So it's been a big learning curve.
"I think the overwhelming positive from the course is that we now understand so much more about it."
Aaron added: "It's not just a step-by-step to follow along and hope for the best. I think the course has given us both the foundation we need to understand why those steps are there.
"We now know so much more about what we're doing, the intended consequences of it, and what else we can do if it doesn't work."
A strong highlight for the couple is the range of example bedtime routines. It's something they implemented right away and quickly found they were able to bring bedtime forward, giving themselves more time in the evenings.
The biggest result, however, is the improvement in Rosie's sleeping patterns. Prior to starting the course, she would regularly wake almost every hour between 1-5am. Ever since starting the course, Hannah and Aaron have seen a gradual improvement in Rosie's sleep habits throughout the night (well, until the 4-month sleep regression came along!).
They did struggle with some of the text-based sleep guides, however.
"It's a lot of text," said Aaron. "By the time I get home after work, I'm exhausted and that volume of text just doesn't go in."
Hannah added: "Because Aaron's working and has a long commute, I naturally do most of the night wakes and get really tired. So it's tough to be that tired and try to read that much text.
"The video and audio recordings definitely helped in that way."
Hannah said: "I'm really glad we've had the chance to try the Baby Sleep Course. It has really helped us to better understand baby sleep and everything that comes along with it."
Highlights
Full of insight
Wherever you look at the Baby Sleep Course, it's packed full of helpful information, not just to help new parents understand what's happening and why, but also the practical advice required to help them address problems.
Example routines
Hannah and Aaron quickly utilised one of the example sleep routines, which they found to be effective. It also helped to change their perception of the bedtime routine, and when it starts.
Not every routine will work for every family, so the full range of 15 examples ensures something for everyone.
Value for money
Costing just £22 with no monthly subscription, Hannah and Aaron describe the Baby Sleep Course as "excellent" value for money.
Online community
Although they're yet to post themselves, Hannah and Aaron praised the course's private Facebook group, which gives members the opportunity to ask questions and take shared learnings from each other's experience.
Problems
Text guides can be overwhelming
Hannah and Aaron both found the text-based sleep guides a little overwhelming and difficult to digest, particularly after a rough night or a long day in work and a lengthy commute, in Aaron's case.
However, they both agreed that diagrams, videos and audio materials did provide a good alternative, stressing that they probably wouldn't have finished the course if alternative materials weren't available.
Verdict
The Baby Sleep Course is both an in-depth introduction to the topic of baby sleep, as well as an effective range of practical tools and tips to help new parents implement their new-found understanding.
Effectiveness
The Baby Sleep Course has helped our parents to better understand baby sleep patterns (and everything else that influences it), as well as giving them practical tools to apply to their day-to-day lives.
It's had a hugely positive impact on their child's sleep.
Ease of use
Overall, the course is straightforward and simple to use. Our parents did struggle with the text-heavy guides, but the video and audio materials help to alleviate that problem.
Value for money
At just £22, the Baby Sleep Course is excellent value for money and among the cheapest on the market with some courses even costing 10x as much.
Key features
The Baby Sleep Course does offer anything groundbreaking - any online sleep course will contain a set of text-based guides, video and audio materials, and additional materials like the example bedtime routines. However, what it does offer, it does very well.
Online buzz
The Baby Sleep Course doesn't have a huge number of reviews across the internet, but where it does, it scores highly. Including a 5* on Google, a 4.1 on Trustpilot, and a series of rave reviews in comments on social media.
Get 10% off when using the code: DADDILIFE
FAQs
Is there a monthly subscription?
No. The Baby Sleep Course requires a one-off payment of £22. There are no monthly subscription fees associated with the course.
Will it work?
No course is full-proof. However, the Baby Sleep Course has received plenty of reviews and comments lauding how it has transformed their baby's sleeping habits. If you don't find success with the course, you may need additional support to address your specific circumstances.
Is there one-to-one support included?
No, the Baby Sleep Course does not include one-to-one support from The Bedtime Champ. It does provide you with access to the private Facebook group, where members can ask questions and share their own experience.
The Bedtime Champ does offer one-off consultations and ongoing support packages via the website.
How long do I have access to the course?
You will have access to the course and all of its materials forever.
