Upon the arrival of our first little boy Jack, both Natalie and I were over the moon. We were blessed with a beautiful healthy child who ate heaps and was of excellent weight, there was little stress in the hospital. Once we arrived home all was great, Jack settled into his own bedroom quite well and we played things by ear and were coping okay. He wasn’t a good day sleeper ever, only doing 40mins during the day, but started out sleeping well during the night with the comfort of a late night feed.

It was by the 3rd month that he was becoming difficult to settle in the evenings, as parents with lots of love to give, we did what we thought was best and made sure Jack was getting enough affection and on occasion rocking him in our arms to calm him down. Soon Jack was being rocked in our arms regularly and his cries at night were increasing, to a point that we would be up almost every hour. Even taking turns during the night, the constant broken sleeps were making Natalie and I quite easily agitated and after a few weeks like this, it was torture.

It was at this point we decided we needed some help, and Carmel was a Godsend. Carmel showed us how to settle Jack, how to read his tired signs and settle him. We were amazed at how these settling techniques calmed Jack down, and she also gave us tips on how to read what Jack needed. Carmel also made it clear how important a solid routine was and we quickly saw the benefits in Jack’s mood, and a smiley happy child somehow makes the day so much easier.

The techniques and tips that Carmel taught us were promptly applied with our second little boy Max, and he has been a very happy child benefiting from the security that routine brings, and we all sleep well over night. We have Carmel to thank for improving our quality of family life, and for helping Natalie and I become better parents.

Peter, Natalie, Jack and Max