Following our series of blogs on sleep we thought it would be interesting to get to know a bit more about Vicki and the invaluable work she does with The Children’s Sleep Charity. 

What was your inspiration for setting up The Children’s Sleep Charity? 

I was once a sleep deprived Mum and know from first-hand experience how it impacts on every area of your life.  I also know how hard it was to access any kind of support when you are facing sleep issues.   

My background is in teaching and I was also inspired by my work in the classroom.  There is a huge emphasis on raising attainment in education but if children are sleep deprived they can’t meet their full potential.  Sleep issues have a massive impact on children and young people and they need support to ensure their physical, mental and emotional wellbeing is supported.  

How do you know so much about sleep?! 

I’ve done a lot of studying around sleep over the years.  My background professionally is in behaviour management of children and that is where I focused my Post Graduate studies.  We look at sleep from a behavioural point of view, identifying triggers around children’s sleep issues before we can identify strategies.   

I’ve spent a lot of time working alongside some of the UK’s leading children’s sleep experts such as the fantastic team at Sheffield Children’s Hospital.  These opportunities have supported and developed my knowledge a great deal.  I’ve also been involved with research projects around sleep, there’s so much more that we need to learn about sleep too.  

Why is it important for children to get good quality sleep? 

A good night’s sleep supports every aspect of a child’s wellbeing.  It is vitally important in order to support physical, emotional and mental health.  It is quite surprising the impact that sleep deprivation may have on children, for example hyperactivity is a common symptom yet we often presume that an overactive child is not tired.  Emotional regulation is hard if a child is overly tired, they can become more easily upset and daytime behaviour can be affected.  There is also a link between lowered immune symptoms and sleep deprivation, weight and growth may also be affected. Attainment is another factor, children find it harder to concentrate in school and to learn when they are overly tired.  

How much sleep should children be getting? 

The NHS do issue guidelines around this but what we must remember is that every child is individual.  We need to look at how a child is functioning during the day time and whether signs of tiredness are being exhibited.  

How can the charity help families?  

We offer support to families to improve their child’s sleep patterns through the use of workshops, clinics and providing information.  As a small charity we are limited in terms of how much support is on offer, some areas commission us to deliver a sleep service which means any family in the town can access our support.  We are aware that sleep support is a postcode lottery and are actively campaigning to improve the situation so that all families can access appropriate, evidence based support.  We also train professionals to disseminate our work through a Sleep Practitioner training programme, the professionals include people like nurses, health visitors and family support workers who then share our work back in their localities.  

What age children do you work with?  

We work with children aged 12 months upwards.  

Do you provide training for childcare professionals such as nannies?  

Absolutely!  We are keen to train childcare professionals as they have often had very little or even no training around sleep.  We deliver training at Norland College and also offer training to a number of universities so that their childcare professionals are appropriately equipped with knowledge.  

What do you think about the idea of starting and finishing the secondary school day later to allow for the teen sleep cycle?   

Theoretically it makes a great deal of sense, we know that teenagers’ circadian rhythms can experience a shift which means they find it harder to go to sleep at night time and can be tired in the morning.  Socially however it would be hugely disruptive to do this when considering things like changing school staff’s hours, parents accommodating work, childcare etc.  What we do know is that using a behavioural approach can be highly effective and we can successfully work with young people to get into good routines and support their circadian rhythm to fit more appropriately with the school day.  Educating young people about sleep is crucial so that they can be empowered to take control of their own sleep patterns.  

What is the most common question you get asked by families? 

It varies on the time of year, it is common in September and January to get asked by younger children’s parents how to get their sleep routines back on track after holiday periods.  In the Spring we get a lot of enquiries about how to support young people to sleep better through the exam period.  There are also lots of questions around how to gently support children to learn to sleep without the use of controlled crying, how to reduce night wakings and prevent early morning get ups! 

What is your advice in the first instance for families that have a child who struggles to sleep? 

Try to work out why.  We often go in with strategies so we will try a new routine, a new product, changing the bedroom etc.  Unless we can identify what is causing the problem we can’t find the appropriate strategy and often there are numerous causes that we need to work through.   

What are your 3 top tips to help your children get a good night’s sleep? 

Stick to the same routine each night 

Consider what may be causing the sleep issues prior to implementing strategies 

Avoid screens in the hour before bedtime 

And finally - how do you make sure that you get a good night’s sleep?! 

I prioritise my sleep, I know that if I am tired I’m not the best version of myself.  I ensure that I have a regular sleep time and a regular wake up time.  I invest in a good mattress, pillows and duvet as comfort is very important.  I also avoid caffeine in the run up to bedtime and screens.  I love sleep and I love being able to give the gift of sleep to others. 

You can find out more about The Sleep Charity on their website.

While you are here we have lots more blogs on various topics which you can find here, as well as our downloadable webinars on topics such as behaviour and emotions, sleep and toilet training.

Don’t forget that we offer parent consultations should you need support with anything from sleep to behaviour and so much more! Details of the packages we offer can be found here.

We also have a podcast - ‘Newborn to Teen and Everything in Between’ - listen here.