Empowering parents and babies with a good night’s sleep solution

Parents or caregivers struggling with anxiety, irritability, frustration or tired beyond words after weeks, months or even years of broken sleep with a child now have a solution. 

Albury-Wodonga naturopath and nutritionist Georgina Windebank founded The Holistic Sleep Project five years ago, helping parents and children around Australia and internationally establish healthy sleeping routines and patterns. 

“This program is not a baby sleep school but a completely personalised plan to transform your child’s sleep and learn the skills to navigate how to handle the ongoing challenges of your child’s sleep,” Georgina said. 

She is a sleep consultant qualified with the International Maternity and Parenting Institute (USA), beginning her journey studying the science of sleep after having her son without extended family support and dealing with her own struggles with sleep. 

Georgina applied her skills as a naturopath and found the sleep solution that saw her baby settling independently and following an age-appropriate routine, ultimately leading to a new career as a baby sleep consultant.

She will be attending the Henty Machinery Field Days for the first time, sharing a site with her husband Shane on Simply Freight. Visitors to The Holistic Sleep Project site will have the opportunity to win a free consultation, access to a free webinar or masterclass on night waking and can also book a free 30 min discovery call with Georgina. 

According to Georgina, sleep is one of biggest challenges in the early years of parenting.

“The biggest problems new mothers have is night waking, cat napping, and early rising. They are so reliant on feeding, holding, rocking, and patting to sleep, the mother is up all night,” she said.

“Parents are working tirelessly to get them to sleep, and they are not getting much sleep at all. They are responding to all crying – we find a way to have minimal tears without doing cry-down or controlled crying.”

She said a holistic sleep consultant examines the timing and content of meals or feeds for baby and mother, stress levels of mother, stress and individuality in the family unit, and any trauma of pregnancy and birth.

“We look at the baby’s sleep space to ensure it is comfortable without bright lights, and evaluating if they are having the age-appropriate sleep, and their connection to parent.

“We then gradually and strategically back away from those things not working whether that be the dummy or feeding.

“Specific sleep goals are set for baby and parents with my ongoing support.”

Georgina was a bronze winner of the Woman in Health and Wellbeing at the Women Changing the World International Business Awards in London in May and is a finalist for the 2024 Ausmumpreneur Awards – podcast and also the Overcoming the Odds Award. 

Her podcast is the “The Holistic Baby and Toddler Sleep” which examines optimal sleep conditions for the newborn, baby, or toddler, while ensuring the emotional wellbeing of the family is a priority. 

The Holistic Sleep Project’s five stage of successful sleep approach addresses all the contributing factors preventing the newborn, baby, or toddler from getting a good night’s sleep.

These factors may include the sleep environment, nutritional intake, feeding schedule for solids and milk feeds, sleep routine that suits the child, and the way the mother is feeling or responding to their baby. 

“The sleep principles are completely unique in terms of the timing, strategy and individual personality and sleep challenges of the child and your family’s lifestyle,” Georgina said.

“The holistic approach will fix the immediate sleep issues at hand and empower and educate you to overcome subsequent sleep challenges.  It’s all about long-term education so you and your family get more great night’s sleep.”