IPHI introduced the very first Holistic Pregnancy & Child Sleep Consultant Certification back in 2011. It was created by our Founder, Mar De Carlo, for the Child Sleep Consultant field, and it helped bring attention to some important topics that, at the time, most sleep professionals weren’t talking about or fully considering as part of the work with families. That is also when Mar began sharing the Holistic Science of Sleep Method for Adult & Child Sleep, along with her book, “Awakening Through Sleep.”
If you want to become a skilled, values-based holistic consultant who can truly support families, this is the place to start. We were the first organization to develop a holistic no sleep training team-based approach (starting during pregnancy), expanding through toddlerhood, and keeping a strong focus on the physical and emotional wellbeing of parents and caregivers too.
Most sleep training methods tend to look at sleep mainly through a behavior lens, usually placing the child in the spotlight. That might mean a parent-led plan or a gentle, baby-led style. Our Holistic Science of Sleep Method shifts the focus to the family team. It supports parents just as intentionally as it supports the child, and it helps connect what parents do day to day, including lifestyle choices, with how their child sleeps. In our view, what looks like a “child sleep problem” is often a family sleep issue. That means it deserves a deeper assessment of everyone involved, not a quick behavior-only fix.
A lot of sleep training plans ignore the bigger context. They might skip things like pregnancy and birth experiences, the postpartum reality, how work and life demands are being managed, relationship dynamics, child development and psychology, and the physical and mental health of everyone in the household.
Yes, traditional sleep training often concentrates on behavioral tactics to meet sleep needs. Our Holistic Science of Sleep Method takes a different route. We focus on health and lifestyle strategies that shape behavior, which then helps create the conditions for better, more sustainable sleep.
Instead of debating “baby-led” versus “parent-led,” we work with a team-led approach. That means we look at the full household system and support everyone’s needs as they show up in real life.
We’re introducing the first developed, launched, and truly one-of-a-kind holistic approach to child sleep that begins before your baby is even born. It’s grounded in our founder Mar De Carlo’s Holistic Science of Sleep Method and her book, “Awakening Through Sleep.”
“Our children’s bodies don’t need to be ‘trained’ to sleep. Human bodies are naturally designed to sleep. They will, if we know how to support that process. Our real responsibility is to figure out what is interfering with it.” ~ Mar De Carlo
As children grow, their sleep develops in stages, a bit like learning to walk, eat, or talk. And usually, there are multiple health and lifestyle factors involved too. On top of that, many parents unknowingly bring in expectations that don’t match what their child actually needs, and those expectations can get in the way of good sleep.”
The HSS Method doesn’t believe in a “one size fits all” model or in cookie-cutter “sleep training” consulting. Instead, we use what Mar has named “Sleep Optimizing.” The goal is to dig into what’s throwing off optimal functioning, including physical, mental, and emotional balance, plus outside influences such as social, cultural, and environmental factors. Those are the things that can contribute to sleep challenges during pregnancy, parenting in infancy, and beyond.
We take a whole-context look at sleep: physical, emotional, social, developmental, and environmental pieces. That way, we support the family’s sleep needs with less frustration for both parents and children. We also teach our sleep consultants how natural factors regulate and influence sleep across a child’s different stages. And yes, we also learn from the child. Parents and professionals can get so focused on books and rigid schedules that they miss what their child is already communicating. Your child is not just a “subject” in a method. They are giving feedback, and that feedback is information we can keep learning from. Children guide us as much as we guide them. We just have to be present enough to notice.
