My Parenting Journey

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Hi, I’m Nicole, an Internationally Certified Infant and Toddler Sleep Consultant, Certified Neuroprotective Sleep Coach and mother of two.

My passion for infant and toddler sleep began after the birth of my first child. Like many new parents, I remember feeling completely overwhelmed when I was sent home from the hospital. In the weeks and months that followed, I became utterly exhausted trying to navigate life with a baby who struggled deeply with sleep and settling.

My daughter suffered from colic and was often incredibly unsettled. I felt unsure how to soothe her, struggled to find my rhythm as a new mum and quickly became consumed by sleep deprivation.

Whenever I opened up about how exhausted I felt, the responses were often: “It’s normal, it will pass or my favourite...sleep when the baby sleeps.”

But my daughter only napped for around 20 minutes at a time, usually only on me, making that advice feel impossible to follow.

By the time she was four months old, the exhaustion had become overwhelming. My husband was working long hours, and I no longer felt like I was thriving in motherhood I was simply trying to survive. I knew something needed to change.

I immersed myself in learning everything I could about infant sleep. I purchased sleep programs, read research articles, studied infant biology and development and began implementing gentle changes that respected both my daughter’s temperament and my parenting style and within just two weeks, everything began to shift.

My daughter went from catnapping throughout the day to taking long, predictable naps and her nights improved from waking every 1.5–2 hours to sleeping stretches of six hours or more. As sleep improved, everything else improved too.

I felt happier, calmer, clearer and more emotionally present as a mother. I regained confidence in myself and my daughter became noticeably calmer and more settled throughout the day.

As I began sharing my experience with family and friends, I realised many parents were hesitant to seek sleep support because they misunderstood what it actually involved.

There seemed to be a common misbelief that sleep support had to be harsh, rigid, or emotionally damaging  when in reality, it can be responsive, gentle, intuitive, biologically respectful and deeply supportive for both children and parents.

Seeing so many exhausted families believing sleep deprivation was simply something they had to endure ignited a deep passion within me to help educate, empower and support parents in a different way.

My Certifications & Approach

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I went on to complete my training and became an Internationally Certified Infant and Toddler Sleep Consultant. Since then, I have continued to further my education through ongoing professional development and evidence based learning.

Most recently, I completed my certification as a Neuroprotective Sleep Coach, further deepening my understanding of infant nervous system regulation, attachment, biological sleep development and responsive sleep support.

My approach combines sleep science, developmental understanding, nervous system support and responsive parenting principles to create sustainable sleep solutions that feel aligned with both your child’s needs and your parenting values.

Through my studies, I’ve developed an in depth understanding of:

• Infant and toddler sleep biology

• Developmentally normal sleep

• Attachment and emotional regulation

• Nervous system informed sleep support

• Responsive and holistic settling approaches

• Evidence based sleep strategies and methods

• Individual temperament and sensory needs

Combined with my real world experience supporting hundreds of families, this has given me a well-rounded and compassionate understanding of infant and toddler sleep.

One thing I have learned is that there is never a one-size-fits-all approach. Every child is unique and sleep support should honour that individuality.

My Business

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Today, my passion is helping families achieve healthy, restorative sleep in a way that feels responsive, supportive and sustainable.

I am deeply committed to changing the narrative around sleep support and helping parents understand that supporting healthy sleep is not harmful. In fact, healthy sleep plays an essential role in a child’s development, emotional wellbeing, attachment and overall family functioning, while also supporting parents mental and emotional health.

In 2022, I launched Perth Baby and Toddler Sleep Consulting, now Thrive Sleep Consulting. By late 2023, the business had grown so significantly that I made the decision to leave my corporate career and dedicate myself fully to supporting families and I haven’t looked back since.

Since then, I’ve had the privilege of helping hundreds of families improve their little one’s sleep, restore balance in their homes and feel more confident in their parenting journey.

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I continue to expand my education, resources, and support services so that more families can access gentle, evidence-based and neuroprotective sleep support that truly helps them thrive.

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Come on over to Instagram @thrivesleepconsulting