What is the Flower approach and how is it different from any sleep training you've seen so far

I studied the Flower sleep method (or the combined) at Mamamia school online, her amazing holistic approach looks at the whole child, like 5 petals of a flower, Nutrition, health, development, sensory and emotional regulation and sleep,

For example, this was a sleep plan for a 6-month-old child: mum was breastfeeding.

When we started, the parents and the child slept in the same bed, and the child used to wake up between 4 to 5 times to nurse and did not take a dummy at all.

The parents wanted to move the child to own his room and of course for the baby to sleep through the night.

We gradually made the change process - step by step, to adapt ourselves to the mother’s sensitivity to the change process. We built a structured work plan that suited her and him and mainly found the line that suited them both together.

The topics that came up in the plan were:

1. Independent sleep - we need to teach the child to fall asleep on his own without experiencing fear or abandonment, so we must always respond to his cries and be by his side throughout his learning process.

2. Separation between eating and sleeping - 2 stages - when we do not intend to wean the child from breastfeeding altogether: Stage 1: Teach the child to fall asleep without breast milk. Stage 2: Gradual weaning from nighttime meals. - Do not interfere with daytime breastfeeding, do not abruptly wean but gradually, in stages.

3. The dummy - if a baby takes a dummy, we teach him how to take it independently at night so he won't call for his parents at night time just to be given the dummy. In this case, he first didn't take the dummy, I suggested to the mum to leave some around him, if he wanted to he would take it, and he did! A lot of the time when we breastfeed and separate it from sleep we become the dummy so there's no need for one, but once we separated sleep from feed he wanted that sucking to settle and reached for the dummy :)

4. Daily routine and changes - organize, arrange, ensure an adequate amount of sleep hours per day, and arrange comfortable and restful sleep spaces.

5. Sleep rituals to give consistency and make it clear to baby what comes next: we have 3 different ones

Wake-up ritual, daytime nap ritual, and nighttime sleep ritual - the rituals are determined according to the child and the family individually to encourage the release of the sleep hormone instead of the adrenaline hormone.

I build all this in one meeting and start a structured daily support process.

I make the personal adjustment process for each family!

According to the family’s needs, the child’s age, the child’s weight, and the goals we set, a comprehensive action plan is created that includes addressing: • Sleep • Parenting guidance • Child’s life functions (health, development, nutrition, sensory integration) And only then do we begin to work. When everything is clear, it’s easier.

The goal is to go to bed happily! Without crying. And to sleep through the night reaching there not in distress or difficulty.

This is the beauty of a holistic approach like the flower!