Sleep schools have been relatively common in Australia for quite some time. They are an oft recommended option for parents struggling with babies and toddlers who won’t settle and have little in the way of sleep routines. This pattern of sleeplessness can be detrimental for parents, and although sleep schools target babies and toddlers, the entire family can benefit.
Despite being far from unheard of in Australia, there remains a distinct lack of cohesive information about Australian sleep schools. A quick search will show a number of ‘native experience’ articles about mums and dads who’ve tried sleep school and either succeeded or failed. But there aren’t really any guides for parents to educate them on what a sleep school does, who it might work for, and where they are located.
Well there is now!
What Is A Sleep School?
Essentially, a sleep school is a kind of clinic where parents can come to get assistance in training their babies to sleep through the night. By the time a baby is about three months old, they should be starting to sleep through the night, but for some babies this process is far from instinctual. For new parents, the idea of their baby sleeping from 7pm – 7am is entirely foreign, and their own sleep deprivation can have a marked effect on the wellbeing of them and their child.
Sleep schools tend to run a number of different programs for parents to attend, and in some cases siblings and partners are welcomed. Usually, the programs are in the form of 5-night or 7-night stays, but intensive two day visits are sometimes offered. The schools are often headed up by a sleep specialist, and when parents arrive they are assigned a specially trained nurse who will guide them through the process of training their baby to sleep.
The idea behind sleep schools is that the habit of sleeping must be learned. It begins with babies learning to self-sooth, which will allow them to wake between sleep cycles and fall asleep without disturbing their sleeping parents.
Who Can Attend A Sleep School?
There are now a range of sleep schools in Australia that provide baby sleep training services. Each of these schools have their own regulations about what age they’ll accept babies, and you’ll need to check the specifics with the school of your choice. Some schools will take babies from the three-month point, or even a little before, while others do not allow babies until they are already six months old.
What Are The Costs Involved?
Again, this depends on the sleep school, and on your own health insurance. Some of the sleep schools are available through private health insurance with minimal excess, while others may not be covered. Talk to both the school, and your insurer, before deciding on the best option.
Where Are The Sleep Schools?
New South Wales
Karitane: The Karitane group have been working with parents, children and families since 1923. They run both residential, day, and outreach sleep school programs, and are located in New South Wales.
Tresillian Family Care Centres: Australia’s largest child and family health organisation Tresillian is probably one of the more well-known names when it comes to sleep school. Based in NSW, Tresillian runs sleep schools, and provides a number of care services for parents with children of all ages.
Queensland
Ellen Barron Family Centre: The Ellen Barron Family Centre, located in QLD but servicing families in a catchment area that covers parts of the NT and NSW, specialise in building practice parent skills. They offer sleep school as well, and are referral based.
Victoria
Masada Private Hospital: The Mother Baby Unit at the Masada Private Hospital is another name that often comes up when mums are discussing successful sleep schools. Located in East St Kilda, Melbourne, the hospital provides a residential unit for mums and bubs to get in sleep sync again.
Queen Elizabeth Centre: The Queen Elizabeth Early Parenting Services in Victoria offer a number of programs to families with children up for four years old. This isn’t just to do with sleeping, but they do offer help in a sleep school capacity, with both residential and outreach options.
South Australia
The Australian Centre For Education In Sleep: Located in Adelaide, this school doesn’t run programs for children under the age of six months. Headed by a clinical psychologist, the Australian Centre for Education In Sleep can treat children up to eighteen years, and helps to work through a variety of issues that may arise throughout your child’s life.
Torrens House: Associated with the Women’s and Children’s Health Network, Torrens House is a residential unit offering stays of 3.5 days between Tuesday and Friday. Here parents can get help with sleep issues, but a referral is usually required.
Western Australia
Ngala Family Resource Centre: The Ngala Family Resource Centre is the answer for Western Australian parents with issues surrounding sleep. The Ngala Family Resource Centre offers day and night stays, as well as a range of other resources and workshops for parents.
Tasmania
Parenting Centres: The Department of Health and Family Services in Tasmania offers three parenting centres to help parents deal with some of the issues associated with parenting, including sleep issues. These three centres are the Walker House Parenting Centre, the North West Parenting Centre, and the Parenting Centre – South.
Australian Capital Territory
Queen Elizabeth II Family Centre: Associated with the Canberra Mothercraft Society, the Queen Elizabeth II Family Centre has been in Canberra since 1926. The centre helps parents deal with health and behavioural issues, including those related to sleep, during the first three years of a child’s life.
Northern Territory
At present, there are no dedicated family centres in the Northern Territory fit to deal with sleep issues in the same way that these other centres are. However, parents can call Parentline with their questions, and they may be redirected to a smaller local practice that can help.