Frequently Asked Question

Sleep

What do I get in my Sleep Program?

Our Sleep Program can be accessed instantly upon purchase through our mobile app and via a customer login on our website or you can go to https://app.littleones.co/. The Program contains extremely comprehensive guides to get your little one's napping and night-time sleep on track. It is the most detailed and in-depth online sleep program in the world. The Program is made up of:

  • Age-specific Sleeping and Feeding Schedules (which are all about when to offer naps and feeds/solids etc).
  • Age-specific settling and self-settling methods (which tell you how to get your baby to sleep and, age dependant, contain 9 different methods to gradually guide your baby to independent sleep).
  • Videos to assist your use and understanding of our Sleep Programs.
  • Dozens of sections containing all the information you need to understand your baby's sleep.
  • 24/7 access to our Certified Sleep Consultants & exclusive parenting community, the Little Ones Village. Village access is included as part of our full subscription service, and is also available as an add-on purchase for customers who have purchased an individual Sleep Program.

Does your Sleep Program cater for twins or multiples?

Yes! We have helped lots of parents with multiples and have a special Multiples Guide within our Little Ones App. This talks you through your babies’ sleep, ideas about feeding techniques and how to stagger your daily schedule if necessary.

How does your Program cater to the individual differences between children?

When it comes to a child’s age-specific sleep needs, they don’t differ on a massive scale. That said, some do certainly need a bit more or less sleep than others their age, so our Sleeping and Feeding Schedules are designed around the MAXIMUM times. For example we give you the maximum awake time, the time by which all little ones’ that age will be overtired and need to be in bed by - this means if your little one needs a bit less awake time and/or a bit more sleep, you’re able to work inside of that window to cater to your child’s particular needs. We provide you with all the information to know when your child’s sleep needs are changing, for example when they might start needing more awake time or slightly less day sleep.

Does your Program work for a breastfed baby?

Yes absolutely! Our Little Ones™ founders both breastfed all of their babies while successfully using our Program. You are also able to breastfeed your baby or toddler on demand if that’s your preference, or you can choose to follow the suggested feeding times in the Schedules, which are designed to ensure that your little one won’t wake early from naps because they are hungry. The feeding times also change as your baby grows older, ie becoming further apart.

My baby has reflux or colic or other medical issues will your Sleep Program still work?

Once your little one has been seen by a doctor and is on medication if needed, then yes absolutely! Our Program will ensure that your little one's daily sleep needs are met so that they aren't unsettled due to being over tired.

Do I have to use white noise and blackout blinds as suggested in your Sleep Program?

Not at all! These are suggestions in our Program because we’ve seen how well white noise and a very dark room help little ones link sleep cycles and settle easier at nap and bedtime. Many of our customers don’t use either and still have success with our Program. Totally up to you.

What if your Program doesn't work for my baby?

There is no way to guarantee the effectiveness of each individual baby or toddler due to outside factors which may detract from results and it can be hard work for some babies to dramatically change their sleep habits. Our Program is not an overnight miracle fix, but is designed and proven to lock in excellent sleep habits with your baby for years to come. If however, you don’t see improvements with your baby’s sleep, we may offer a refund as per the refund policy here: Refund Policy.

If you are a subscription customer please ensure you cancel your subscription to ensure no further payments are deducted. You can find out how to do that here: Terms of use.
We do not offer refunds on subscription purchases as per our refund policy here: Refund Policy

Do your Sleep Programs involve cry-it-out methods?

We have developed a unique and gradual approach to sleep. Our methods for teaching self-settling (for babies over 4 months) work with your little one’s existing sleep association and allow you to comfort them throughout the process, meaning you can go at your own pace and provide hands-on comfort if that is your preference. Because we aim to cater to many different parenting styles, we also provide a more hands-off method for parents who choose that approach, but this is not traditional "extinction" sleep training.

My baby can’t self-settle, will your Sleep Program still work?

A lot of our customers have had success using the Program while still choosing to feed or rock their little ones to sleep. They have found the Program provides a framework for their day and something to come back to troubleshoot if needed. If and when these mothers (and little ones) are ready, they are better placed to begin the gradual self-settling process as they have good sleep habits already established through the Program.

We co-sleep, can your Sleep Program still work?

If you’d like to continue to co-sleep you can certainly still use our Program as a framework for getting naps happening at the right times and avoiding too much overtiredness. If you’d like to get your little one sleeping in their own bed, we have a very gradual method especially for co-sleeping babies & toddlers which respects the closeness of that bond and gently transitions them into their own sleeping space.

Support and Accreditations

Do I get access to any personalised support after I purchase?

Subscription and Complete Sleep program customers will have immediate access to all of the age-specific Villages in the Little Ones™️ Village section of the App. For customers who purchase an individual Sleep Program, Village access is available as an add-on purchase in the App.

In the Village, our trained Sleep Consultants are available to help you through any issues or questions you might have. The Village is an extremely supportive community, made up of families from all over the world.

* This support is only available in the app. The app requires iOS v 11 or later, Android 4.0 or later.
** The support is not an instant messaging service and some delays in response times are expected.

What are your accreditations?

Our company is an accredited member of the IACSC (International Association of Child Sleep Consultants). The Little Ones™ Team are all certified Sleep Consultants through our internationally registered training academy and hold a whole host of additional qualifications relevant to this industry - we have healthcare practitioners and registered education professionals among our team! All our consultants have received extensive training in baby sleep neurology and behaviour, age-appropriate settling methods and best sleep practices in addition to their existing tertiary qualifications.

Little Ones™ is also endorsed and recommended by Kate Johnson,Ph.D. Sleep Physiology and postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical School and SRI (formerly Stanford Research International) and is recommended by paediatricians and doctors worldwide.

All our research links and a full bibliography can be found here

Delivery & Payment

When will I receive my Sleep Program?

Your Program is available immediately after purchase inside our mobile app and via the customer login on our website. You need to make sure you register / log in to the app and the website using the email address you purchased with.

How do I access or save my Sleep Program?

Our Program content is only available via the app or website. Articles which you’ve previously read will also be available ‘offline’. Certain parts of our Program are downloadable as images or PDFs. You can save them to your phone, tablet or computer.

Can I share my Sleep Program with someone else?

Our Sleep Program is intended for use by the individual who purchased it and is governed by copyright law. With this in mind, you cannot share or distribute your Program with anyone else, either in part or in whole, including sharing your customer login with anyone else.

Baby's Age

My baby is still quite young, when can I start using this Sleep Program?

We believe it is really helpful to start setting up good sleep habits from early on if you can. This doesn't mean you're forcing your newborn baby into a rigid sleep program, rather you're helping them establish and regulate natural nap and sleep patterns that will mean your baby is settled and happy because they're getting enough sleep at the right times.

Is my baby too old to start using your Sleep Program?

Nope! Our Program caters for babies and toddlers from birth to 3 years old and we have settling and self-settling methods that are age specific across that whole spectrum. Many of our customers have started our Program with their older babies or toddlers and have achieved great success.

Schedules

I don’t want my baby to follow a strict routine - yet your Sleep Programs look quite time-specific?

At first glance yes, our Sleeping and Feeding Schedules do seem very time specific, however this is to give you the most guidance around your little one’s nap and feed times each day. You could say our Schedules give you a goal for your day, however this is extremely flexible and adaptable to the needs of your family. If for example your little one wakes earlier in the day, you can simply move all their naps forwards to compensate - you don't have to stretch them when they're tired just to meet scheduled nap times. You can use the schedule more as a guide if you’d prefer, to know the perfect amount of awake time and when naps should be and if things start to go awry you can always come back to the schedule a bit more closely to troubleshoot the problem.

Do your Sleep Programs involve me having to wake my baby?

Some babies & toddlers would happily sleep all day and some will wake naturally from naps and regulate their own sleep. If your little one is at risk of having too much day sleep which will impact their night time settling and sleep, or if it means your baby will be missing a feed, then we do recommend you wake your little one some of the time. Helping them to regulate their daytime nap hours is the best way to avoid day/night confusion and will also help them consolidate their nights quicker. There is no peer-reviewed or evidenced based research that waking a baby is harmful to their development. For some naps we have found it really important to control the nap length a bit more, for example keeping the morning nap shorter so that your little one will then have a really good long lunchtime sleep, or shortening naps in a transition period when your little one is about to drop that nap.

Will I have to be stuck in the house all day long if I follow your Sleep Program?

Not at all! The best thing about having predictability to your little one’s day is that you’re able to more confidently plan outings for when you know your little one will be awake and happy, rather than not knowing when they’ll need a feed or if they might need a sleep while you’re out. The morning and afternoon naps are really easy to do out and about and we really only suggest you aim for the long lunchtime sleep to happen in their bed as this helps teach them that this is where they sleep (which has a positive impact on their night time settling and sleep in their bed) and it also ensures they have the best chance for a long nap. An added advantage is that you then have a good 2 hours to yourself to have some lunch in peace or put your feet up.

My baby is a serial catnapper - how am I supposed to get longer naps out of him as your Sleep Program suggests?

Catnapping is a really normal developmental occurrence and can be very common between the ages of 8 week to 6 months. There are heaps of factors that affect a baby’s napping and sometimes simply following our Program and making sure they’re being offered naps at the optimum time for their age reduces the catnapping! For other babies, working on gradually teaching self-settling is another way to go. We also have catnapping routines in our Program for those tricky babies who are still refusing to link cycles! Our Program contains all the info you need to get through the rest of your day if your baby can't do the longer lunchtime nap suggested in the schedule.

Sleep Training

Do your Sleep Programs involve cry-it-out methods?

We have developed a unique and gradual approach to sleep. Our methods for teaching self-settling (for babies over 4 months) work with your little one’s existing sleep association and allow you to comfort them throughout the process, meaning you can go at your own pace and provide hands-on comfort if that is your preference. Because we aim to cater to many different parenting styles, we also provide a more hands-off method for parents who choose that approach, but this is not traditional "extinction" sleep training.

My baby can’t self-settle, will your Sleep Program still work?

A lot of our customers have had success using the Program while still choosing to feed or rock their little ones to sleep. They have found the Program provides a framework for their day and something to come back to troubleshoot if needed. If and when these mothers (and little ones) are ready, they are better placed to begin the gradual self-settling process as they have good sleep habits already established through the Program.

We co-sleep, can your Sleep Program still work?

If you’d like to continue to co-sleep you can certainly still use our Program as a framework for getting naps happening at the right times and avoiding too much overtiredness. If you’d like to get your little one sleeping in their own bed, we have a very gradual method especially for co-sleeping babies & toddlers which respects the closeness of that bond and gently transitions them into their own sleeping space.