“Sleep deprivation doesn’t have to be your reality forever”
Posted: 05 August 2025
5 things Beck from @thesleepteacher would never do as a baby sleep expert
Sleep. It’s the thing everyone warns you about when you have kids, and yet nothing quite prepares you for just how hard it can be.
Beck, founder of The Sleep Teacher and mum of three boys, knows that struggle deeply. After more than a decade working in early childhood, it wasn’t until she became a mother herself that she truly understood what families were up against.
“I know firsthand how tough sleep deprivation is! The exhaustion, the confusion, the late-night Googling of “why won’t my baby sleep longer than 20 minutes?’”
“Even with my background, I felt pressure to ‘just cope’. But I knew there had to be a kinder, more practical way to help families feel rested and confident again.”
That belief has shaped Beck’s approach ever since, and now, through The Sleep Teacher, she’s supported thousands of families to find sleep solutions that are responsive, gentle, and rooted in real life.
We sat down with Beck to chat through five things she’d never do as a Baby Sleep Expert - because sometimes, knowing what not to do is the best place to start.
1. Assume good sleep means zero crying
“Babies communicate through tears,” Beck explains. “It’s how they share big feelings when things are new or different.”
Instead of avoiding tears and nighttime tantrums altogether, Beck focuses on supporting babies through them. “Sleep support doesn’t mean shutting that down; it means being there with them, offering comfort and calm while they learn to feel safe and settled in a new rhythm.”
2. Panic if every day isn’t textbook perfect
"Babies are beautifully unpredictable" Says Beck. "Some days flow easily, others feel all over the place. It doesn’t mean you’re doing it wrong, it just means life happens and your little one is figuring it out alongside you. We remind parents to focus on gentle patterns over time, not perfect days."
3. Let social media guilt me out of doing what works for my family
When you’re tired, overwhelmed, and unsure, it’s easy to fall into the trap of comparison, especially when you're scrolling. "Social media is full of advice and opinions! Some helpful, some not so much."
But Beck has a simple reminder "Take what feels good and true for you, and trust what you know and want to prioritise in your family. At the end of the day, you’re the parent, and that counts for so much more than someone else’s ‘shoulds’."
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4. Pretend co-sleeping is the only gentle option
“Co-sleeping can be beautiful and work really well for some families,” Beck says. “But it’s not the only way to be a loving, responsive parent.”
She reassures parents who don’t want to bed share that “you can have a secure, connected bond and support healthy sleep in a cot if that’s what feels best for you and your little one.”
5. Say, ‘that’s just what motherhood is’
Perhaps most importantly, Beck refuses to normalise exhaustion as a rite of passage.
“Sleep deprivation doesn’t have to be your reality forever, or something you simply accept because ‘that’s motherhood’.”
“You deserve rest, too,” she says. “You don’t have to just survive these years. It’s okay to ask for help, find your rhythm, and enjoy more calm and connection along the way.”
With a philosophy rooted in both lived experience and professional expertise, Beck’s mission is simple “Helping families sleep better without ever feeling like they have to choose between rest and responsiveness.”
And for the mums who feel like they’re barely making it to bedtime, that reminder can make all the difference.
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