Let's Talk About Sleep

For many new mums and dads, it’s the “holy grail”: getting their new bub to sleep through the night and take long naps during the day! We chat with the founder of Kristin Graham Sleep Consulting about the struggles she faced, and how they prompted her to help those in the same boat.

- Kristin Graham’s

Kristin Graham’s path from Canada to Hong Kong – and, ultimately, to being a sleep consultant – can be traced back to finishing her degree in education. She discovered, at the time, that there simply weren’t any jobs for new teachers in her home city of Ottawa.

“I had to choose either to try to get work as a substitute teacher, continue my part-time job and live in my parent’s basement … or pack my bags and get a job internationally!”

Kristin picked the latter, which is how she found herself moving to Beijing at the age of just 23. After a few years working at an international school there, she was keen for a change. “I’d visited Hong Kong regularly, and I knew I loved the city. So, about seven years ago I made the move. I started working at international schools here right up until I had my baby.”

It was this last momentous event that brought about a big change, not only in Kristin’s life, but in her career.

Arlo’s sleep struggles

“Around this time last year, I gave birth to a beautiful, healthy baby boy named Arlo. Arlo was – and still is! – a complete delight. He’s happy and sociable and just an all-around good time. Except for his sleep.”

By five months, Kristin was really struggling. Arlo would only sleep 30 minutes at a time during the day (“and I mean 30 minutes – not 35, not 27, but 30; I could set a clock to him!”). And he was still waking up a few times a night.

“Daytimes were the biggest struggle for me, and actually quite anxiety-inducing. That’s when we decided, upon the recommendation of a friend, to work with a sleep consultant.”