Meet Catherine - Your Gentle Baby & Toddler Sleep Coach
Sleep support that’s as unique as your baby
Why I became a sleep coach
Nearly twenty-six years ago, when my first baby was a few months old, I found myself desperate and sleep-deprived and did what most new parents do - I asked for help.
I went to my health visitor. Her advice?
I vividly recall being told,
“Feed her, burp her, clean nappy, put her in her cot…she’ll sleep…if you’ve done it properly.”
Those words still echo in my mind.
(Baby face me with my first baby!)
Because I went home and tried. Harder. And she still took hours to settle, only to wake again shortly after.
"If you've done it properly."
The implication was clear - if it wasn't working, I was doing something wrong. That self-doubt clung to me like a shadow. I wasn't failing at sleep. I was being made to feel like I was failing as a mum.
That experience is the reason The Parent Rock exists.
My path to sleep coaching
I've spent over 30 years working with babies, toddlers, and the parents doing their absolute best for them - as a nanny, registered childminder, early years practitioner, and now as a holistic sleep coach.
When my own childminder had to stop suddenly due to health issues, I registered as a childminder out of necessity. What started as a practical solution became a genuine passion for supporting families, and gave me an education in real-world parenting that no textbook could replicate.
I've sat at kitchen tables with exhausted parents. I've been that exhausted parent. I've seen the sensitive ones, the strong-willed ones, the velcro babies, and the brilliant, knackered parents who just want to feel like themselves again.
Yes, that’s me at the London Marathon!
Yes, it is a long way and yes, it did very nearly finish me off!
Training as an OCN Level 6 Holistic Sleep Coach - one of the highest qualifications in the field - gave me the framework to put everything I'd learned into practice. But the 30 years of real-world experience is what makes the support genuinely useful rather than just theoretically sound.
I'm a mum of four. I know the overwhelm of conflicting advice, the self-doubt, the endless shoulds around baby sleep.
And I know that real, lasting change happens when parents feel supported, reassured, and trusted to make the choices that work best for their family.
I'm not here to fix your baby. I'm here to help you understand them.
"Once meeting Catherine online we were instantly at ease. This woman got us, she cared, showed empathy, and you could tell in minutes she really loved what she does and wanted to help." - Kath, mum to a 2-year-old
"The approach taken with The Parent Rock is a breath of fresh air. Attachment-focused and evidence-based. We've fallen in love with parenting again." - Sarah, mum of 18-month-old
A bit about me beyond the sleep coaching!
When I'm not helping families get more sleep, you'll find being followed around by Beau, my very barky, very opinionated Westie, and getting outdoors daily - whether that be for a run or a walk.
I view myself somewhat of a croissant connoisseur, ideally with a builder’s tea!
If you ever want to chat parenting, sleep, or the absolute audacity of people who park on double yellow lines, I’m your gal!
Ready to get some proper rest?
Book a free 15-minute call and let's talk about what's going on with your baby's sleep.
No pressure, no pitch - just an honest conversation about what might actually help.
Or if you'd like to start with something you can work through at your own pace, take a look at the Sleep Guides or the Baby Sleep Builder.