Sleep program supports families

THE City of Ballarat’s Sleep and Settling Program is helping families and carers with evidence-based settling strategies.

Molly Di Cato and her husband Frank were facing sleep deprivation and anxiety with their newborn Max.

They tried private sleep therapists, self-help books and online guides but did not find the solutions they were looking for.

Ms Di Cato then discovered the municipality’s Sleep and Settling Program through her maternal child health nurse and she said this transformed her outlook.

“Sleep deprivation can be brutal, and you can feel like there’s not a light at the end of the tunnel,” Ms Di Cato said.

“We had tried so many things but when they don’t work, it sort of feels like you’re being set up to fail.

“From the moment we joined the program, we realised that we had a great support system in place.”

The program includes group sessions, individual consultations and home visits at no cost.

“It was just so reassuring being able to speak to somebody and have realistic expectations while figuring out all of the different issues,” Ms Di Cato said.

“For Ballarat families to have services available like this free service available to them, it is just so beneficial. It’s a whole new support system everyone should know about.”

The City of Ballarat has created 17 educational videos with sleep settling information for children aged six months to two years old.

The videos were filmed with local families in collaboration with MRL Studios, and are available to be auto-translated in more than 150 languages.

“We are incredibly proud to be a city that offers all of these vital services to our residents free of charge,” Cr Ben Taylor said.

“I encourage all families to see what services we have on offer as we know how important those early stages of life are.”

For more information visit Parent Place or the City of Ballarat website.