How Much Can You Make As A Baby Sleep Coach in 2023?

The idea of becoming a baby sleep coach or certified infant sleep consultant sounds amazing, right? Not only do you get to work with babies (yay!) and set your own schedule (yes please!), but you also get to do meaningful work that makes a huge difference in people’s lives.

Sounds like the perfect career, right?

Well, having been in the baby sleep business for almost 20 years now, I can tell you that this IS an amazing way to make a living.

But the big question every would-be sleep coach ultimately needs to ask is:

“How much will I make?”

This is a VERY important question to get clarity on before you decide to take the next step and train to become a sleep coach. Luckily, I just got back from my annual Certified Sleep Sense Consultant convention in Nashville (which was SOOO fun), and we spent a lot of time talking about this exact subject.

(In fact, I probably have a better idea than almost anyone else in the world about how much sleep coaches REALLY make. I’ve personally trained over 600 people to launch their own sleep coaching businesses, which gives me an amazing “overhead view” into the industry.)

Anyway, the answer to the question of “How much can you make as a baby sleep coach? Is…

It depends!

It depends on which of these 3 categories you fall into…

(Disclaimer: I am in no way saying that you personally can or will earn any specific amount of money as a sleep coach. I don’t know you, your background, work ethic, etc. so these are just examples based on the people I *do* know personally.)

1. The Dabbler

“The dabbler” is always trying out new things, but has trouble sticking with any one thing for too long. The dabbler gets excited about all kinds of new businesses that sound fun… or cool… or like an “easy” way to make money.

The dabbler might already be a yoga instructor and hosting home sales parties. She might be thinking about becoming a real estate agent, or doing life coaching. She feels like she might be good at all of these things – and she often is!

However, my experience has been that “the dabbler” usually does not have the commitment needed to earn a full-time living as a sleep coach.

This kind of person is usually self-taught (“Hey, I taught my own baby to sleep, I’ll just charge other people to tell them what I did!”) or spend a few thousand dollars on an online course that showed them the basics.

In general, “the dabbler” usually ends up seeing 2-3 clients a month, at around $400 per client, for an average monthly income of $800 – $1200 from her sleep coaching business.

2. The Helper

The helper feels a strong calling to help other people, and has usually struggled with her own child’s sleep problems in the past. She knows the huge impact solving this problem can have on the health and happiness of a family, and decides that she wants to make it her career.

The helper knows she can be successful in this business… IF she takes the time to educate herself on how to work with clients, how to deal with challenging situations when they arise, and the basics of running a small business.

(Trust me when I say that “teaching babies to sleep” is NOT the only key to success as a baby sleep coach. Knowing how to get your name out there, find your perfect clients, get pediatricians to recommend you, etc. is really important too!)

The helper usually sees good success early on, because they genuinely love what they do. And in this business, when you get results for your clients, they cannot WAIT to tell their friends about you, which generates a lot of great word-of-mouth and referral clients.

As long as “the helper” makes it a priority to focus at least a few hours a week on the “business” side of things (ie. reaching out to local parenting groups, posting on social media, etc.) she can comfortably earn $5,000 a month while seeing a few clients per week – but often much more.

For example, some of my Certified Sleep Sense Consultants who fall under the “helper” category are earning over $100K per year on their own without any team members, etc.

3. The Builder

The third type of baby sleep coach is “the builder.”

Just like “the helper,” she also loves making a difference in the lives of other people, but she is genuinely excited by the business side of things.

The builder loves having co-workers, hiring and training team members, and digging into all things marketing. They know that they want to be doing good for the world, but they also thrive on the challenges of building a business and growing a team.

In fact, “the builder” loves the business side so much that she almost always wants to expand her business, and have a team of sleep coaches working under her. This allows her to do even MORE good in the world (by helping more families) while enjoying the satisfaction (and income) that comes with building a company of great people!

For these kinds of people, I like to say the sky’s the limit! One of my Certified Sleep Sense Consultants in France was able to make well over $500K in 2021 alone. You know who you are, J, and I’m so proud of you!! ;)

My Journey From Helper to Builder

I personally began my sleep coach career (almost 20 years ago!) as a “helper.” My husband and I struggled terribly with our first son’s sleep, and I became VERY passionate about helping other parents.

In my first year as a baby sleep coach, I was able to replace my full-time teacher’s salary by working just part-time as a sleep coach. This not only gave me financial freedom, but also allowed me to be home during the day with my 3 kids while they were young.

As time went on, I started getting more interested in the business side of things, and evolved into more of a “builder.” My passion for helping other would-be entrepreneurs get started in sleep coaching gave me the idea to start certifying sleep coaches under my brand. Today I have a fantastic team of dedicated employees, and the little business I started way back in 2003 is generates 7 figures annually!

(Disclaimer: None of what you’ve just read is any kind of suggestion or guarantee about how much you, personally, can or will earn as a sleep coach. Your success obviously depends on many different factors, and anyone who makes any promises about how much you’ll make in this business isn’t being honest with you!_

I’m Interested! What’s Next?

If you’re still reading, it’s probably because you’re genuinely interested in exploring sleep coaching as a career. Whether or not I’m the right person to help you get started depends on which of the 3 categories above you fall into.

Dabblers: There are quite a few inexpensive training programs available online that will teach you the basics on how to get started for under $2000. They are all quite similar, and focus mostly on the “how-to” of teaching babies to sleep through the night. After you’ve finished the course, print up some business cards and put up a website. Presto – you’re a sleep coach!

If you’re a dabbler, I wish you the best, but you are NOT going to fit into the Sleep Sense family. (Training with me and becoming a Certified Sleep Sense Consultant isn’t cheap at almost $10,000. I do offer payment plans, but even so, you need to be the kind of person who is fully committed to making your career a success in order to train with me.)

Helpers and Builders: You’re my kind of people, and exactly the sort of candidates I love working with! In fact, over the past 10 years, I’ve helped over 500 of you launch successful careers as Certified Sleep Sense Consultants.

I’m confident that the education and mentoring that I provide is the “gold standard” for people who are serious about being successful in this business. When we decide to work together, I like to think we are making a commitment to each other. I’m committing to giving you all the training, tools, and support you need. You’re committing to do your very best to represent the Sleep Sense brand proudly, help your clients with love and compassion, and achieve the success you deserve.

So if you’re a helper or a builder who is serious about exploring this opportunity with me, I’m currently accepting applications for my next training classes on this page:

Apply Here To Learn More

I’ll review your application and if you seem like a good fit, we’ll set up a time for a more in-depth meeting where we can decide together if this seems like the right move for you!