She's the sleep consultant helping Hampshire families this Christmas.

As the founder of Catching Little Dreams, Naomi Hilliard, from Chandler's Ford, helps babies and children sleep better and their parents be less sleep deprived. 

As a former sleep consultant customer, Naomi retrained following the pandemic. 

Around half of the UK's population don't get enough sleep with most people averaging only six hours a night, two hours less than recommended and new parents even less. 

Naomi says sleep is the most important gift we can give ourselves for a healthy and long life. 

Daily Echo: Naomi Hilliard of Catching Little Dreams

She told the Daily Echo: “I really feel for parents who aren’t getting the sleep they need but I know there is an answer, and I can help them.

"Sleep training is responding to your child’s needs but not their wants. It is teaching your child to self-settle, which will ultimately give them the ability to sleep through the night. My techniques are extremely gentle and responsive. I don’t offer a cry it out method.

"My approach still allows the parent and child to have a good attachment, and everyone will get the restorative sleep they need to thrive."

Sarah Lyth, from Kings Worthy, recently used Catching Little Dreams to help her and her six-month-old baby sleep better.

She said: “I was very over tired and emotional with a son who was waking every 45 minutes. 

"The difference after just three days was huge and after five days my son was effectively sleeping through with one dream feed! Just incredible. It’s the best money we’ve ever spent and considering the difference this made to our quality of life I would pay again ten times over. Getting good solid sleep is priceless."

Daily Echo: Naomi Hilliard of Catching Little Dreams with a family she has helped

Christmas can be an especially tiring period with lots of travel and excited children. To help, Naomi has put together some top tips.

She says parents should aim to stick to the same bed time for their children every night, whether they are staying at home or visiting family.

Consistency is another key factor, and parents should try not to get their little ones overtired.

Youngsters shouldn't skip naps, and should have a good sleep environment with temperatures between 16 and 20 degrees.