Possums Reviews 

The Possums Sleep Program has been an absolute gift. All of the information on baby sleep I was finding/hearing elsewhere did not align with my intuition & made me feel like I was doing things wrong & there was something wrong with my baby. The PSP affirmed that what my baby needs is perfectly normal & that responding to him in ways that feel right to me is exactly how we were designed. It took the pressure off napping & nights so that we now enjoy our days out and about, and he sleeps peacefully when he needs to! It helped reframe the entire goal of our days & weeks - we are here now to enjoy snuggling, experience wonder out in the world, and protect the physical & mental health of both mother and child. I feel so much more steady in our choices.

I found the website information digestible & simply explained - with foundational principles that make sense & allow me to problem solve on my own. There was sufficient information to solve the worst of our sleep problems, but now I feel empowered to tackle subsequent issues because I understand the mechanics not just prescriptive instructions.

I found the Possums Sleep Program to be so helpful for myself and now 10 month old baby.
We have been through quite a bit with being unsettled, not gaining enough weight, non-IgE mediated cows milk protein allergy, breast feeding refusal and pain, bottle refusal, not wanting to be put down and frequent night waking.
My friend gifted me The Discontented Little Baby book and I ended up seeing a NDC accredited GP and IBCLC after seeing two other lactation consultants that I found were not very supportive and couldn’t provide me with the information or help I needed to make decisions around our feeding journey. I found the principles from the GP and book to be really interesting at helpful, but it was all a bit overwhelming while I was so sleep deprived (and a bit stubborn).
Once she was 8 months old and I was getting a little more sleep and was functioning better, I decided to do the Possums Sleep Program as we were still having a lot of issues with frequent night waking and I wanted to understand more as the sleep training principles I had been thought to think were normal were not helping. I found the information so valuable, not just with the tips provided, but to make me feel like I wasn’t doing anything wrong and to give perspective on what was normal, while holding space for some of those things being really hard. I think the mindset shift had the biggest impact on my anxiety and mental health. I had been told that I shouldn’t always be picking her up when she cries and to pat her bottom instead. Even the government websites were promoting hands off settling techniques which made me think there was something wrong with me and my baby because I could calm her down or put her to sleep without holding her. I used to sit next to her cot for 45 minutes singing for her to wake up as soon as I left the room. Since doing the Possums Sleep Program I have felt much more comfortable and happy knowing that I can provide as much sensory nourishment as I can and then give her a cuddle for a few minutes before she falls asleep and I place her in the cot.
The Program does a fantastic job at explaining things in a way everyone can understand, and delivering information empathetically. The principles make understanding and looking after your baby seem so much more simple when we are exposed to so much conflicting information as mothers.
I highly recommend this program and wish these principles were more mainstream and practiced/taught by all health care professionals.

Brilliant evidence based baby sleep advice. Really appreciate that the programme is grounded in well researched science and it is the perfect antidote to all the sleep training myths out there. Dr Pam has a super compassionate approach and It has helped me take the pressure off daytime naps and just enjoy each day with my daughter; what a gift!
The podcast format is easy to listen to and digest as a busy mum; but there is quite a bit of repetition and as it is just one person speaking it can feel a bit one dimensional. Perhaps some guests or conversations could liven it up a bit.
I was hoping for more detail on the baby solids section.
Thanks for the work you do Dr Pam!

Before finding the Possum Program, we felt quite pushed into sleep training methods for our daughter, and the evolving world around us which encourages routine and rigidness. This was never helpful for us. When we followed along with the Possum Program (we have only done this thus far for sleep), it took all the pressure off, improved not just us as parents' lives but our baby's wellbeing and enjoyment in life. I feel like we all have a much more enriching life now, and I've finally found a program that backs your intuition, and supports the flexibility of sleep and baby development.

The Possums approach saved my sanity early in my parenthood and I couldn't be more grateful for it. It made me feel adequate and reassured me that my baby and I were not 'broken' for not using a cot, having strict routines, or tracking sleep windows.
Pam is very good at reiterating the key concepts and showing how every tricky situation can traced back to the foundations of the PSP. It provides sense to the chaos.
Thank you Dr Pam Douglas for your generosity of spirit. I loved Pam's reflections throughout the program.
I recommend this program to every new mum I get to meet.

I appreciate the sleep advice, and Possums has really helped me relax and trust myself as a parent. Really appreciate the cosleeping, feeding to sleep and 'frequent and flexible' messages.

I don't agree 100% with all the content (esp with CMPI and tongue tie) but Dr Pam has such a lovely approach which really takes the pressure off. I found the program quite expensive, and feel sad that soon I won't be able to access it as it has been valuable.

PSP has been my place of comfort as a mom living away from family, when I felt alone in my ideas and circumstances. I breastfeed exclusively and wake "often" in the night to quickly nurse my baby back to sleep. My baby also seemed to need *lots* of walks outside and movement to be settled. I kept hearing how my baby was "difficult" which upset me and made me feel protective of him while also feeling like maybe I was doing something wrong and needed to change. At the same time I felt sleep training wasn't the right fit for us and felt jarring compared to how I wanted to parent our little boy.

PSP empowered me to follow my gut instincts. Even just normalising my situation made me feel so much more confident. Lastly, the "self care" section which describes prioritising values and accepting negative feelings, along with all the positive ones, that come with this big life change also helped me feel less in conflict with myself and this demanding chapter in my life.

Thank you, Dr. Pam for the work you're doing. You've helped me settle into being the mom I felt was best for me and my baby ❤️

Possums program encourages you to work with your baby’s biology and focuses on making days and nights workable, and protecting parental mental health. It is simple to follow, evidence based and makes so much sense.

I found standard advice about wake windows, onerous sleep routines, sleeping in dark rooms in the daytime, and ‘settling’ your baby just didn’t work for me. I’d spend hours shushing in a dark room to no avail!

I like that possums supports me to feed to sleep and have a flexible approach to sleep. It is very inexpensive compared to sleep consulting and fancy white noise machines that have no evidence base!

Possums was life changing for both my family's sleep and my mental health during my baby's first year of life. Before Possums I was frustrated with my baby attempting to get them to nap and stuck at home in a dark room. After I learnt more about Possums I had such a fun and enjoyable year exploring the world with my baby and spending precious time together. I've returned a few times when sleep has gotten bad and I'm always guided in the right direction to get back on track. Many thanks Dr Pam and team.