With over 20 years’ experience as a nanny and newborn care specialist, Sandy Schmied’s mission is simple: to help you parent with confidence and connection, free from all the outside noise. With a mix of scientific, evidence-based insight and parental intuition, she is here to guide you on this wild ride, creating a space where your little one feels seen, heard, and loved-just as they are. At Wildhood Sleep, they celebrate the spirited, cheeky, and wonderfully weird-because life would be too dull without them! Sandy is all about honouring their wild souls while gently guiding them to better sleep, while helping parents get the rest they need. Here she talks to The Natural Parent Magazine about the inspiration behind her business, how she balances work and family life, and her hopes and dreams for the future.
The passion: What inspired you to set up your business?
Honestly, it all started during my nannying days. I spent years working with different families, helping them tackle sleepless nights and figuring out how to support each child’s unique sleep needs. Every family had its own parenting style, but the one thing they all wanted was a kid who actually slept!
I quickly realised I had a knack for it-getting babies to sleep well became second nature to me. Over 20+ years as a nanny and newborn care specialist, I never had a “bad sleeper”. At first, I thought I just got lucky, but once I learned more about how sleep actually worked, I realised my secret weapons were sleep shaping and setting up solid wind-down routines. I started working with babies as young as 4 weeks and found gentle ways to build great sleep habits without using strict sleep training methods.
Seeing how well it worked (and how happy it made families), I knew I wanted to do more. That’s how Wildhood Sleep was born-to help parents get the rest they need while honouring their connection with their little ones.
The Launch: How did you start out in the beginning?
In the early days, it was all about sharing what I’d learned with parents in my community. I trained as a maternity nurse, and soon word got out-people started asking me to work my “magic” on their kids too!
But I wanted to go deeper and really understand the science behind sleep. That’s when I signed up for the Holistic Sleep Coaching Program. It wasn’t just about evidence-based sleep science; it covered everything that could impact sleep, like low iron levels, oral ties, and even temperament.
Having worked with super sensitive babies before, I knew firsthand that conventional methods didn’t cut it for every kid. With a solid foundation of knowledge and years of experience, I decided to launch Wildhood Sleep. My goal was to offer personalised, gentle sleep solutions that actually work for every family’s unique dynamic. And honestly, I’ve never looked back!
The Innovation: What was the biggest breakthrough for you with your business?
The game-changer for me was embracing a truly holistic approach-blending solid scientific research with good old parental instinct. I ditched the cookie-cutter sleep methods and started creating tailored plans that actually worked for each family’s unique situation. Parents loved it because it wasn’t about forcing a one-size-fits-all solution but meeting them and their little ones where they were at.
Another big “aha” moment? Just being myself. When I first started, I was so focused on looking polished, but it wasn’t really me. Once I leaned into authenticity, started showing up online as my real self, and focused on serving and educating sleep-deprived parents rather than selling to them, everything clicked. Building that genuine connection with families has been the best part.
Yin and Yang: How do you balance work and family?
Balancing work and life used to be chaos. Back in my nannying days, I was pulling 60-70 hour weeks, commuting an hour each way, and often had to choose between eating dinner or taking a shower because there just wasn’t time for both.
A couple of years ago, I made a huge shift-I left London and moved to the outskirts of Glasgow. It was the reset I desperately needed. Now, I get to work on my business from the comfort of home (sometimes even from bed!) and still have time to enjoy the outdoors. My partner and I love taking our two dogs on countryside hikes, and wild swimming at the end of a walk is my version of bliss.
I still put in plenty of hours running my business, but it feels so much more balanced now. Helping families get better sleep isn’t just a job-it’s something I truly love. Knowing I’m making a difference for parents and their little ones? That’s the best feeling ever.
