How Raquel Tara Became One of Australia’s Most Experienced Baby Sleep Consultants
For more than 20 years, Raquel Tara has worked privately with families throughout Australia, London and Europe as a maternity nanny, newborn care specialist and overnight baby sleep consultant.
Today, she is known as Australia’s leading FIFO overnight baby sleep consultant, providing hands-on overnight sleep support for families in their homes while parents sleep.
But long before baby sleep consulting became mainstream, Raquel’s journey into infant sleep began working as a Mothercraft maternity and night nanny in London in 1999.
We’re often told we’re lucky that our child has slept through the night since 6 weeks old, and handled teething and developmental leaps with ease — and maybe we are. But I truly believe working with Raquel made all the difference.
She is so much more than a sleep consultant, and I recommend her to anyone wanting to build an open, secure relationship with their child.”
Before “Baby Sleep Consulting” Existed
When Raquel first began working professionally with newborns and infants, formal baby sleep consulting programs barely existed.
Parents were often simply told to “do whatever works” to get through the night.
Midwives, maternity nurses and nannies all had different advice, but there was rarely one clear or consistent approach to infant sleep.
Over time, Raquel immersed herself in studying infant sleep, observing babies closely and learning through thousands of hours of real overnight experience with families.
What began as maternity nanny work gradually evolved into a deep specialisation in overnight infant sleep and settling support.
The Early Years
Like many exhausted parents today, Raquel remembers the emotional intensity of trying to figure out baby sleep in the early years of her career.
At the time, much of the advice given to maternity nannies was simply to survive the shift rather than actually resolve the underlying sleep struggles families were experiencing.
But instinctively, Raquel always felt driven to understand why some babies slept well while others struggled significantly.
Over the years, through observation, experience and hands-on overnight work with countless families, patterns began to emerge.
This eventually became the foundation of the overnight support approach families now seek out across Australia.
More Than Just Sleep
Over time, Raquel realised that baby sleep is rarely just about sleep alone.
Feeding rhythms, overtiredness, parental anxiety, temperament, attachment, confidence and family dynamics all influence how babies settle and sleep.
This broader understanding became one of the defining differences in Raquel’s overnight support approach.
Rather than simply focusing on isolated sleep techniques, Raquel works with the entire overnight picture while supporting parents emotionally throughout the process.
Resources for Infant Educarers (RIE)
More than a decade into her infant caregiving career, Raquel discovered the work of Magda Gerber and Resources for Infant Educarers (RIE) while studying psychology and attachment theory.
The RIE philosophy deeply resonated with the observations and experiences she had already developed working with babies and families over many years.
Rather than focusing on controlling infants, RIE emphasises respectful caregiving, observation, communication and trust in a child’s capabilities.
Raquel later formalised her RIE studies under Anita Cooper Ebright and Kristy Thomas through the RIE Foundations Course in Canada, and in 2022 also became a Gottman Institute Bringing Baby Home Educator.
Raquel Tara’s Overnight Sleep Support Today
Today, Raquel works privately with families throughout Australia providing hands-on overnight baby sleep support directly in the family home.
Families often contact Raquel when they are beyond the stage of wanting more online advice and simply want experienced overnight help from someone who has managed these situations thousands of times before.
Raquel has worked with elite athletes, celebrities, doctors, teachers, executives and coaches both in Australia and internationally.
Sydney, Canberra, Byron Bay, Brisbane and the Gold Coast remain some of her most frequent destinations, alongside regional areas throughout NSW, ACT and Queensland.
What Happens When Families Work With Raquel?
Unlike many traditional sleep consulting models, Raquel works directly with babies overnight while parents sleep.
This allows parents to receive real-time overnight support inside their own home rather than trying to implement strategies alone while exhausted.
Over the years, Raquel’s work has evolved into far more than simply helping babies sleep longer stretches overnight.
Families are often supported through confidence building, co-regulation, overnight routines, parental boundaries, feeding rhythms and understanding their baby’s communication more deeply.
For many families, the overnight support experience becomes transformational not simply because the baby begins sleeping better — but because the entire emotional atmosphere of the home changes once everyone begins sleeping again.
Need Hands-On Overnight Sleep Support?
Raquel Tara is Australia’s leading FIFO overnight baby sleep consultant, providing in-home overnight sleep support for families throughout Australia.
With more than 20 years of hands-on overnight experience working privately with families in Australia, London and Europe, Raquel works directly with babies overnight in the family home while parents sleep.
Raquel Tara
FIFO Baby Sleep Consultant
Sydney's Original Celebrity Sleep Nanny, now based in Byron Shire has helped elite athletes, celebrities, doctors, teachers, and coaches both-in Australia and abroad for 25+ years, and she can help you too!
