Sarah Ockwell-Smith

Sarah Ockwell-Smith (born c. 1976) is an author of parenting and childcare books in the United Kingdom and a proponent of attachment parenting.

Published works

Ockwell-Smith's first book BabyCalm,^[1] published in 2012, focusses on parenting from birth to six months. Her second book ToddlerCalm,^[2] published in 2013, focusses on parenting from one to three years of age. In 2015 Ockwell-Smith branched away from the 'Calm' line of books to release The Gentle Sleep Book.^[3] The Gentle Sleep Book offers sleep advice from birth to five years and does not involve any controlled crying techniques. The Gentle Sleep Book sold 25,000 UK copies in the first year of publication and frequently appears on bestseller lists. The Gentle Parenting Book,^[4] which provides an introduction to gentle parenting from birth to seven years, was published in Spring 2016, closely followed by Why Your Baby's Sleep Matters,^[5] also in Spring 2016.

Ockwell-Smith is contracted to write a further three books in the 'Gentle' series: The Gentle Discipline Book^[6] and The Gentle Potty Training Book, both to be published in 2017, and The Gentle Eating Book, to be published in 2018.

Ockwell-Smith's books have been translated into several different languages, including Chinese, Estonian, Romanian, Russian and Turkish. She is represented by Eve White Literary Agency ^[7] and published by Piatkus, an imprint of the Little, Brown book group and Pinter and Martin, an independent publisher based in London, UK.

Co-Sleeping and Attachment Parenting

Ockwell-Smith is commonly seen as an authority in attachment parenting and co-sleeping and has appeared on UK television on Channel 5 news ^[8] and Good Morning Britain ^[9] discussing recent changes to NICE guidance and accompanying safety. Ockwell-Smith was also interviewed for Sky News as a parenting expert surrounding the birth of Prince George. Ockwell-Smith gives expert commentary, on parenting, on several national radio stations and appeared on BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour^[10] as a guest in Spring 2016,

Ockwell-Smith is a frequent contributor to articles in the British press concerning parenting including The Express,^[11] The Sun,^[12] The Daily Mail,^[13] The Mirror,^[14] The Guardian ^[15] and The Telegraph.^[16] She contributes to several lifestyle and parenting websites including Female First,^[17] AOL Parentdish,^[18] Yahoo Lifestyle ^[19] and Tesco Baby Club.^[20] Ockwell-Smith writes regularly for The Huffington Post.^[21]

Personal life

Ockwell-Smith is married with four children.^[22] She was born in Bedfordshire and raised in Bishops Stortford, Hertfordshire where she attended the Hertfordshire and Essex High School. She currently lives in Saffron Walden Essex. Ockwell-Smith holds an honours degree in Psychology awarded from the University of Greenwich and also holds qualifications in antenatal education. Before working as an author Ockwell-Smith worked as a doula and Hypnobirthing teacher.

References