A Note on This Edition
A Note On This Edition
This book has been written for parents and families. Its purpose is practical: to help you understand and confidently use the Foundation Routine, the core nightly practice at the heart of the Goulding System. Everything here supports that aim.
The work you are reading has evolved over more than five decades. The Goulding System has previously appeared under several titles, including Creating Miracles – Sleep Talk for Children: The Gift of Love & Self-Esteem (1996), Sleep Talk – A Gift of Love Through Positive Parenting (2004), and The Goulding Process (2011).
As understanding of children, families, sleep, and emotional development has grown, so too has the language used to describe the work. In this 2026 edition it is formally presented as the Goulding System.
The word system was chosen carefully. It reflects what the work has become: a coherent, family-centred framework shaped by long-term practice and informed by contemporary research, while remaining gentle and usable in everyday family life.
This publication is available in both a Complete Edition and a Concise Edition. Both editions present the same core teaching and practical Foundation Routine.
The Complete Edition is the full reference edition, including expanded explanations, background material, case examples, FAQs, glossary entries, research references, and supporting appendices. The Concise Edition provides a shorter and more accessible pathway through the same teaching.
In the Concise Edition, most chapters have been streamlined from the Complete Edition. However, the key operational chapters and supporting appendices that explain the Foundation Process and Foundation Routine have been reproduced in their original form to preserve the integrity of the System.
Chapters and appendices reproduced in their original form in the Concise Edition include:
- Preliminary Pages
- Chapter 6 — The Top Hat Theory
- Chapter 7 — The Foundation Process
- Chapter 8 — The Foundation Routine
- Appendix I — The Foundation Routine: A Quick Guide
- Appendix J — The Foundation Routine: Technical and Scientific Notes
This edition also reflects modern families in all their diversity. The language, examples, and guidance are intentionally inclusive, recognising that children grow up in many different structures and circumstances.
Although this edition includes evidence-based references for readers who wish to explore the research in greater depth, it is not written as an academic text. The language has been kept clear and accessible, with technical terminology explained where necessary rather than assumed.
This book is produced primarily as a digital publication. In electronic formats, chapter and appendix titles may contain hyperlinks to the corresponding pages in the Online Version, allowing readers to access additional resources, references, updates, audio materials, and related support where available. Full web addresses are also provided where appropriate so that references remain usable if the book is printed or read in a format where hyperlinks are unavailable.
Readers seeking the fullest background and supporting material should consult the Complete Edition.
Readers seeking a shorter practical reading path may prefer the Concise Edition.
Additional online resources and updates may be found through the Goulding System website at GouldingSystemBook.com.
Artificial intelligence was used as part of the editorial process. AI-assisted tools, including ChatGPT, helped with drafting, condensation, organisation, clarification, and review. They did not originate the Goulding System, replace the author’s experience, or assume responsibility for the content. All content was reviewed, edited, verified, and approved prior to publication. The final structure, wording, interpretation, and publication decisions remain the responsibility of Joane Goulding and David Dixon.
A dedicated Coaches’ Manual may be developed separately to provide fuller professional, procedural, and research detail for Goulding System Parent Coach training and registration.
If you are a professional reading this book, you are very welcome here. This text remains intentionally parent-focused, and its simplicity is deliberate.
vii & viii