Baby and Toddler Sleep Testimonials

About | Testimonials

 

Would you like to add your story to the list of well-rested voices? E-mail info (at) babysleepsite (dot) com!

Hi Nicole! I just wanted to thank you for all of your help and support in getting our 5 month old little girl to sleep! It had been a long 5 months of her waking up just about every 2 hours at night and we were at our wit’s end. We had even resorted to co-sleeping which worked in the beginning but became worse after a short time. She wouldn’t nap more than 20 minutes or so and was very clingy and needy.

I looked at several other websites and “sleep trainers” but I didn’t want to adhere to a strict cry it out routine. I started working on her naps after reading the guides on your website. She started sleeping a little better within 2 days and started to sleep about 3 hours at a time at night. So, I decided to buy the unlimited emailing for 1 week.

With our first email you had pinned our problem! We started immediately making the recommended changes and within 2 days she was sleeping all night!!! Not only did she sleep better (without resorting to cry-it-out), but she slept in her crib! She still woke of course to eat at around 3 am but we expected that! She is now napping much better and is not as clingy or cranky. She is a happy and rested baby now and so are mom and dad. We could not have done it without you and we are so very grateful to have found you. THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!
-Michelle

“I tried sleep training when my son was 8 months old and it was horrible. I researched all the sleep training methods before, had bought books on the subject and even attended a sleep training consultation – whose method sounded so terrible to me that I just decided to not even try it. The way your e-Book is put together made all the difference. The way you explained sleep training and your understanding and compassion put it all into perspective for me. I felt like I had finally found someone who actually understood what I was going through! It was like you wrote the book just for me. When I read it, I actually cried from relief. It sounds so cliché, but your help has changed my life. I feel like a new person. I am finally in control of my life again and I feel like I can now be the mother to my child that he deserves. I am still working on the naps, although they are much better already too. So I will remain a loyal reader to your site and refer all my mommy friends to you!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH.”
-Charlotte, South Africa, Johannesburg

“My husband and I were coming towards the end of our rope!! Our beautiful son Marcos had trouble STAYING asleep since birth, and after 8 grueling months of waking up as many as 15 times a night, we finally decided we couldn´t take it anymore. Then we found Nicole. She has been a GODSEND to our family, helping us with step by step advice that is well researched, nurturing and proven effective. She gave us a method that worked for our family, and encouraged us to stay the course. Anytime we needed her help throughout the process, she was ALWAYS right there. Our son is sleeping 12 hours a night now, EVERY NIGHT, and takes 3 naps a day, each over an hour long. Before Nicole, we were lucky if we got 20 minutes!! We cannot EVER thank her enough for her professionalism, knowledge and compassion. Don´t think about this twice, reach out to Nicole….YOUR LIFE WILL CHANGE!”
-Carolina, Juan and Baby Marcos, Norwalk, Connecticut

“When I met Nicole my son was 16 months old. I tried to have my son “cry it out” 3 different times. It just wasn’t working! He was an extremely colicky baby and had a lot of health issues so I held him all the time. He would only nap with me holding him and would start off in his crib at night but would wake up about 6 or 7 times before midnight. I read numerous books, talked with many people including his pediatrician but no one could help me. I was at my wits end and it was affecting all aspects of my life. My husband found Nicole. She has changed our lives! She created a plan that started working within 2 days. She knew exactly what I was going through. All those months I felt so alone but not after working with Nicole. She was in tuned with me and my son. I learned so much from her not only about sleep habits but also temperaments. I started to realize my son is a spirited boy but I didn’t know how much that affected his sleep.

I needed a different approach and Nicole developed it to a tee! I can’t begin to tell you how grateful my husband and I are for her! My son transitioned to 1 nap (in the crib) and sleeps 12 hours at night (in the crib). He wakes up occasionally but soothes himself back to sleep. He even wakes up happy now not crying! I feel much better knowing I can contact Nicole for advice for years to come. Her sleep consulting packages are very affordable and her website has so much good information. She has a wealth of knowledge and is willing to share it. We can’t thank you enough Nicole! You are such a blessing!”
-Emily, Rancho Cordova, CA

“I wish I could just have you in front of me so that I can hug you!!! My daughter has always been a terrible sleeper, she is now 2.5 years old and was getting worst by the minute. Yes she’s 2.5, I haven’t slept since she was born. I got rid of the crib when she was about 20 months thinking that getting her a toddler bed would help her sleep, then after her second birthday we got her a new bedroom set with a big girls bed. We just thought that she would grow out of it, so every night was a constant battle with her. So my husband and I would bring her into our bed, so we could at least get a few hours of sleep. To make a very long story short, I purchased your book on Monday, and yesterday (2 days later) I decided to go cold turkey. No more sleep props, we got rid of the pacifier. I told her that her friend was a baby and she didn’t have any so we had to give them to her.

I bathed her at 7:30pm and after our ‘new bedtime routine’ I put her to bed at 8:15pm. It took her a while but after 30 minutes she was sleeping, I was in complete shock. My husband looked at me and tells me, so now what do we do??? Imagine she had always gone to sleep at the time we would go to bed, at around 10:30 or 11:00. I just told him, ‘I don’t know what you’re going to do, but I’m going to catch up on my sleep!’

She woke up at 11:00pm, full of energy and asking me if we could go outside, but I repeated the same steps. And after awhile she was sound asleep. And slept until 8:00am, alone in her bed.

I am so thankful for your book…we will continue our routine everyday and I’ll keep you posted, but I just had to let people know that even after one day after you read the book, you’ll feel much more confident in tackling our child’s sleep issues.
-Isis and Mike, Miami, FL

“After a consult with Dr. Weissbluth and email exchanges with Dr. Ferber, I found Nicole. It was refreshing to talk to Nicole because she had been through EXACTLY what I am going through and she is a mother herself. Her kindness and compassion was evident with every email exchange and as a mother of 3, yes 3, troubled sleepers, I would recommend her services in a heartbeat!”
-Anita, Charlottesville, VA

“Our son was 9 months old (who had been a decent sleeper until he got some back-to-back respiratory viruses between 4 and 6 months old) when I came across Nicole’s website. At that point, I had been, for about 3 months, holding him almost all night, every night, in a glider chair.

At the advice of our pediatrician’s office and of numerous books, we tried variations on the Ferber Method and other check and console and “cry it out” methods. We had many nights, with us either coming and going every 10 minutes or just constantly in the room, where he cried – without stopping – for four hours or more and never went to sleep. One night, he cried from 1:30 a.m. until daybreak (even with us coming in and shh-ing and patting) and never stopped and never fell asleep. At that point, I could not take any more and just went back to holding him in a chair all night long.

We read all sorts of articles, books and websites and talked to our doctors’ office. We tried numerous suggestions in the books. People told us to just shut the door at 7 p.m., to turn off all monitors and to not come back until morning. I was not willing to/capable of doing that and, we knew from past experience, that our son could – and probably would – cry all night long and never go to sleep.

Somehow, in a last-ditch internet search, I came upon Nicole’s website. What impressed me about Nicole’s articles and postings was that she really did seem to understand that it sometimes takes a very individualized, non-”textbook” approach to deal with sleep problems. She listened to the specific problems of the families and babies and came up with a very specific, individualized plan for each. So, we decided to give the 30-day subscription a try.

Nicole responded to us on the very first night and proposed a detailed plan to try to re-teach our son how to go to sleep and to stay asleep on his own. Progress came in fits and starts but, as had not been the case with anything else we had been doing, progress DID come. A little less than 2 weeks into the process, I found myself writing to Nicole to report that our son had slept almost 9 hours in his crib without crying and without needing us to help him back to sleep when he had brief wake-ups during the night. By the end of the 30 days, he was consistently putting himself to sleep, without crying, at the outset of the night. He is also putting himself back to sleep when he wakes up during the night.

I would never have believed, upon my first e-mail to Nicole, that by the end of the 30 days, I would have only small issues to handle. I also know that if we need it, Nicole will continue to provide her considered, thoughtful advice and encouragement. I highly recommend this website and Nicole’s services. We are very thankful to have finally found someone who took the time to really consider our baby’s specific issues and problems and to come up with a plan to help us turn things around in a way that worked best for us and for him. Thank you so much!!”
-Lee Ann

“”I purchased your book and it helped a great deal. Our daughter is sleeping well through the night – that actually wasn’t our problem. Nap time was the issue and I was beside myself with anguish over it. Your book was great and your email responses were very helpful. We even took a trip to California and back and the napping routine remained fairly consistent. She falls asleep on her own now without fussing and is sleeping 3-4 hours during the day and 11-12 hours at night. Thank you so much!”
-Heather and Jay, Washington, D.C.

“Like the many parents out there with a new baby, I was sleep deprived and working full time. When my son turned 4 months, I decided to sleep train him. I used all methods, No Cry Sleep Solution, Baby Whisperer, Good Night Sleep tight… you name it, I bought it and read it. Nothing worked. Desperate and sleep deprived for so long, I researched the internet and found The Baby Sleep Site. At first I read her blog. I hesitated in committing to another sleep method since none of the others worked. Since her site was reseasonable,I signed up for the Members Area and read all the materials there. I also got email support from Nicole. You’ll be surprised how much you can get done in one email with Nicole. She helped me tremendously and gave me the support I lacked from everyone else around me. My son is 8 months now and he sleeps wonderfully. The sleep deprived nights are a distant memory thanks to Nicole and her site!”
-Jessica, Long Beach, CA

“I’m so happy that I found Nicole. I have read multiple sleep books and talked to other moms, but they really did not help me with my difficult sleeper. Being able to e-mail Nicole about a specific problem and quickly getting a personalized answer has been wonderful for me. Besides being knowledgeable about infant and toddler sleep, she is very caring, understanding, friendly, and she really spends the time trying to answer my questions. I highly recommend her services.”
-Cindy, Florida

“Hi Nicole,

I haven’t purchased any of your products and in a way I am sorry b/c I haven’t financially supported you but in another I’m glad that at this point I don’t need it. Somehow I’ve managed to read some of your blogs, navigate your website and get through the development hurdle that is going on at the time….but I do want to say one thing….THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for your blogs, your newsletters and just your genuine and honest nature. I just read your blog “your baby won’t sleep and it’s your fault!” and I was so close to tears (good ones) when you said something along the lines of ‘it is your fault and it is b/c you are a loving mom/dad’. I just wanted to say thank you for not judging us moms and not making us feel like failures. I do have to say that I recommend your website to so many moms and friends of mine as the place to go to not feel judged and to get in touch with someone who will really put their interest and needs first.

Ok, I’m going to bed now…my son has been sleeping thru for the last few nights (again) and I want to make sure I take every chance I get to do the same….talk soon and once again…THANK YOU for helping so many of us that need your help and guidance!”
-Michelina, Ontario, Canada

“Your website has been the most helpful resource I have come across so far. If I had come across it earlier, I would have saved my self so much time and money researching the topic “baby sleep”. It was only after I had spent a countless amount of money on books and hours trawling through babycare websites that I found your site. Your information is clear, concise and straight to the point. I love that you include your own personal experience into it. Somehow it is very comforting knowing that you are not alone and that baby sleep is a common problem. There is so much information out there, I think that it is fantastic that you are willing to share the wealth of knowledge that you have accumulated. There are so many styles of parenting out there, I found that your advice is very level headed. It is clear that you love babies, but you understand how important it is that they learn to sleep properly. I personally ended up using the cry it out approach, and so far there has only been one occasion where he has cried for more than 10 minutes, I think it is true that the crying hurts the mother more than the baby. When you realise that it is necessary and that you are not being cruel or taking the easy way out, but providing your baby with the opportunity to learn an important life skill, it is very empowering. Thank you Nicole.”
-Kathryn, Melbourne, Australia

“My son John (name changed at the request of mom) was 9 month old when I signed up with Nicole. He was a very bad sleeper. He would immediately start crying when I put him in the crib for his nighttime sleep and would only sleep with me holding him or literally lying on top of me, still nursing. And would wake up every 1-2 hours. It was totally insane and I was always tired and cranky. I found Nicole totally by accident and decided to try her out after reading testimonials and her articles. I had tried using the Pantley method, but it did not work at all and I was too tired to try it again. Nicole told me about the importance of letting him fall asleep on his own, which was something I had never even thought about. We ended up using a cry-it-out method specifically designed for my son. At first, he cried a lot. And Nicole was there for me throughout the whole process. I had so many questions and she patiently answered each and every one. He was slowly learning and then he got sick so we put the training on hold for a couple of weeks. He had to learn all over again. He cried for about 40 minutes on the first night, and then 5-10 minutes and then 2-3 minutes. He wakes up once for one night feeding (he used to wake up 5-6 times at night) and then the morning feeding. It’s been a long and somewhat harrowing journey, but we all came through the journey better rested and more happy. Nicole has been more than my sleep consultant. She’s been my rock throughout the whole experience and I know that I can always turn to her for help, if ever needed in the future. For sleep deprived moms everywhere: Nicole can help you even if you feel hopeless and desperate. Thanks for everything, Nicole.
-Hugs from Sarah and John

“You have been invaluable to me and have helped get my son to have “healthy” sleep habits. You really listen to the patterns and temperaments of the children and then give such great advice that goes along with different parenting styles (CIO, check and console, co-sleep etc)! I am so lucky to have you parenting alongside me. You are incredibly knowledgeable on this subject. Thank you!”
-Jess, Boston, MA

“Nicole has been my sleep savior at every age and stage so far. From newborn issues to setting a sleep schedule to eliminating naps to transitioning to a toddler bed. All of this was a breeze thanks to her! My sanity thanks you Nicole!”
-Adrienne, PA

“I’m blessed with one of those babies who thinks he’s allergic to sleep. I thought cry-it-out was my only option. Since I just couldn’t do that, I thought I had no choice but to live with minimum sleep. Thankfully, Nicole has been able to give me some suggestions as far as routine that have helped prolong his naps and nighttime sleep without having to leave him to cry. Her voice of knowledge and compassion has been a blessing to me.”
-Melissa, Sacramento, CA

“After co-sleeping with our baby for 12 months, enduring every other hour nursing sessions all night long, and co-sleeping for all naps, I was ready to move him to his own room to sleep in his crib. With little idea of how to make a smooth transition, I turned to Nicole for advice. I had heard many great things about her from friends, and I suspected her advice might make all the difference for us. Nicole laid all the options out for me. She was fabulous! She left no detail unmentioned. Once I decided on the route we’d take, I braced myself to stick it out. I knew it wouldn’t be easy to move our baby out of our bed. The first couple nights were tough emotionally, but not impossible. There was some crying, but I knew it was just baby protesting the change. Nicole not only gave me great advice, but she also was there to support me throughout the whole process. With my husband deployed, I needed all the support I could get! Just as Nicole promised, my baby began to sleep in his crib by himself and as a bonus he night weaned himself. In just three days, my baby was falling asleep without any crying and sleeping 12-13 hours a night in his crib. Two weeks later, as Nicole recommended, I started sleep training for naps. It took a bit longer than night sleep training, but I am proud to say that now, 6 months later, I have had the best sleep of my life. Without fail, my now toddler has slept an average of 13 hours a night and an average of 2 hours for naps every day in his crib! I will be forever grateful to Nicole for both her time and knowledge.
-Christy, Fort Gordon, GA

“I can write pages on how Nicole has helped me through my most desperate times as a mother. I believe that sleep is one of the toughest and most misunderstood facets of parenting. My baby was a co-sleeper, milk drinking machine till 8 months. She was rocked and breastfed till she would fall into deep slumber. Most nights she would cry even sleeping with me because she didn’t need milk, she needed sleep and I didn’t know how to give it to her.

At 8 months PP I started slipping into post partum depression because of sleep deprivation that had taken over me and her. And, her naps had diminished too. I had school and a full household and I got nothing done. I had tried Dr Sears and The No cry sleep solution by Pantley. I made logs for her sleep and everything worked for 2 days where I would get 2-3 2 hr stretches out of her, but she never slept through the night by 7 months of age. In my most desperate hours I would put her in the crib and yell at her, yell at myself (yes I want to erase all that but that is the reality of my parenthood) and the result of me trying to follow the most unnatural methods of trying to make her sleep by reading all those books only in effort to avoid letting her cry, where she was already crying anyways.

Nicole kept telling me that whenever I am ready she will help. It got to the point where it would take me 1-1.5 hr to put her down only to repeat that in 45 min to 1 hr again till I went to bed at night and took her with me. Finally, one night when she turned 8 months old, I left the room and she cried hard for 30 min and I cried sitting on the floor in the living room, wanting to just make it all go away and at 7:50 PM she stopped and woke up at 5 AM next morning when I fed her and she went back to sleep till 7 AM! It was 16 LOOOOONG nights where Nicole helped me countless times and I kept telling myself, I have nothing to fall back on b/c nothing else works and this works because after she is down she is down. Nicole answered every question, she was there through all these nights and I learned so much from her to the point where I have helped 2 other friends of mine who live close by and Nicole made me realize that I could only do it when I was ready, no half-hearted efforts.

Now my “baby” is 28 months old, an awesome sleeper, she is happy, she is bubbly, she is my world and I enjoy her so much. And, it’s all because I finally listened to what she needed.

I have another baby due in July 2008 and I am sure hoping I have learned my lesson. If not, Nicole is always here.

Thanks so much Nicole.”
-Najmi, OK

“I first posted a desperate plea for help in November, 2007. My son was 6 months old. He was waking every 2-3 hours at night and associated me patting his hiney with him going to sleep. Nicole replied to me the same day, and with her continued advice on schedules and overnight feeds, we now have a happy 10-month-old who sleeps through the night every night. Yippee! We had some bumps in the road with colds and such, but I feel that he’s been consistent enough over the last few weeks that nothing will throw him so horribly off course again. I stand firmly by our nap/sleep schedule. I don’t plan anything during naps, and my world revolves around sleep. Everyone is happier that way! I don’t think I would have made it through this without the support from Nicole. Only a truly sleep-deprived mommy understands the desperation that demands sleep training and CIO. Nicole has been there, done that!”
-Heather, PA

“I know I had heard it 1000 times over that being a mom is one of the hardest jobs on earth! Well, after 6 nieces and nephews, and years of babysitting, I thought “How hard can it be?” …. Wow, was I in for a rude awakening! Don’t get me wrong….My son is the best thing that has ever happened to me, and I fall more in love with him everyday….But this mommy thing is no joke! One of the hardest things (as I’m sure most people say) was the sleeping or should I say “no sleeping” issue. I read every single baby “sleep” book under the sun to no avail. Thankfully I found a great place for support and Nicole and literally within 1-2 months, all of my problems were solved. Nicole not only answered all of my questions promptly, she also gave such great advice! To be honest, I owe my sanity to the great advice she gave! I was having a lot of problems with my son really starting around 5 months. He was still not sleeping through then night and he would fight and scream for every nap! Nicole gave me some brilliant advice and honestly, within 2-3 weeks of following it my son was going down for 2 naps a day without any crying and started sleeping through the night!”
-Bethany, IL

“You have been such a wealth of knowledge and support for me! My daughter learned to only fall asleep nursing. She was getting me up 2 times a night, then it was 3 then 4 then 5. That’s when I reached out for help. I had heard of sleep training, but couldn’t handle the agony of letting her cry. Within 3 nights she was sleeping through the night, a full 12 hour stretch. I thought I died and went to heaven being able to sleep again. Thank you so much for offering your time, experience and knowledge.”
-Jenny Z

“To be honest, it’s been so long since sleep has been an “issue” with Aidan! He’s almost two and a half and is still a great sleeper. He averages about 11 hours a night and between 2-3 hours in the afternoon. It wasn’t always that way, though. I was a first time mom, and with a husband that is away at work all week, I went through so many days like a zombie at the beginning. I, indeed, picked Nick’s brain and learned so much from her experience and advice. I have to say that the most important thing I learned was BE CONSISTENT!! We did CIO for no more than 15 minutes at a time (I do admit, though, that if he got hysterical, we nixed it for that night/nap) and picked up at the next one, although that didn’t happen too often.) My husband couldn’t believe how I was just ‘letting him cry’ at times, but now he’s so amazed at what a great sleeper he is. Consistency is so important in when you put them to sleep for bedtime and naps. We’ve sacrificed a lot due to having to leave family get-togethers and such early enough to get him home for nap or bedtime, but the payoff is worth it!! Sometimes, he’ll have a short nap or nap later than usual if something comes up, but we always make sure to compensate for an early bedtime and get back on track the next day. I work in the childcare field, and I often see the results of children with inconsistent, even nonexistent sleep schedules. It makes me sad because I know that, in some of those cases, if the parents had the kind of support I did, they might not have what seems to be a chronically overtired child.

I thank you, Nicole, for helping to teach me what might be one of the most important things I’ve taught my son – how to sleep. He is a wonderfully happy, good spirited child, and I’m positive that you’re part of the reason for that. Thank you thank you thank you!

-Alana & Aidan, Quebec, Canada

“My son was a bad sleeper from day one! He never fell asleep on his own and woke up often. By 8 months, we were both exhausted!! I didn’t want to blindly do cry it out without a game plan. Nicole helped me coordinate a game plan that worked well. We made sure he wasn’t overtired and then helped him learn to fall asleep unassisted. I got my life back again! Now, he is 3 and an EXCELLENT SLEEPER! He sleeps 10-11 (8pm-7am) hours a night and has a 2 hour nap. He loves his room and going to sleep is a happy time now! Thanks Nicole!!!!”
-Charu, Texas

“I am a first-time mom, and boy was I surprised to learn that my daughter didn’t just fall asleep when she was tired. We had a lot of challenges getting her to fall asleep, then staying asleep. For the first 6 months, she rarely napped for more than 20 minutes during the day. She was always overtired, and I felt like I could never go anywhere because I had to be home all day for her naps. At night it would take about three hours to get her to bed. She would nurse, fall asleep, then we would put her in her crib, only for her to wake up and cry. So it would start all over again. She would even be crying while nursing or sucking our thumbs (she would never take a pacifier).

At 7 months we had had enough. We knew she wasn’t getting enough sleep and we didn’t want it to take a toll on her health. Our doctor said that she would always get enough sleep, that she would just sleep in her stroller or the car. Well, she never did that! She didn’t want to be rocked and we didn’t have a swing. The bouncy seat didn’t work. She had stopped falling asleep in the bjorn at about 4 months. So, with Nicole’s guidance, we worked on getting her to fall asleep unassisted. I could not have done any of this without Nicole’s help. I cannot say enough nice things about her! Her older son is one year older than my daughter and they have a lot in common, so she was able to share with me what she did to help him. Nothing beats the advice from a mom who’s been through it before!”
-Sarah, MA

“Getting my 17-month old well rested and sleeping properly has not always been easy, but Nicole has been a huge help to me. She has been giving me advice since he was about 6 months old and I truly believe that it’s thanks to her that he has become a better sleeper. I have learned so much from Nicole. For instance, I’ve learned about the importance of a schedule, consistency, early bedtime, and so much more. Thank you Nicole for all your advice and dedication. I know I can always count on you!”
-Juliana (Chicago, IL)

“When Abigail was 4 months old her sleeping at night was awful. She was constantly waking, every hour some nights, and constantly needing to be nursed and rocked back to sleep. Since she was so little we thought there was nothing we could do. We had her on a consistent sleep routine and good bedtime (6pm) but our problem was her not being able to soothe herself back to sleep. She needed me to do it for her. I consulted with our pediatrician and she suggested I try the CIO technique with checks. I was not real familiar with this so I consulted with Nicole. She gave me all the information I needed. She explained why Abby was having trouble and to stick with our early bedtime even though everyone told us it was too early. Nicole told us how often to go in and how to handle it when we went in, We have a video monitor so we were able to monitor Abby in between the checks and be sure she was okay (and she always was!). The first night was awful. She was up most of the night, crying for up to an hour with the checks. The second night, she slept for over 12 hours straight!!!! The third night she woke once or twice, nursed once and went back to sleep. Using this same technique a week or two later and more advice from Nicole, I was able to get Abigail nap trained in less than one week. We have had a couple of “relapses”, but overall Abigail does great! She is 8 months old now and sleeps from 7pm to 6 or 6:30am every morning with almost no night wakings. If she does wake it is usually for just a second and off to bed she goes. I sleep 8 hours most nights. It is wonderful! She is a much happier baby now and loves her sleep! The support I received from Nicole was wonderful. Thank you!!!!!!!!!!”
-Sara