Testimonials
About | Philosophy | Testimonials
“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!!!!!!!!!!”
