(SO SLEEP SOLUTIONS SHOULDN’T BE, EITHER.)
Sleep isn’t one size fits all.
AS A BABY SLEEP EXPERT, THERE’S ONE THING I WANT EVERY PARENT TO KNOW:
AND ANOTHER THING?
The only people whose sleep-related opinions matter are the ones who are doing the waking up.
YOU are the best, most qualified person to make decisions about YOUR baby’s sleep schedule, routine, and space.
All *I* want to do is help you feel more informed and empowered to make those decisions. And while I may be just another voice online — I’m also one of the only voices dedicated to amplifying YOURS.
Before you read about my personal sleep journey you should know if I have qualifications you can trust. I have a Master's in Education (former teacher here!) and in 2020 completed the Baby Led Sleep Certification. I've also gotten certifications and further trainings through the Holistic Sleep Coaching program, Possums, Bebo Mia and the Neufeld Institute. Most recently I graduated from UC Davis' Infant-Parent Mental Health fellowship.
Who am I and why should you trust me?
MEET YOUR BABY SLEEP EXPERT
Hey, I’m Rachael — Eldest Daughter,
Mom of 3,
Thanks to spending my firstborn’s entire newborn phase freaking out over what I was doing wrong, I knew I had to make a change — there was no way I could continue on using the same harsh old-school, tired (literally) methods for getting my baby to sleep.
The dangerous mix of sleep deprivation and outside pressures from friends, family, and doctors were already enough to make my anxiety spiral… then add failing a popular sleep course not one but THREE times… it's safe to say I’d had ENOUGH.
and Cry-It-Out’s Biggest Hater
(AM I GONNA GET CANCELED FOR SAYING THAT? 👀)
I became obsessed with his lack of sleep, and even more obsessed with finding a better way to approach baby sleep in general.
After my first baby, I thought my life was over
I thought for SURE I’d never sleep again, or have a relaxing night with my husband again, or have my body to myself again.
I wanted to spend time thinking about something other than how wrong everything was — I wanted to mindlessly watch Bravo, go to the beach without worrying about nap schedules, take a Pilates class sans no-sleep hangover…
I WAS OVER IT. And I promised myself I’d never make the same baby sleep mistakes (aka listening to everyone but myself) with my next kids.
forever.
So, I made a change.
The second I started tuning out the opinions of others and trusting my baby, everything fell into place.
Right before his first birthday, without me changing a single thing about my approach other than choosing to trust that he’d sleep when he was ready, he slept all the way through the night, and has continued to do so ever since. He’s 7 now.
I finally decided to trust him to sleep when he was ready — and he slept twelve hours.
Anyone on the internet can claim they're a "baby sleep expert"
BUT HERE’S HOW YOU CAN BE SURE I’M THE REAL DEAL 👇
Certified Sleep Specialist
Master’s in Education and Special Education
Former K-5 Teacher and Education Specialist
Circle of Security Parenting Facilitator
Infant-Parent Mental Health Specialist
WHAT’S EVEN MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE CREDENTIALS, THOUGH? 👀
I know how to get babies sleeping well WITHOUT sleep training.
I’m a great, passionate, nonjudgmental teacher.
I offer evidence-based strategies that won't EVER make parents feel guilty or icky.
I always look at the WHOLE picture, from the child as an individual to the family lifestyle.
I never give one-size-fits-all advice.
WHAT’S EVEN MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE CREDENTIALS, THOUGH? 👀
I know how to get babies sleeping well WITHOUT sleep training.
I always look at the WHOLE picture, from the child as an individual to the family lifestyle.
I offer evidence-based strategies that won't EVER make parents feel guilty or icky.
I’m a great, passionate, nonjudgmental teacher.
I never give one-size-fits-all advice.
I was on the other side of our sleep “problem” at last — but then I got angry.
I was so mad that I’d been pressured into forcing a certain way of approaching sleep, and even more mad that that approach made me feel like a failure.
I wish I’d known that
I wish I’d known that a better way was possible.
Luckily, though, I DID find that “better way” — thanks to lots of late-night researching during my 2nd pregnancy, landing on my certification program at 3am, and deciding right then and there to pivot my entire career to match my new passion:
Being a mother to little ones, and helping other mothers thrive, so they’d never experience the pain that I felt after having my firstborn.
sleep would come.
By focusing on relationship and development before everything else, I help you ensure that your lifestyle, your baby’s unique needs are always the top priority.
And while I have total understanding and compassion for families that choose sleep training (I’ve been there, too!), you won’t find any traditional sleep training or CIO methods in any of my guides, programs, or resources. Knowing what I know now about infant brain development, neuroscience, sleep biology feeding, attachment, I can’t confidently recommend separation-based sleep training or crying methods.
THE HEY SLEEPY BABY APPROACH
SO, NO — I DON’T USE THE CRY-IT-OUT METHOD.
BECAUSE THAT'S THE TRUTH
What if I told you that you’re already doing it right?
And that you can just relax into parenting, confident that what you’re doing is working, and that your baby is perfect?
Even if your baby doesn’t sleep independently. Even if your baby nurses to sleep. Even if your baby doesn’t sleep through the night yet.
You just need a little support —
and now, you’ve got it.
