Testimonials
Julie is a Godsend! Our son was a great sleeper early on and then went through a sleep regression at 5-months… Waking up 2-3x/night, crushing bottles, and ending up in our bed. This went on for five months! My girlfriend had been singing Julie’s praises to us the entire time, but we kept thinking he’d come out his horrible new sleeping habits on his own. We finally gave in and hired Julie to be our Sleep Coach. And boy, we wish we didn’t wait so long to enlist her help. The process was not nearly as rough as I anticipated (I personally could never do the “cry it out”) and he was sleeping through the night by night three! Two weeks later we are still in awe every nighttime and nap. We truly could not recommend Julie enough!
Anne & Jonathan
I just wanted to tell you that you are amazing. It has only been one week and D has slept through since night 4. Bedtime routine used to take 45 minutes and now it takes 8. I cannot thank you enough for helping us with the tools to get our life back, and our sweet son. He has gone from an over-tired tantrum toddler, to our sweet and funny boy who gives all the snuggles. Thank you sooooooooooooooo much! This was the best money I have ever spent in my life. Thank you!
Sarah B.
Our 5-year old daughter had a difficult time falling and staying asleep without a parent to support her. We tried a multitude of things such as articles and strategies we found online, ideas of our own, nothing worked, we were at our wits' end.
We decided to hire Julie to help us implement strategies to help our daughter fall and stay asleep. Julie's strategy to help our daughter sleep was simple, straightforward and most importantly, effective! Julie holds her client's accountable and makes sure you understand that a hard few weeks of sleep training is worth a lifetime of restful sleep for both you and your child.
I would strongly recommend hiring Julie, she has made a huge difference in our family's ability to get a restful night's sleep.
Matthew & Lindsey
My partner and I found Julie after interviewing several other sleep consultants. I don’t think we are the typical client for using a sleep professional, in that we didn’t have any huge issues when we started. We were first time parents with a 4 month old and he was just starting to build some consistent sleep habits. My partner and I weren’t too far apart on what we thought were good sleep training methods, but having Julie absolutely helped us have consistency when he would wake up and train him (and us) to deal with getting into a better sleep pattern. Julie helped give us more confidence as new parents and she saved us countless hours by helping us have more consistent naps and all of us having better sleep through the night.
Robert & Kim
Julie Kennedy is an amazing sleep expert. My husband and I were struggling. Our baby wouldn't go to sleep and woke up crying several times a night. And our little one slept in the same room with us! We were sleep-deprived and it was affecting our health, work and marriage. And importantly, our baby wasn't getting enough sleep for his growing body. Julie quickly got us on a sleep plan, and had our baby sleeping in his OWN room, getting 12 hours of sleep a night and 3 hours of naps each day. Julie is the ultimate professional. She is caring, supportive, and knowledgeable. She changed our lives and is worth every penny. Hire her!
Andrea Wedderburn & Gaston Sweeten
My 15 month old would not sleep through the night and that had been the cycle since birth; I desperately needed sleep. I understand the baby cycle and to expect little sleep, I was fine with that, but as she got older I needed sleep to take care of her and her older brother.
I called Julie and she was our breath of fresh air. She worked closely with my husband and I to develop a personal plan that worked!! After a few weeks we had a baby girl who was sleeping through the night and continues to sleep through the night. She likes going to her bed now and puts herself to sleep after our book and cuddle time.
She’s gentle with her approach and very supportive, plus she’s a great listener and gives you hope! I have already recommended Julie to multiple families struggling with the same problem, lack of sleep! Thank you Julie for all of your help 🙂
Diana F. , Washington
Our son was 8 months when we decided to seek help. He had never slept through the night and every nap was taken either on one of us or in our bed with him. Our pediatrician recommended Julie. Her method was perfect for our family. I struggle with post-partum anxiety and the main struggle for me was hearing my son cry. We knew we didn’t want to do the cry-it-out, and Julie’s fading method allowed us to reassure our son while at the same time reassuring me he was ok.
My partner was the champion in this as he stayed with my son every night enduring the cries and shushing. 3 weeks have passed and we are beyond thankful to report that our son now sleeps through the night in his crib and takes his two naps in his crib.
Our two goals when we started were to be able to put him in his crib, say goodnight and he would be able to self soothe and we could go on about our day or night. He does exactly that. It’s a totally different world now that we have this time back to ourselves. Thank you Julie! Your encouragement and candidness has helped our family in so many ways.
Keely F. Seattle, WA
We came to Julie for help with our three year old. He had previously been a good sleeper, but over the course of several months bedtime became an unbearable chore. Our son would cry if we tried to leave the room and if we stayed in the room he struggled to go to sleep. We knew something had to change. Julie worked with us to help instill good bedtime habits and helped us to learn how to navigate some of the challenges our son presented us with. We are so pleased with the results; he is now able to put himself to sleep and a large source of frustration in our lives is now a thing of the past!
Kevin B. Lynwood, WA
We started working with Julie when our twin girls were 8 months old. They had been sleeping great until they were 6 months and we stopped swaddling them. It got so bad that one of them wouldn't go more than a few minutes sleeping by herself (so we started cosleeping) and often the other one needed to be held or helped back to sleep at the same time. It was incredibly frustrating and stressful.
I literally had no time to shower, be with my toddler, or get anything else done and I was going crazy! After meeting with Julie I immediately felt a sense of hope knowing she understood and wasn't going to have us make them cry it out. She put so much detail and attention into our individualized plan for the babies and checked in often so we were able to address any questions and concerns I had (and I had a lot ...) She was so responsive and understanding to our specific goals and specifically that I didn't want them crying too much.
We were so shocked with how quick and drastic the progress was! And we still can't get over the relief and sense of freedom in just putting them down awake and walking out of the room and knowing they'll go to sleep and STAY asleep! We have time to ourselves again, and to spend with our toddler, and everyone is SO much happier! Thank you, Julie, we are so grateful for you and all you've done for our family!
Erika S., Gig Harbor, WA
Worth the money! We were lucky enough to get to work with Julie with our 26 month old son. We thought all hope was lost since it would take 2 hours to put him to bed and then he’d also wake multiple times at night. He would also try and boycott his nap during the day. We thought he would be the hardest case to crack, but Julie was amazing and within a couple of weeks he has completely changed. He’s able to put himself to sleep, never cries at bedtime, and is quick to put down for at least an hour long nap. He’s rested and happy. Julie is so kind and easy to work with. We never felt judgment from her, just a genuine willingness to help us. She is so worth working with, if you want to sleep again, and have your kid sleep and be happy when they wake up, Julie is the person to work with! Absolutely wonderful!
Leah W. Friday Harbor, WA
I thought I was doing everything I could to help our baby sleep, but it just was not working. Julie helped to explain developmentally the stage our baby was at, what his sleeping needs were, and how we could best support him. The hardest thing to realize was that we created habits and crutches for our baby that were not supporting his sleep needs. It was hard in the beginning, but now our baby has two naps a day and sleeps through the night. His doctors could not be happier and have stated that he is "thriving". This is all thanks to Julie! Sleep is such a precious thing, and I am so happy we asked for help.
Stricker Family, Oregon
Things are phenomenal. After my follow-up emails to you regarding adjustments needed or weekend naps not working out, we did get everything settled and we finally fell into a beautiful rhythm that provided FULL nights of sleep and consistent weekend naps. We do exactly the same thing before each bed time or nap time, and Nolan only whines until the door is all the way shut (aka less than 3 seconds). Then he lays down and SILENTLY rolls around, doing his sleepy/bored toddler thing until he finally falls asleep. He consistently sleeps 7:30pm until 7am when we have to wake him for school/work, and on the weekends he'll sleep until 7:30-8am and sometimes even 8:30am. It only took about 2 weeks to get him to consistently sleep through the night, and I'd say probably a month or two for the weekend naps. We've been sleeping wonderfully for well over 3 months!
Joel and I feel completely different now than we did in May before we started your methods. We have time to talk, eat, sleep, clean, whatever we want!! Nolan does not wake up throughout the night or, if he does, he makes no noise that wakes or worries us. On weekends he doesn't sleep the full two hours like he does at daycare, but we do consistently get at least one full hour and, if and when he's tired enough, we'll get 1.5-2 hours. Even the one hour, though, is a significant improvement over our previous weekend life. No more crying, no more skipped naps, no more exhausted parents, no more chaos!! He's happy and we're happy.
You helped us get our life back. You helped give our son the skills he needs in order to thrive as a child. I truly, truly appreciate every moment you spent with us. I hope you find this feedback to be helpful and encouraging. We plan to use your methods with baby #2 (if and when the time comes for such a blessing) and will recommend you to everyone we know :)
Marissa Regalado, Seattle
Yes, her fee is worth it!!! I wanted to just be one of those people who can just read a book on baby sleep training and do it. I really wanted to, but just couldn't, like physically, my eyes would shut when I started reading because I was so sleep deprived! When our son turned four months, I knew we needed help and support! Nursing to sleep every time, multiple night wakings, and wearing the baby for every nap was getting increasingly more difficult. We have a very alert, active, vocal baby and the plan Julie created for him (and us!) was spot on and what we all needed to be successful. We were skeptical that sleep training would work for our baby, but our son now goes to bed drowsy but awake and sleeps on average 11 hours a night!
Julie is so special! She takes the time to learn about your unique child and creates a tailor made plan for your child. Her unique background of being a mom, a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, and a Gentle Sleep Coach makes her SO great at what she does. Throughout the process, during our calls, I so appreciated Julie's gentle way with us as parents! She would suggest different approaches or various things to try saying "well, what if we tried this...?" Julie is so experienced, she had endless ideas for every situation that were so reassuring, and even when there was a curve ball, she said, "let me ask my sleep coach community and get back to you." The best thing about having Julie as your coach is once you start, and stick to the plan, you will see results. Life changing!
Mouni N.
Our 18-month old daughter was waking up 3 - 5 times a night. We were putting her to sleep by rocking her. When she woke up, we got her back to sleep by nursing, waiting until she fell asleep, and sneaking her back into her crib. This took 30 - 60 minutes each time she woke up. Our methods were ineffective at best, and weren't working for her or for us.
We were getting desperate. Julie created a great plan for us, and supported us through implementation. By the 4th night of implementing the plan, our daughter had slept through the night for the first time in her life! Julie was a joy to work with and was flexible around our schedules. Even with our being in Alaska, she was able to work with us to find a stretch of time that worked well for implementing the plan. She made sure that we had time to talk on the phone throughout the process. And she provided email support frequently. Now, we can put our daughter in her crib for bedtime, and she will fall asleep on her own and sleep through the night (10 - 11 hours!) We are so appreciative of the work Julie has done with our family - it's given our daughter better sleep, and us parents our sanity!
Carole and Tim
My husband and I were at our wits end with our son's sleep habit. We decided to co-sleep after the 4 month sleep regression started. Co-sleeping worked for a few months but then he became dependent on me to lay down with him from when he fell asleep to waking up. He also nursed 5-8 times per night. Needless to say, things needed to change! This is where Julie came in! I had a phone consultation with Julie and knew within minutes she was a good fit for us. She doesn't believe in the "cry it out method", but a gentle sleep training technique that allows you to be right by your baby/child's side. Eventually your presence gradually gets reduced. And guess what? It worked!!!! Now my son who wouldn't sleep in his crib, sleeps in his crib for 11-12 hrs per night! :). We are still working on his naps but he is doing it, just needs to be a bit longer. I should of done this sleep training months ago! Our son is 13 months old but I wish we done this when things started becoming more difficult for us. Thank you Julie for your encouragement, support and method!!!!
Anne S.
We started working with Julie when our son was about 19 weeks old. Bedtimes were a nightmare. They were a 2-hour process filled with rocking, shushing, patting, frustration, and tears (his and mine). After all that, he usually was awake every 1-2 hours throughout the night. Sometimes he'd go 45 minutes, sometimes 3 hours. Naps during the day were an exercise in praying to the sleep gods to give us a break. We were exhausted, to say the least.
Julie's blessed shuffle method was a godsend. The first night, our son fell asleep in one hour. The second night, 30 minutes. The third, 15 minutes. Up until working with Julie, he had never taken a binkie, and was nursing in the night to soothe himself. Well, within a few nights and a little consistency, our boy was able to self-soothe and sleep 3-4 hours at a time at night. Julie walked us through dream feeds and over a short time, eliminating night nursing altogether.
Fast forward to now, our son is almost 15 months old, and has been regularly sleeping 11 hours straight at night for several months. We've hit a few rough patches over time, thanks to a couple of natural sleep regressions, some travel, and hitting a few milestones (e.g. standing up and not knowing how to sit back down), and Julie has guided us right through each and every problem with confidence. We were having serious nap trouble at 12 months, and she wondered if our kiddo was ready, albeit earlier than most babies, to transition to one nap, and she was right! We went from two tear-filled, frustratingly short naps to one beautifully long, restorative midday nap, and overall his night sleep improved because of it too.
If you're ready to start sleeping again, and ready to give your baby the gift of self-soothing and great sleep, work with Julie. You will not regret it. She's amazingly knowledgeable, patient, funny, beyond helpful, and is genuinely concerned for the sanity and well-being of her clients. She'd never quite admit it, but our son was one of her toughest little clients, and she cracked that nut!
Steph P.
For all of you parents out there that are struggling with your child sleeping, hire Julie now! You will be so happy you did. We contacted Julie when my son was around three months old. He was having trouble napping and sleep at night was becoming increasingly difficult. We needed help with creating new sleep associations for him and transitioning him out of our bed at night. Julie was able to meet us, learn our story and needs, and come up with a plan that worked for us to meet our goals. She gave us techniques to slowly accustom our son to new sleeping arrangements and routines. When our son was a bit older and our family was ready for sleep training, Julie was there for us with a method that really worked! The results were incredible. If you put in the work, you will be rewarded. Julie will be there the whole time as an expert and a cheerleader, she is totally awesome. My son is now 8 1/2 months old and is a great sleeper; our family is happier because of that. Thank you Julie!
Johanna Batchelor
(Helped to sleep train both her daughters) Thank you Julie (yet again) for the wonderful sleep coaching! I'm happy to report Eloise is now sleeping 6:30pm-6am and is able to put herself back to sleep if she wakes. This is AMAZING considering where we were just two months ago (up almost every two hours). I am so thankful for all of your coaching and expertise! Thanks again!
Kathy S.
Thank you so much for all of your help! Within 3 weeks we were able to get our daughter sleeping through the night with no night feedings. It truly feels like a miracle! We have our life back and good sleep for the first time in 7 months. Thank you!
Read Nicole's Blog post: http://nicoleperriella.com/why-i-hired-a-sleep-coach/
(After sleep training and travel over the holidays!) Thank you so much for the advice! Everything went great and Emmi is already back on schedule! I can’t believe how well she did, even with us mixing up the place, time zones and travel the last couple of weeks. Your sleep training really has worked WONDERS!
Best,
Susan C.
Our 9 month old daughter used to stay up until 2:30 or 3 AM every night, and slept until 10 in the morning. She only took naps sporadically, and rarely for more than an hour. She also refused to go to sleep on her own, only falling asleep while being held. Exhausted, we asked our pediatrician for help and advice.
She recommended Julie to us, and it was the best thing ever. With Julie's help and careful guidance, we were able to get Annika on a consistent schedule of two longs naps a day, and a 730 PM bedtime - and she goes down all on her own! It took work, but it was so worth it. The three of us are so much happier. We would highly recommend Julie to anyone who has any level of sleep issues with their babies or children. Thank you again!
Lara Highberg
I was against sleep training but after 6 months of waking up every 2-3 hours at night and my not being able to nap longer than 30 minutes at a time and only while held, I knew I had to do something. I went back to work when he was 6 weeks and was a walking zombie. He slept in our bed and started trying to crawl off the bed so it became a safety concern as well. I knew I could only do a sleep training program if it was able to help my son sleep as well as keep our close bond with him knowing I'm always there for him. After talking with Julie, the shuffle seemed exactly what we needed. We picked the worst time to start with a cold and teething but knowing he could crawl off the bed we had to start. I learned so much about why he was sleeping so horribly.
This knowledge is invaluable. Julie was great and I know I wouldn't have been able to keep going without her support. She kept me accountable and gave me a feeling of comfort as she knew how hard it can be at times. She supported me in the changes I wanted to try in the plan when we hit snags,as well as letting me know the pitfalls she has seen. She never ever made me feel guilt or inferior with my ideas.
She listened to me as I know my son best but gave me her expert advice and ways to adjust that would get the best result for everyone. We started when my son was 6.5 months. He's now almost 9 months and wakes once for a bottle at night on a regular basis and is napping better than ever before. We did this through weird work/daycare situation, illness, and teething! I can't thank Julie enough!!!! She made our over tired lil guy into a pretty great sleeper who is safe and sound in his crib...and gave his mom back her sanity! Thank you again for everything!
Andrea
Before we met with Julie, our eight month-old daughter was waking up every hour at night and was extremely difficult to put to sleep. Julie coached us through a sleep training plan that did not involve just leaving her to cry. As the parent, I felt empowered to adjust the plan based on my comfort and knowledge of my child. In less than a week our baby was sleeping twelve-hour stretches through the night! It has been a life-changer for the whole family. Working with Julie was a great experience, and I cannot recommend her enough.
Jessica, Seattle
My family can't thank Julie enough! When I first met her at an event in Redmond putting my baby down every night was a three hour struggle followed by wake-ups every hour. Top that with naps that only lasted 15 minutes tops and we had a house full of tired, grumpy people. This had been going on for four months by the time we signed the contract. At first we were leery of cost, mostly because we thought we had read everything on the internet and had tried every technique, but we were desperate. Within 3 days Archer was settling himself for a night of sleep within 15 minutes and was taking 2 - 2 hour naps a day!
By the end of the process anyone in the family could lay him in his crib at bed time and he's be able to put himself to sleep with minimal fuss. Right around the end of the training we went on a two week long road trip that seemed to completely reverse everything we had gained. A quick call from Julie for advice and encouragement and he was back on track within a week. Results may vary, of course, but Julie's expertise WORKED for us. I highly recommend her services for anyone needing some sleep. :)
Amber J.
Julie Kennedy is, without a doubt, the most important resource my family has sought out since our son was born. I say emphatically, Julie would be a bargain at twice the price :) When our son was 10 months old and suddenly all our old sleep tricks didn't work, we were exhausted and desperate. Although I had read AT LEAST half a dozen of the popular sleep books and knew, front to back, all of the 'methods', we had no idea where to start with our baby. We didn't want to troubleshoot blindly- we wanted an approach that was gentle, informed, and would give us the best shot at success in the shortest amount of time.
Enter Julie. Immediately she was available via phone for our consult, connected instantly with our needs and the unique nature of our son's sleep and temperament, and created a tailored plan for us to follow. She was with us EVERY step of the way. Julie is incredibly kind, compassionate, and nonjudgmental. She is also skilled at creating plans and tools that suite the needs of individual families while advocating for the most gentle and effective techniques. Her experience and confidence were so important to us throughout the process.
To this day, we still contact Julie if a shift in sleep patterns has us stumped or unsure- she's amazing. And has incredible insight and answers every time. You can't imagine a better resource. As someone who had felt lost, exhausted, and totally convinced my baby would never ever sleep through the night, I can assure you, she's your woman. We are so grateful for Julie!!
Lilly
By the time I contacted Julie I was up with my 6 month old son an average of 10-15 times per night. He couldn't soothe himself back to sleep when he woke in the middle of the night. He only slept for 30-45 minutes every 4 hours. We resorted to just about every bad habit I swore I'd never do. He slept in our bed, just so that we could get some sleep. I timed feedings and naps so that he'd fall asleep in my arms with the bottle. I followed my doctor's advice, I committed myself to working on breaking the bad habits and helping him sleep. But it just kept getting worse. I finally had enough and just after Midnight one night I Googled sleep specialists while the little Mister had himself a late night party in his crib. He was wide awake and I was beyond tired. I expected to find a sleep disorder clinic or some kind of clinical trial for babies. I came across Julie's Facebook page that lead me to her website. It was my saving grace. I emailed her, she called, we talked and I hired her on the spot. I had no idea that help was even out there. Her plan is simple, makes perfect sense, and is affordable.She's very supportive and easy to work with. All of our sessions were over the phone and via email which worked great for our schedule. If someone had told me that one night could change the course of our lives I would have signed up sooner. The key truly is to trust Julie's plan and her expertise, and above all be consistent. Carve out a few days and commit fully to doing what you need to do to make it work. In hindsight I realized that I needed Julie to "hold my hand" and walk me through all of the challenges and tell me that my baby will be okay if I let him work through this on his own. That's exactly what she does. I absolutely recommend Julie Kennedy to anyone and I've told everyone about her. Don't wait! This has truly been the best thing that I could have done for my baby, myself and my family.
Stacy W. , Kent, WA
Our 5 month old daughter was a cat napper ALL…DAY…LONG. She would sleep for 30minutes, be up for and hour, sleep for 45 minutes, be up for 45minutes, sleep for 30 minutes… you get the picture. You might think, “what’s wrong with that?” Well, it was hell to put her down. It would take an hour to put her down for her to just pop up 30minutes later. Putting her down was my daily exercise, seriously. You would have to bounce or walk vigorously nonstop for 30minutes up to two hours, a handful of occasions, it took 3-4 hours. While bouncing and stomping around the house she would also be tightly swaddled, using her pacifier, a white noise machine and we would have to put a blanket over her face because she was so alert and would get excited and distracted if she saw a light, a person, a chair… you get the picture. We did this for every nap at bedtime, and when she woke up over night. We co-slept in the same bed, not because that’s what we wanted but because that’s what she insisted from day 1. She is a lively sleeper who chased my husband out of bed and onto the couch so he could be functional at work. She also got into a habit of nursing nonstop ALL…NIGHT…LONG. Yes, her little swaddled body would chase me around the bed and nurse every hour of the night.
We were desperate to start sleep training but I had so much anxiety about it. I thought if it’s this hard to put her to sleep with everything we’re doing to try to help her, I can’t imagine what it will be like to try to put her to sleep on her own. She was close to 6 months (the age they recommend that you can start, not earlier), and we were desperate. We had never heard of a sleep consultant, but we were in dire need of help. My husband pointed out that we used lactation consultants when we needed help with nursing and that there must be someone who could help with sleeping. My internet search began. There are a handful of sleep consultants in the Seattle area. I was leery about paying the money but not being able to “test them out” first. Would it really work? Would they be a good fit for us? We didn’t want to do “cry it out,” would they be open to alternatives? Some of them offer a free Q&A session and I thought I would use that as an opportunity to see who I liked. Julie really stood out because of her approach, demeanor and knowledge. Her approach is to match a sleep training method to your child’s temperament. I liked this because I had read a few books on Sleep training but none of them felt like they were talking about my child. Julie knows many different techniques and was accustomed to working with alert babies. I liked her laid back demeanor. She was very calm, thoughtful, non judgmental and confident. I was also impressed with her knowledge base. I shared my cat napping frustration and told her what another sleep consultant suggested I do and if she thought it would work (it didn’t work for us, but I wanted to hear her thoughts), she said she had never seen that work. I liked her honesty and felt like she knew how to deal with our problems.
Julie was the perfect choice for us. I filled out an extensive questionnaire about our daughter and started a sleep log. Julie reviewed this information then met us at our house for a consultation. She got to meet our daughter and look at her nursery to assess her sleeping environment. She gave us a printed plan and coached us on how to begin. Each morning I would send her the sleep log of the previous day and we would go over issues we encountered and trouble shoot problems. The first two nights were not too bad. The second two nights were rough, and then it was fine. It worked so well it was eerie. We felt like our daughter had turned into another baby. As soon as we started sleep training, she stopped cat napping and just took 3 naps a day in her crib. She now sleeps through the night with just one dream feed. We put her down between 6-7pm and wake her up at 7am. It was the best money spent! We are all happier, well rested, and our daughter is now developing like crazy, now that she’s getting good restorative sleep. It does take work and there’s no way around that. I originally just wanted someone to come over and sleep train her for us. But after talking to friends, I found out that after sleep training they regress when they are sick or are going through a developmental milestone, or after travel. So, at some point you just have to face it and learn how to do it yourself. Working with Julie I felt like I wasn’t going to mess her up, we’d stay on track and not give up and that we would have professional support. I don’t think I would have had as good of results without Julie. I highly recommend Julie to help you.
Maya S.
My husband and I hired Julie when we got stuck in a sleep rut with our 15-mo old son. We made a conscious decision to co-sleep with him the first year of his life, but agreed after a year we wanted to transition him into his own bed. From 12 – 15 months we found ourselves sleeping with him in his room on a twin bed and waking up with him 8 – 15x/night. We hired Julie because we were so confused about all the information we had read from sleep books and felt ambivalent about making our own plan.
Julie was warm, patient and understanding during our consultation. She helped us make our own difficult decisions in developing a plan that fit our lifestyle and our values. For example, we were traveling many weekends one month and she counseled us to wait until we could be home for a few weeks. Additionally, we wrestled with the idea of night weaning during sleep training and she offered us some alternatives and suggestions. We looked forward to our phone calls with her as she was very encouraging and knowledgeable about the challenges that came up. I also appreciated the process of completing her sleep logs. While they did take some time, it was tangible evidence of our son’s progress and helped me to take a more clinical look at how he was adapting.
We are two weeks and 3 days into our process and are now enjoying 11 hours of solid sleep from our son. Now he sleeps in his crib, without waking, and without nursing the whole night through. I never would have anticipated the dramatic and rapid progress he made, nor would I have believed the positive impact his new sleep habits have made on our family life. My husband and I have spent so much quality time together in the past two weeks. I feel like we are newly weds. I can’t recommend Julie enough. She offers the right amount of support, structure, and wisdom. Julie is the best investment we have made in our son’s life so far! -
Jaime, Seattle WA
The way I found out about Julie was a sure sign that I needed to contact her. I was in Seattle visiting my sister and I was having a terrible time getting my then 5 month old to sleep. I had always had sleep issues with her from the very beginning--and by very beginning I mean, the very first night in the hospital she would not let me put her in the bedside bassinet...she wanted to be held. I followed her cues--she wanted to be held so I held her. After sleeping with her on my chest for a week, I realized I could not go on any further sleeping that way so I tried nursing her laying down. In my mind, problem solved! I held her for naps and slept with her at night--we were both getting great sleep and all was right in our world. I didn't realize that I was setting her up with very bad sleeping habits. I have a 3 year old son so holding her for naps became very challenging and she also wouldn't sleep any stretches at night on her own. As soon as I laid her down she would wake right up. Month after month I kept telling myself I was going to "sleep train" her. At 4 months I tried cry it out which worked perfectly for my son--but this little lady had other thoughts in mind! Simply put, CIO did not work for her. I was at a loss. I had no idea what to do. I couldn't let her cry, but nothing I tried work. I had created a sleep monster. So, as I was visiting my sister and in desperate need of uninterrupted sister time at night I became super frustrated. My sister had received an email from her neighborhood message board which went something like this:
Have you and your family been struggling with any of the following:
You need to rock, bottle or breast feed to sleep and back to sleep and it seems to be taking longer
and your child is waking more than ever.
It takes hours to get your child to sleep and back to sleep and he/she wakes before 6:00am.
You dread nap and bedtime.
You feel like you spend the entire day trying to get your baby to sleep.
You are exhausted and are fighting with your spouse or partner.
Your own lack of sleep is affecting your job, your ability to parent well and your outlook on life in general.
You have tried cry it out or other methods that just didn't work.
You feel desperate and don’t know where to turn.
You are an intelligent, loving parent and you don't have the time or energy to weed through a lot of
science and theory to get to a sleep solution for your family
You are unclear on how to handle sleep disruption caused by illnesses, travel, and developmental changes cause.
Me and my sister both had to laugh in the midst of my frustration because this is EXACTLY what was happening in my situation--I could relate to all of these things. My only question was where do I sign up? As with any "coach" or "training" I was skeptical that my hard case could be cracked. I contacted Julie and am so glad I did. She created and individual sleep plan for my daughter and was there with me every step of the way. We've even had a few set backs and she was right there when we needed her. I love that she subscribes to the gentle sleep approach and I love that she is willing to listen to your philosophical views about parenting and implement those into training. Most of all, I love that she is right there cheering you on, making you feel confident that what you are doing is right and good for your child. Now, it was hard work, and it was (and still is) sometimes hard to be consistent when all you want to do is SLEEP! Some nights I wanted to give up. Some nights I made mistakes. But Julie was right there to help me correct them and NEVER made me feel bad about it. Working with Julie was a great experience for me. I would do it again in a heartbeat. She's a mother and has been there too with sleep struggles so she can relate. My daughter is now 7 1/2 months old and we have both come a long way from where we were at with sleep. We still have some work to do, but we are ALL getting better sleep around here and that makes me happy, happy, happy! -
Michelle Milstead
We contacted Julie to help us when we were at the point of sheer exhaustion. At that time our 8 month old twins had not slept more than a few hours at a time their entire lives. Julie made herself available immediately for a consult and prepared an effective and easy to follow plan for us. We saw results instantly and in just a few nights our boys were consistently sleeping 8 or more hours. Julie was available for follow-up calls and helped us to navigate the inevitable challenges associated with sleep training. Her guidance and insight provided us with the tools necessary to help our children sleep well and restore our sanity. I highly recommend Julie to anyone who is facing sleep challenges with their children.
Sadie Fine
Julie has been a wonderful resource for us while going through a sleep transition with our 2 year-old. We found her approach to be very thoughtful and flexible, and SO positive. She was a pleasure to work with... prompt feedback, available and kind. She helped our "plan" evolve as he did, and two VERY tired parents are now feeling the relief of sleep for EVERYONE in the family! In TWO WEEKS!?!? I have and will continue to recommend her services to anyone.
Kelly, Tacoma, WA
After visiting with Julie Kennedy, our twin girls sleep routine improved dramatically. We thought we had been consistent with our nighttime routines especially in regards to whether we went to our crying babies when they didn’t want to sleep. We learned that we weren’t, in fact, being consistent despite our efforts and adopted a new paradigm shift. Julie additionally helped us eliminate our nap crutch…the bottle. We hadn’t realized we had established a negative sleep association and took the next vacation break to ease our way into the new nap routine which is much more efficient time-wise and healthier for our girls. Our next step is to eliminate the night-time bottle which we have been reluctant to do, but with the tools that Julie taught us, we are more confident and less guilt-laden when we make changes. We already switched to one nap with ease and are encouraged to make this last change with confidence. Julie’s instructional methods are clever and she is encouraging no matter which path you choose; we learned each of our twins has different self-soothing tactics and one method didn’t fit both babies. It was a delight working with her and the girls to figure out what would work best for both girls. Thank you! -
Jessica Lee
I cannot say enough about my experience working with Julie. I was having the most difficult time getting my 4 and a half month old son to sleep, and was resorting to pulling him into our bed in the middle of the night. Although that works for some, it didn't work for us. Julie taught me so much about sleep, and helped me train my little guy to sleep happily in his crib. He was a bit of a slow learner, so I am sure that if I hadn't had her ongoing support and encouragement, I probably would have decided he wasn't ready and would have quit. She called daily, assuring me that he was improving, and that I was doing the right thing. I really appreciated that she didn't push anything on me, but instead created a plan that I was comfortable with. She asked lots of questions throughout the process, and we modified and adjusted based on how my son was doing. I would highly recommend Julie to any sleepy or frustrated parents!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Meadowlark - Vancouver, WA
I just wanted to let u know how grateful I am for all of your help with our 6month old Britney. You helped her and our family so much. It is amazing to me how much sleep makes a huge difference for babies (and im sure all of us). She used to be a very cranky baby always crying and never wanting to be left alone, now that she is sleeping during the day and night consistently she is a completely different baby. She is happy all the time and able to be on her own without crying for attention. I can not express how much u have helped us. After having a child (our 2.5 year old Jenna) with Sleep Apnea and having a lot of sleep problems with her waking and not sticking to a routine we never thought it was possible to have a child that sleeps well. We are soooo excited for Jenna's surgery to remove her tonsils for the sleep apnea and to be able to work with u again in sleep training her and getting her in a good healthy routine as well as our new little one coming in late July. I would highly recommend u to anyone I know :) it was such an easy and short process that anyone can do it. Thank you we owe u so much :)
Wow... Julie was amazing! She was able to help us get our 10 month old to sleep through the night in just a couple of days! Her eagerness to share helpful information was fantastic and she was always available when questions arose! I would highly recommend contacting Julie if you're not getting the sleep you or your child deserves and needs! It's WELL worth it!!!
Forever Grateful,
Jason & Becky Rudzinski, Bellevue, WA
Getting one baby let alone two to sleep thru the night can be a difficult task. Julie helped make this task much smoother and easier for our family. She helped us do what we needed to do to train our twin girls to sleep thru the night at 8 months. She was very patient, understanding, and supportive.
Jacki Glass, Mercer Island
Julie was a lifesaver to us when our 2 year old stopped sleeping through the night. She was paitent and supportive with us as we described our daughter's sleep issues. Julie then helped us in developing a customized plan that fit well with both our daughter's disposition and our parenting approach. We were exhausted and frustrated when we came to Julie and she provided us with EXACTLY the help we needed. We strongly recommend you reach out to Julie to get your family the sleep you need.
Damon and Lisa Ford Bellevue, WA
