Reviews

Working with Vera completely changed our lives.  Vera is both a pleasure to partner with, and this program is highly effective.  While we focused on sleep, Vera’s guidance will improve our parenting across the board.  We started-out with a 2 hour plus, agonizing bedtime saga — not even a routine!  We were tired, and so was our daughter (age 3).  Thanks to Vera, we have a lovely routine (one we look forward to, and do not dread), our daughter falls asleep on our own, and wakes up rested!  Bedtime is a happy time, now!  What is more, our daughter feels empowered; she is so terribly proud of what she accomplished: she can fall asleep on her own, and she knows all the steps to get herself there!  We never would have achieved this result without Vera’s experience, guidance, and support.  It is not a one-size-fits all program.  We had very specific issues and concerns, and Vera was with us all the way — a fantastic partner and guide all in one!  I should add: during the time we worked with Vera, we had a new baby, our daughter was ill, and we went on vacation.  So, the program really withstood multiple tests!  The only regret I have where Vera is concerned is that we did not contact her earlier!  We are forever grateful to Vera, and cannot recommend Sleepybird enough.

Working with Vera was a true life-saver for us. Our son was waking up several times a night and we were jumping through hoops to get him back to sleep. Sometimes he was awake for up to 2 hours and had full-on temper tantrums in the middle of the night. The bad nights were influencing everything – everyone’s mood, our work, our relationship. We had to hit rock bottom before we were able to admit we needed help.

We hesitated due to the costs, but now that we see the results we are so, so happy we did it. Sam now falls asleep easily, quickly and quietly in his own bed and room. He sleeps full 10 hours and IF he wakes in the night, it’s a matter of minutes before he calms back down all by himself. We have our evenings back and can enjoy some much-needed couple’s time. WE finally sleep through the night as well. What a difference! Vera’s support was even better than we could imagine. We felt very comfortable with her advice and trusted her completely. It felt good to have a ‘way to go’ instead of constantly bouncing thoughts around in our own heads. The most important change for our family is the quality of sleep we ALL now get since this is the basis for a good day and good family life.

Vera, we are so grateful for your support. You supervised us from the beginning and showed us a gentle way to teach our twins independent sleeping skills. You encouraged us not to give up, even if the first evenings / nights were hard. You were always available, gave us daily feedback and help and responded individually to the different needs of the two children.

We not only have relaxing evenings now, but you also taught our twins to fall asleep independently and to sleep through the night without our support.

Keep up your great work!

Hiring Vera was the BEST decision ever. Our son Rasmus (8.5 months) was a very bad sleeper from the beginning. He only slept for max. 3 hours in a row at night. Sometimes he then would be awake for 1-2 hours. My husband and I were totally exhausted and did shifts who would sleep with Rasmus and who would get a good night sleep in our guestroom. We were basically just living on a survival mode.
With the great help of Vera, Rasmus now sleeps in his own bed in his own room. We also got rid of the pacifier and last but most important he sleeps 11 hours straight! We are super happy! My husband and I finally have some time for us. Rasmus is also much happier as he is not overtired anymore and I think we are better and more relaxed parents now.

Our daughter Josefine (19. months) always needed holding our hand and a pacifier to fall asleep. So we always stayed with her until she fell asleep. Even if this wasn’t a big deal for us initially, it became a bigger and bigger problem over time. She also asked for these several times at night. Sometimes she slept through the night, sometimes she was awake for two hours at night and found it very difficult to calm down. As a result, we as parents never knew what the night would bring and there was already a draining tension while bringing her to bed.

Since we finished Vera’s program, Josefine falls asleep independently and happily in the evening. She likes going to bed, looks forward to it after dinner and happily sings “good night”. Josefine is sleeping through the night for 11 hours since night 3 of the 14-day program. The afternoon nap is also getting longer and more consistent and she finds the sleep she needs at her age to grow tall and strong :-).

Vera supported us in the process very professionally, purposefully and sensitively. She always motivated us not to lose sight of our common goals and to finally achieve it. Vera’s work is so important for many families and has given our daughter and us as parents new and important energy for everyday life! Thank you very much for that!

The Sleep Trainer from 9,000 kilometres away

Our daughter (2 years old) slept really well for naps and bedtime in her crib until she was 18 months old. At that point we moved from New York to San Francisco. In our new home it became a habit that she’d only fall asleep with us sitting on a chair in her room. When we tried to leave the room while she was awake, she would start crying heavily and make herself throw up so that we’d have to come back into the room. There was not a single night in which she’d fall asleep without one of her parents sitting in the room and it could take up to an hour for her to fall asleep. Every time we tried to leave the room before she was fully asleep, she would make herself throw up. We almost contemplated buying a second washing machine. Sitting in her room took up a huge amount of time, so that the whole bedtime routine often took well over 2 hours.

Vera came highly recommended and while we had our doubts of working remotely with a sleep trainer that lived in Europe and was 9 time zones ahead, we could not be happier with the experience and the result. Over the course of two weeks, our daughter now falls asleep happily without us in her room. The program felt very gentle for our child, and she didn’t throw up once during the entire transition period.

Vera was highly accommodating in terms of finding time to speak to us in her evenings and the advice by email was detailed and easy to follow. Vera was also flexible with her program to take into account some personal preferences we had when discussing the plan.

We used to dread bedtime because it was a huge ordeal and took up so much time. We also never knew how long it will take her to fall asleep. Now bedtime takes 30 minutes, and it’s really fun and bonding. Plus our daughter on average gets an extra hour of sleep at night which makes her happier during the day.

Thank you again for everything!

Our son Cornelius (17 months) never slept very well. We tried a lot: for a while it was the bottle in the night that seemed to help us, or the pacifier. Sometimes we brought him to our bed and then we tried again in his own room. No matter what we tried, it always only helped briefly and we never managed to solve the problem permanently.

That’s why we decided to work with Vera and get some professional help. The start of the training was great and we quickly had great success. Then, after 4-5 days, we experienced major setbacks. Again, I saw myself to quit and not following the plan. Luckily, Vera motivated us to continue and gave us the right advise. We also noticed from Cornelius that he was grateful for clear instructions.

Meanwhile, Cornelius sleeps in his own room, falls asleep independently and rarely wakes up at night. In this case we have a precise plan of what to do and Cornelius manages to go quickly back to sleep on his own. We are very grateful for Vera’s help and couldn’t have done it without her! I found Vera very emphatic and close to us during the training, at the same time she was super professional – a great combination!

Our daughter Valentina (18 months) slept reasonably well at night. However, instead of sleeping in her own bed, she was sleeping on a large mattress next to me (mother). She was only falling asleep when I was laying next to her, both for her naps and in the evening. It took up to an hour for Valentina to fall asleep.

Thanks to Vera’s help, Valentina has learned within 2 days! to sleep in her own crib and to fall asleep on her own, without my help. From night 3 onwards she was sleeping through the night. Now, Valentina is looking forward to go to bed and falls asleep happily on her own within a few minutes. My husband was very doubtfully at first, but Vera immediately took all our concerns. Vera was absolutely sensitive and responded perfectly to our needs. She gave advise for every uncertainty we had.

We never thought that Valentina’s adjustment would be so quick and gentle. For us, it’s the most satisfying feeling to see that Valentina goes to bed happily. Our previous very long and never-ending bedtime routine is now replaced with a short and structured but loving routine. We all sleep through the night in our own beds – thank you so much Vera!

Our son Frederic has been a bad sleeper since birth. He constantly woke up several times at night. Only breastfeeding or using the pacifier helped him to go back to sleep. Sometimes he even woke up more than 10 times at night. The nights were exhausting and the days accordingly stressful. Since our son is a real whirlwind, it was difficult to meet his needs during the day.

Luckily, a friend recommended Vera and we immediately got in touch. The first call already convinced us and we felt confident with Vera’s method. We knew that this was the right thing for our son and us.

The preparations were very detailed and we felt immediately comfortable with our sleeping plan. We were super excited before the first night but Vera prepared us well. In the end, our son slept through the night from night 3 onwards. Even during the day he now sleeps much longer and consistently.

During our 2-week program Vera was always there to support us and give us advise.

Since we all have a good night sleep now our family life has become much more relaxed. We have much for time and energy for the 3 of us. We are totally happy that we have worked with Vera. THANK YOU!

Our 18 months old daughter Sophie almost never slept through the night. She could only fall asleep with sucking a bottle of milk. She also required the bottle several times at night. Sophie was fighting sleep since she was a baby which means bringing her to bed was often a struggle for all of us.

Now, with Vera’s help, Sophie sleeps through the night for 12 hours without having any bottle at night!!

Vera was recommended to us by a friend and because we are living in the same city, we had our introduction talk in person. We were both immediately convinced by her method. She was very supportive during our 2 weeks program and I had the feeling that she was literally 24/7 with us. Vera motivated us staying strong and was especially for me a great help in several matters during our program.

Sophie stopped fighting the sleep and is now happy going to bed. The three of us finally get the sleep we all need. THANK YOU VERA!

Our daughter was a good sleeper right from the beginning, but when she turned 6 months she got her first flu and the first teeth were breaking through. The nights were getting much worse. Initially we thought this is normal and just a phase. But she kept waking up every two hours at night and we got really tired and exhausted, and so did Greta.

We knew that we had to change something. Vera was recommended by friends, and after our first call with her it was clear that we didn’t want to wait any longer with teaching our daughter to learn to sleep. Because this was what she needed: good sleep!

Vera’s method immediately convinced us. She explained how important good and healthy sleep is for the development of the child. Her individual sleep plan was customized to our day-to-day life. And the best part is: it worked out so quickly. A few days in to the program and our daughter was sleeping through the night and took long naps during the day. By now, she is always happy to go to bed and wakes up content and well-rested.

Vera’s support throughout the program was tremendous. She answered all our questions with patience and supported us with her professional competence.

We’re not exaggerating when saying that our quality of life has significantly improved since we started the program. It was the best decision ever to ask Vera for help and we are very grateful that our daughter finally gets the good and healthy sleep she deserves.

Our daughter was already 8 months old and far from sleeping through the night. I still breastfed her about 2-3 times per night, but after breastfeeding she often only fell back to sleep while being carried around. Also, her naps were only 40-45 minutes long and she often woke up unhappy und not fully rested. The situation was stressful for all of us, mentally and physically (she had about 10 kg at that time). We therefore contacted Vera, who was highly recommended to us by a friend.

With Vera’s help, our daughter is now independently falling asleep and sleeps through the night (7 pm until 6.30 am) – it worked from night 1 onwards!! Her naps are now also much longer and predictable, while she’s sleeping happily in her own bed.Vera was lovingly supporting us and took away all our doubts. She was there all the way and answered our questions or concerns immediately via phone/email/WhatsApp. It was very helpful to receive a personalised and detailed consultation, compared to reading all kind of advice from various books.

The restful nights for our daughter and us are the biggest positive change. This gives us all the energy we need for the day. We are tremendously happy that we taught our daughter already with 9 months good and healthy sleeping habits, so we don’t have to carry this topic with us for the first years of her life. Thank you so much, Vera !!!

Our second son Matheo (7 months) constantly woke up at least three times during the night. He either needed his pacifier, a bottle of milk or wanted to be carried around. The first few months we believed this is normal and thought he’d just be hungrier than other kids. After 6 months nothing had changed and this simply couldn’t continue. We were so sleep deprived and none of us functioned properly.

Then luckily friends recommended Vera. Vera was our saviour! She convinced us that Matheo was ready and capable to sleep through the night without any feedings. She also recommended to take the pacifier away cold turkey and predicted that he won’t miss it after a few days. After the first night of the programme Matheo quickly learnt to sleep through the night. Thanks to Vera’s great support and positive encouragement, it was easy for us to follow the plan and to stick to the routine. Also during some difficult times, Vera convinced us that Matheo’s behaviour is normal and explained what we can expect and when we’d see success – everything she predicted actually happened that way.

Thank you so much Vera!!! You’ve helped our family to live in harmony again and to get good and healthy sleep for the whole family. I will recommend you for sure.

Our son was already 2.5 years old when we contacted Sleepybird. Our nights were horrendous. We had to lie in bed with him until he fell asleep, then he would wake up at least 3 times a night and as a result he would end up in our bed every night.
Now – with the amazing help of Vera and her program – we put our son to bed awake, he falls asleep all by himself and he wakes up the next morning. We still can’t believe it. It is really life changing. Not just for us parents. Also for him. He is in much better form during the day because he finally gets the sleep he needs.
And we keep asking ourselves why we didn’t do it earlier. Thank you, Vera. From the bottom of our hearts.

Our second daughter Cosima was 6 months old and since she was born she was waking up around 5 times at night screaming, wanting to be breastfed or carried around. At some point, myself, my husband, our elder daughter and Cosima of course were completely exhausted and sleep deprived. The nights were always interrupted and way too short and on the other hand the days felt far too long. I heard of Vera’s sleep coaching through a friend and after weeks of hesitation – in which I unsuccessfully tried different methods by myself – we finally decided to get some help and work together with Vera. One of the most important parts for me was to be close to my daughter and not to leave her alone, especially at the beginning of the training and to be able to touch and comfort her.

After four nights, Cosima was sleeping through the night. I couldn’t believe it myself, but I now put her in her cot – awake – and she falls asleep peacefully and is quiet for 11-12 hours. I felt like newborn and was looking forward to the undisturbed evenings with my husband again and the restful nights for the whole family. During the day, Cosima was much more balanced and happy. Our whole family benefitted from the training, and we all have much more energy and are well-balanced.

Vera was such an amazing support. She was always available, empathic but also energetic to keep us motivated. At the beginning we were quite concerned, but she always took her time, was patient and sensitive and worked around our parenting style. I can highly recommend working with Vera. For us, the sleep training was one of the best decisions so far since our parenthood.

Our almost one-year-old son was waking up around 3 times at night screaming so loudly that the rest of our family was awake too. During the day, I had absolutely no energy anymore, because I could not keep up with the sleep loss. I felt completely exhausted and realised that even if I had read all the books and tried different methods myself, I wouldn’t be able to solve this problem by myself.

Luckily we found Vera and she managed to help us and improve our situation within days. Our son was sleeping through the night (7.30pm until 7am) by night 5!!!

We followed her detailed plan and adapted the routine of our son. He quickly learned how to self-sooth himself at night and to find a deep, restful sleep. It really felt like he was actually relieved to find the necessary, healthy sleep he desperately needed.

The whole family is so much more rested now and we can enjoy our time together as a family again. THANK YOU SO MUCH!

We reached out to Sleepybird because our 5-months old daughter was not able to fall asleep by herself, was waking up a few times at night, and was not able to sleep longer than 30-40 minutes during the day.

Bringing her to bed already had a negative connotation and was linked with fears and worries, mainly because it involved some crying and tears. Evenings with my husbands were also not possible anymore. On top, I was planning to go back to work soon, so we needed a solution.

Since we wanted to have a professional, individualized and safe approach to our daughter’s sleep, we consciously decided to get professional help and not just read a book.

To be honest, we had some concerns at the beginning – especially my husband – but luckily we decided to go for it. It was unbelievable: from night 3 our daughter was sleeping through the night (7.30pm until 7am) and even more important since day 11 she is having reliable, long naps during the day. And the best thing is: she loves going to bed and is happily falling asleep completely by herself. All of us are much more balanced and our daughter is super happy and satisfied during her waking times. Many people, including ourselves, were under the assumption that keeping your child awake during the day or putting them to bed late will make them sleep better at night. Such a wrong belief, it’s exactly the opposite.

We can’t thank Vera enough for her help and encouragement. We are tremendously happy to have asked her for help and to make such a positive change to our life.

With her sleep program Vera helped us to make huge improvements to the consistency and quality of our 15 month old daughter. She was only ever kind, understanding and dedicated, working closely with us each day through the two weeks. Vera also provided me with much needed confidence and support to wind up breastfeeding, something I thought was not possible without tears!

Our daughter now goes to bed with a very easy routine, and is happy to do this with our nanny and a grandparent. She can often get herself back to sleep within a minute during the night. There were a few difficult tears at the beginning, something we expected as she was used to breastfeeding before her sleeps, but within 2/3 days she was going to sleep with no tears at all, and within 2 weeks she was fully weaned.

My husband and I had to put a lot of faith and trust into Vera, and now we couldn’t recommend her enough and are very grateful for her advice and support. We now have great tools we can use for many years to come.

Thank you Vera!