Initially, I was very hopeful that Karen would be able to help with my baby's sleep problems, but Karen's instructions made my baby's sleep so much WORSE! I reached out to Karen when my baby was 5 and half months old, after a failed attempt at sleep training. My husband and I were exhausted and thought that getting an "expert" involved would be helpful. We went with Karen's most expensive package with the hope that we could finally get my baby to sleep better. My baby was waking up 2-3 times at night and was not getting good naps (waking up after 30 minutes and needing help to go back to sleep). Karen's plan for my baby seemed generic and not tailored to her needs, but we gave it a try. Here is what Karen told us: (1) the root problem of our baby's sleep problem was not intaking enough milk (although my baby's weight was above average for her height), (2) my baby needed to take a nap after 90 minutes of being awake, (3) do anything to get her to sleep at the 90 minute mark by holding her, giving her a pacifier, rocking her, etc. - she said getting her to sleep at the right time was more important than weaning her off of the sleep associations. Told us to do the same at night - rock, hold her, give her pacifier, feed her - basically anything to help her sleep. Here's what happened: (1) my baby was having a harder time falling asleep and staying asleep, (2) she became so dependent on the pacifier and being held that we couldn't get her to sleep on her own for more than half hour at a time, (3) my baby was intaking less milk based on Karen's suggestion to lengthen the feeding schedule, (4) my baby was waking up more often at night. After couple weeks of things not improving, Karen suggested sleep training - recommended rapid extinction. I was not happy with this. After making my baby's sleep worse, she wanted us to just put her in her crib and let her cry - after we had made my baby even more dependent and made her sleep associations stroner. I decided at that point to just rely on my own instincts and gradually wean my baby off the sleep associations and wait on sleep training. I slowly used the pacifier less and less, tried to put her down drowsy with less holding, weaned her nighttime feedings, etc. Then I tried the Sleepeasy Solution for her sleep training at 6 and half months. That worked really well! I'm wondering if sleep training did not work initially for my baby because she just was not ready before. She's now sleeping 11-12 hours straight at night and sleeping 1-2 hours for her naps - with no assistance! I follow a strict bedtime routine and put her in the crib and she falls asleep on her own. I wish I had not hired Karen and believe that I could have achieved success with my baby's sleep earlier and with less aggravation (and saved myself $1250!). I did not find Karen's advice helpful at all - none of her tips worked for my baby. In the end, she made my baby's sleep worse. I recommend the Sleepeasy Solution for parents looking for some simple instructions on helping their babies sleep better. It worked for my baby anyways. Good luck! read more

I recently watched a video lecture by Karen and she stated that babies (4+ months old) shouldn't be eating every 90 minutes and the mother should stretch out the amount of time between feedings because the baby needs to go from completely empty to full. Some breastfed babies do nurse less often but some do not. Some mothers chose to nurse their child on demand (which is often not longer than 90-120 minutes between feedings). Nursing on demand and removing silly time restrictions (as suggested) is the best way to maintain a healthy milk supply. This is not what Karen suggests. As a nursing mother who frequently meets with a lactation consultant, this is absolutely detrimental to the nursing mother's journey. read more

Karen came highly recommended by a friend with twins. I figure if she can get two babies to sleep at the same time, it's got to work for my one. Anyway, I started to talk to Karen when my son was only 6 weeks old because I was exhausted and desperate. My son wasn't sleeping, he would cry all the time and had to be held or he would scream. Karen listened and explained that formal sleep training couldn't start until at least 12 weeks but there are things that I could do to start setting patterns and help him sleep better. Those few weeks were hard but knowing there was a plan and a light at the end of the tunnel really helped. Fast-forward a few months, my son is now almost 17 weeks and sleeps like a champ. He sleeps an average of 12 hours straight. It is amazing. I know there are books out there you can read, but honestly, who has time to filter out all that stuff to what will work for your child? Karen is extremely knowledgeable and been a lifesaver. I highly recommend her to anyone with a new baby - she is worth every penny!!! read more

When our second child was born I thought it would be "easy" to sleep train him just like we did with our first. Boy was I wrong. He was taking 30-45min naps during the day and was cranky after waking up from each of them, I didn't know how to implement a schedule and at 4 months he started to wake up every 45min after 2am. I started reading different books on sleep training but it seemed like they were all saying basically the same thing but non of them had exact examples that related to our child. This was a whole different kid and I knew I needed help. I did my research online and called a few other consultants but connected with Karen instantly on the phone. To make this short, connecting with Karen saved our sanity and gave us back our sleep and basically our lives. If you want more, she came to our house for a consultation and was able to make suggestions that we implemented almost immediately. That week we were going on vacation but she promised me that if I follow her advice I can begin to see changes in his sleep very soon, even on vacation. She was right on the money with her advice and when we came back home we started to implement everything she asked of us. We worked together and after two weeks, which seemed like they lasted forever, he slept a whole night! and then another night and then another! It was a miracle. We also started seeing significant improvements in his nap time and his overall attitude. He was just a happier baby! Now he sleeps 7am-7pm and takes three 1.5-2.5 hour naps every day. We are happy and he is happy. Karen made us feel like we were her only clients though I'm sure she had others. She gave us specific instructions and suggestions for our unique situation. Everything she did was really tailor made for our son. She was available via phone/text and email which was super convenient and was 100% there when we needed her. She was very professional and compassionate and we just loved working her. If I had to do it all over again I would have just called her sooner :) read more

OMG!!! I honestly dont even know where to begin.. Here's a little background info to our lives with our 6 month old prior to Karen: Dark under eye circles NO sleep (at most 3-3 1/2 hrs at most) Baby would constantly wake up through out the night (not able to put himself back to sleep). Naps were pretty much all over the place and would only last about 30 mins at most. During the nights where my hubby and I were running on about 2 hrs of sleep I would just bring the baby to bed with us. (if co-sleeping is your thing than that would be ok) Baby would barely drink enough milk. I would have migraines and could only go through the day with 2+ cups of coffee/day. We finally came to a point where we were desperate for anything.. ANYTHING I did my research and came across a few other sleep consultants and also read their not so good reviews.. I found Karen, gave her a call. In our initial convo, Karen asked all the right questions and reassured me that she can help fix our situation. We chose the package where she came over to our house for a consult, saw his nursery, and at the end of the consult gave us our homework. In order to make it work you HAVE to do your part, she can give you her expert opinion but if you do not meet her half way it wont work. 1 week after, baby was taking 1-2 hr naps in his crib, 2 weeks later (sleep training started) was sleeping 9-10 hrs a night (wakes up once for feeding). 3 weeks later (getting greedy here, starting to illuminate the mid night snacking for baby with Karens help). All in all, where we are now would NOT be possible with out Karen. SHE is the Sleep Goddess and she knows what she is talking about. Worth EVERY SINGLE PENNY! and I am sooo pleased with her work! If you are where we were call her, you wont regret it! read more

I first started working with Karen when my daughter was 15 months old and I was about 4 months pregnant with my son. At that time my daughter was STILL only taking naps on my lap. I had tried everything to get her to sleep in her crib for naps like she did at night. But at 4 months pregnant with a growing belly, pressure on my bladder, and lots of morning sickness I could no longer take being a human bed 2-3x a day. I had tried EVERYTHING to get her to nap in her crib and I remember the day I first called Karen and I burst into hormonal tears over the phone when she said she could help me. Karen took her time to listen to our wants and needs for our family to help implement a plan that would help my daughter nap in her crib with the least amount of stress or upset for our daughter and for us. Within 2 weeks my daughter was napping beautifully in her crib. Not only that but Karen had armed us with the tools to battle future changes in sleep schedules and habits for our daughter. Now my daughter is 25 months old and goes to sleep on her own every night with no crying, sleeps wonderfully through the night and naps nearly every single day with very little to no protest. Months later after we had our son who was waking 2-4x a night EVERY SINGLE NIGHT and taking HOURS of bouncing, shushing, rocking, etc to be able to go down for MAYBE a 30 minute nap every day I knew we needed Karen's help to implement a plan to create healthy and positive sleeping habits. My son was a bit more difficult to figure out but she helped us get him to a point where he could sleep on his own and for MUCH longer stretches than ever before. Now I am able to confidently place him down in his crib wide awake (but sleepy of course) and know he can gently soothe himself to sleep and wake when he is ready to wake. She also once again armed us with the tools we needed to be able to know when and how to make the changes necessary to adjust to his developmental needs. My son and the rest of our family is so much better rested now and I really feel like I know what I am doing in regards to his sleeping, most of the time anyway, lol. I would also like to comment on how kind and respectful Karen is. She is understanding of boundaries and comfort levels when working with people. She is supportive and did a lot of hand holding with us. I am an emotional and nervous person and Karen totally was there for me. She is also responsive and pretty easy to get ahold of. If she doesn't answer her phone right away she texts, emails or calls back pretty darn fast and that was HUGE help when we were right in the thick of things and needed help STAT. I highly recommend Karen for any baby and toddler sleep help. read more

Karen helped us with our younger daughter. Even though we had successfully navigated sleep with my older daughter, our second left me very confused as to how to get her to sleep a crib in her own room. It's a lot of change for a little one! Karen did a very careful and thorough assessment that put my husband and I at ease. We were very impressed with her sensitivity and depth of knowledge about sleep. Best of all, everything Karen suggested WORKED! She led us step-by-step so that both my baby and I were comfortable with the changes, and within 2 weeks, she transformed us out of a dysfunctional situation into a well-oiled household. Nothing is better than a well-rested baby and we have Karen to thank. I highly recommend her. read more

What an amazing help Karen has been! I read multiple sleep books, but each baby is different and Karen provided customized advice that worked for OUR baby and for our family. For example, dropping the bath before bedtime because it was overstimulating our baby (other babies are relaxed by the bath process). She is incredibly professional, well-spoken and has very useful experience. We appreciated her no-judgment, honest approach and her easy to follow format (sleep deprivation and complexity do not go well together). She is always available and ready with tweaks when needed to keep the sleep train moving forward. She specifically helped us establish our 14-month old's nighttime sleeping, naps and weening. She is also very thorough and looks at nutrition, environment, sleep timing, routine, etc. and she did it all via Skype and phone calls. Before Karen, our baby didn't enjoy going to sleep, but now he walks into his room holding his lovey and happily goes down for a 1.5-2.5 hour nap, and 11-12 hours at bedtime. No crying and he wakes up happy and well-rested. I highly recommend her! If you're hesitant, just call and speak to her. You have nothing to lose, but lots of sleep and joy to gain! Thank you, Karen! read more

What could be easier than putting a baby to sleep? Well I found out fast that almost ANYTHING is easier than getting a baby to sleep! I am a first time older mom and was so happy to have my son that if he had some sleeping issues that wasn't that big of a deal right? WRONG! My husband and i quickly became so sleep deprived it was unbearable and I could not function. We tried for months, read every book, talked to his pediatrician, and even to other moms and nothing worked. They actually all seemed to contradict each other! Our son would only sleep for 30 minutes to 2 hours at a time, every time we put him down it was a battle, we could not hold him and rock him to sleep any more without our back hurting! So at 3 months old when I could not see straight and I was worried that my son's lack of good sleep would hinder his development I got a recommendation for a different sleep consultant (not going to mention name here) and it was awful! We were doing things that were absolute torture for me and my baby, but we thought well we need to try. After a month we got no where fast, were out of patience, tired of spending money for what we knew was not working, and we needed help but didn't know where to turn. So we went about it on our own a for a while and had some success, but it was not really that much. Then I got a recommendation about Karen when my son was about 6 months old. We were leery of course from our previous experience and didn't want to spend a bunch of money for nothing again. I went to her website and was immediately impressed by her background, education, speaking engagements, and collaborations. One thing I liked was that she seemed to have lots up her sleeve, which we didn't have with the prior consultant. So I sent he an email and told her about our problems, experience with other consultant, and asked if we could talk. She emailed me right away and had good information from the get go. We set up a talk, she listened and we listened and after that initial talk my husband and I knew this was going to be different and she helped us feel that there IS a light at the end of the tunnel. Karen came to our home and looked at our set up there and made suggestions, went over the baby's schedule and made lots of observations and suggestions, and then we began work. We went into the sleep training slowly due to the damage that had been done by the previous sleep consultant. But within a couple days we began to see changes. We were able to get a hold of Karen via phone, text, and email whenever we needed support. She made sure that what we were doing went with our own set of beliefs and values on how WE wanted to raise our son. She did not push us to abandon anything we wanted to do, and really catered the training to our individual son and it was not a cookie cutter approach. Being a teacher myself I appreciate how she differentiated for our child, his age, his needs, our needs and wants! Now at 9 months our son is on a good schedule. He sleeps anywhere from 11 to 12 hours at night, has two naps per day that are about an hour to and hour and a half each, he has a specific routine and goes down without a fight. Now of course there hiccups and road bumps now and again because he is a human being so nothing is static, but I am better equipped to handle these things now that I have gotten sleep and guidance. I was so sad and shell-shocked by the crying that I really believed that I was not going to give my son the gift of a good night's sleep and the ability to put himself back to sleep, but with Karen's guidance, knowledge, and support that has become a reality. I would highly recommend her to any parent having sleep issues with their child. She is a really amicable person, professional, empathetic, and has a good sense of humor to make this process easier to get through. read more

When we came to Karen, we were in a very frustrated and desperate state. Our daughter was 12 months old, and we had been sleep deprived for a year. She was in our bed and nursing literally all night. This situation was extremely detrimental to all three of us! Not only had I purchased and read every book in existence, we had already had one very traumatizing experience with a previous sleep consultant. While we were reluctant to try working with someone again, we were in great need of help. I can't even begin to explain how grateful I am for Karen. In my book, she is nothing short of a miracle worker! I fully admit to the fact that we were high maintenance clients (in large part due to our awful previous experience with a sleep consultant), and Karen handled everything we threw at her with grace, compassion, and professionalism. Karen's approach is detailed and fully supported by research. She not only helped us with sleep, but she also improved our baby's nutrition! In a very short time our baby was sleeping through the night IN HER CRIB and taking solid naps during the day (also in her crib). The results were fast, dramatic, and honestly better than I could've hoped for. Karen is brilliant, organized, kind, professional, and absolutely amazing at what she does. I simply cannot praise her enough!!! read more

I heard about Karen from a night doula,(Martina) when I was looking for help with my twin 9 month old boys, who were not sleeping well. My situation was complicated as we were visiting Ca from S.E. Asia, so we were dealing with jet lag, time change, hotel, all of the worst things for sleep. In addition the babies had not learned self soothing techniques up until then. I was totally exhausted and getting pressure from my parents and husband to just do cry it out. Luckily, I spoke to Karen and couple of times (who I felt great about right away) and with some reservations (due to the cost) we went ahead and got started working with her. I was nervous to spend money and then have to have pushback from my spouse if it didn't work...I needn't have worried! I saw improvements in the babies sleep almost right away, and it was so awesome to have Karen lay everything out for us. Yes the information might be similar to what is in different parenting books, but when you are in the throes of sleep deprivation, who has time for that? Also, having an outside person make suggestions was fantastic because there didn't have to be any disagreements between my husband and I on what to do/try next. We returned to S.E. Asia in the middle of the training, so we did have to get back on track in that regard, but I believe if we didn't have that change again, the sleep would have improved even more quickly. Fast forward a couple of months (March 17 the babies 1st birthday) and they go down for night time sleep very easily. They fuss a bit for daytime naps but it is reasonable (for me). The babies sleep approximately 11 hours straight! I think it has been this way for at least several weeks, and before that, maybe one or two wakenings that needed no intervention happened at night. If you are on the fence about investing in your baby's (or babies') sleep, and yours, I can tell you it is worth it! I cannot say enough about Karen, her techniques and her support. She is very personable, willing to work with your comfort level regarding the plan and supportive of your goals, not just hers. So happy that I took the chance on getting help when I really needed it. My outlook has improved dramatically since we are all getting sleep! read more

So, so, so, thankful for Karen. Three weeks ago, we were at the end of our ropes. Our 2.5 year old son was no longer sleeping through the night, would not nap for us, and would only fall asleep if we stood outside his door for over an hour every night. We were losing our minds, sleep deprived and out of hope. Enter Karen. After an initial phone call, I felt a glimmer of hope. Karen was honest, straightforward, kind, empathetic and incredibly knowledgeable. Her plan was simple and we started to implement the steps right away. We saw immediate progress, with very little crying, angst or difficulty on the part of our son or us. Within a few nights, he was sleeping nearly the whole night through and taking 2.25 hour naps for us. We were able to put him down and go downstairs and have an evening to ourselves. Our patience was returning, and our lives were normalizing. Three weeks later, we have reached the point where we are all sleeping peacefully through the night. Our son is eating better, behaving better, and sleeping like he should. We are so beyond grateful to Karen for her help, but even more for her approach. She made the entire process simple and easy to implement. Most importantly, she listened, adjusted and didn't judge us for the horrible patterns we had established. We felt supported and well-guided the entire time. Truly, this was the best investment we have ever made in the life of our family. read more

We owe karen so much! We had three month old twin boys and an 18 month old toddler, things were stressed to say the least. We were beyond exhausted and desperate. Within two days the babies were sleeping 5-6 hours a day worth of naps at the same time, longer stretches at night and were overall happier babies. Within a couple of weeks we had a predictable schedule with all three kids and could breath a little better. With her help and guidance our chaotic life fell into an enjoyable routine of naps, feeds and diapers! Everyone was happier and better rested. It was hands down money well spent. read more

My 18 month old daughter would only take naps in the car and I was at my wit's end when I decided to bite the bullet and hire a sleep consultant. Little did I know how much could be improved in a short amount of time. Karen was very attentive to our family's needs and dynamics and helped us decide the best way to have peaceful napping, which turned out required looking at way more than naps. The results have been spectacular - my daughter is taking all her naps in her crib with little fussing, sleeping longer for each of them than before, going to bed earlier in the evening, and staying asleep longer in the morning. I finally feel like I can accomplish something during the day while my daughter is sleeping rather than being stuck as a chauffeur; and my daughter is better rested and even friendlier than she was before we hired Karen! Karen's quick responses to emails and phone calls made the process much easier to handle. read more

What would we have done without Karen! When our baby arrived a bit early and with major acid reflux, we were told we had to wait beyond the norm to sleep train. We were sleep deprived with a fussy, uncomfortable baby who slept sporadically a few hours at a time. By the time we contacted Karen, we were beyond desperate for consistent sleep. I was skeptical at first, but Karen's methods proved absolutely effective. I learned to stop overthinking and just trust Karen. I was against letting the baby "cry it out" - and Karen provided many options to meet my comfort level. She was always available for a consult when we hit a snag here and there - and Karen always had an answer. Simple tweaks that Karen suggested made all the difference. Within weeks (it took weeks only because our baby's reflux forced us to back track every few steps and wait a bit longer between nap training and overnight training), our baby went from fitful inconsistent sleep and napping, to a set schedule that was reliable to 10 minutes. - 2 naps during the day, and 12 solid hours at night!! Thank you, Karen!!!! read more