Julie has been fantastically helpful for us. After reading the book, I booked a Skype consultation with her to address weaning my 10 month old son from his milk feeds during the night. What first attracted me to Julie's approach is how she takes each family as genuinely unique . It was really important to me that find a way to help my son sleep through the night, without causing him unnessary and whilst most sleep consultants say that each baby is an individual my experience is that most have one approach which they apply to all. Here, Julie is unique. Our son could already fall asleep by himself in his cot for his day naps and at night-time, but was waking up to three times during the night for milk which I was giving to him so he could go back to sleep. As a young baby he was very buzzy, so the only way I could give him milk was to get in the cot with him - which was something I was still needing to do before all his sleeps, as if I tried to feed him outside he wouldn't drink. Rather then tell me this was wrong and we needed to change it, Julie respected my sense that this was an approach that worked for Jack and instead worked with me to find a solution which would respect what worked, whilst making small changes to help separate the feeds with Jack's sleep. The whole method worked seamlessly and because the weaning is so gradual - reducing by 30seconds every other night - when it came to the final two 1.5mins feeds, Jack didn't protest at all, and started sleeping through the night the following night. His day naps have now settled too - and because he's so familiar with the script, if he does wake too early for his afternoon nap, we just need to go in, say "sleepy time" and he goes back to sleep. It also feels significant to say that rather than change Jacks milk to waking time, as I felt we had to do 'because that's what everybody does,' Julie's approach was to say, well for. Jack this works, so let's keep it. And because I am now able to feed Jack outside of his room as part of his room, it's something he can continue to change without it disrupting his sleep. Which also means I am now freed up as other people can put Jack down, as he's no longer reliant on me for milk, but will accept it from a bottle. And because he knows the routine so well, he is completely relaxed about others putting him down too. Here I can particularly see how important it is for everyone to have the same script. I am so grateful to Julie for her sensitive and flexible approach. I also found her very understanding and supportive to my partner who struggles to hear our son grumble/cry. Whilst acknowledging how hard this can be, she also sensitively backed up the importance of us having utter confidence in the approach in a way that felt non-judgemental and wholly affirmative. Julie's a rare find, and I only wish we'd found her earlier! read more

I had explored other "sleep experts" after my first child was born & nothing had ever clicked or seemed to help. He slept great at night but would not nap during the day unless he screamed himself to sleep & then his naps would only last 30 minutes & he was awake again. And it felt like he was tired all day so we were constantly in that exhausting cycle! I had my second child in May and around 2 months realized I had to figure something out to help her sleep better so that I would be able to fully invest in both my children. Doing "whatever it takes" to get her to sleep like I did with my first wasn't going to work. And I did not want to enter the scream-fest season I had with my first either! In my search I came across your approach & it made SO much sense! It is the perfect balance of science & practicality, and I also love the balance of CIO and attachment method. It also was empowering & encouraging to view myself as helping my baby learn to self-soothe (a lifelong skill!) rather than just get her to sleep good. Baby girl will be 4 months old in a few days and with a consistent routine before bedtime & naps, she is putting herself to sleep like a champ! I know we may still have hiccups along the way but I feel equipped to deal with those when they come. My toddler also has shown improvement with more structure & routine for his naps & bedtime as well. THANK YOU for providing a resource that is backed by science but easy to understand & apply. I'm so glad I came across you & will continue to share with the mamas in my life! read more

Our ten month old was a pretty good sleeper; he would wake up once a night, normally around 2, but would be up, and pretty upset, for about an hour while we held, rocked, and tried to soothe him. We assumed he was an early riser, as he would wake up around 4:45 each morning, no matter what time he went to bed the night before. We had a solid bedtime routine, but waking up to an unhappy baby was beginning to feel like the norm, and felt as though we might never get a full night's rest again (sounds a bit dramatic, we know). We began researching various methods for "sleep training," but were left with more questions than answers. I stumbled upon the Happy Sleeper, and after reading the introduction and forward by Dr. Dan Siegel, my husband and I were intrigued, and decided to give it a try. Boy, are we glad we did! This book did an incredible job of outlining a clear, easy-to-follow plan that acknowledged both our desires: to soothe and comfort our baby, and for all of us to get some sleep. The first night we implemented the Sleep Wave into the sleep routine, my husband was nearly brought to tears when the next morning, we woke up not to an unhappy baby, but a fully-rested (12 hours!), smiling boy! We are so grateful for the Happy Sleeper and can't recommend this book enough to tired parents who are ready to try a science-backed, relationship-honoring method that acknowledges a parents' desire to comfort and care for their child, while helping everyone get better sleep. read more

Working with Julie has dramatically changed our lives for the better. For 18 months, we woke up at least five times a night to a crying baby who would absolutely refuse to sleep in a crib. We wanted to keep our habits around sleep in line with our gentle parenting principles, so we were determined not to let our daughter cry at all, even when she woke up every 1-2 hours. Exhausted and worn down from 1.5 years of broken sleep, we hesitatingly decided to call in an expert. I am glad we did so! Not only did Julie teach us a ton of useful and important information about infant sleep, but she did so in a way that was compassionate and understanding of where we were coming from. In addition to this crucial background knowledge of infant sleep, she created for us a clear, practical sleeping plan for our daughter that was realistic for us to implement. This plan was effective: within one week, our daughter was sleeping independently for 6 hour stretches in her own crib, which she had never done before. We made so much progress in such a short period of time, and everyone in our household is more well-rested and happy now, thanks to Julie's guidance. I highly recommend her as a sleep consultant. read more

We had such a wonderful experience with the Sleep Wave method, that I now give the Happy Sleeper book as a Must Have gift for new Moms! After some rough weeks of no sleep, I was becoming a walking zombie and going insane tracking all the times of our daughter's sleep schedule. We tried other sleep methods or trainings with no luck until the Sleep Wave. Introducing this method worked for our family almost instantly. After one long night of crying for 2 hours, our daughter only fussed off an on for 6-10 minutes in her naps and bedtime for the following two days. We also felt much better introducing this method reducing fears of abandonment and giving her more support. Now, nothing (other than a little bit of teething) phases her sleep. We also notice some of her biggest development in that time self soothing herself testing out new sounds, getting used to tummy time and even rolling over. The information on the importance of sleep in the household and the ways to promote better sleep have been extremely helpful and key to keeping our daughter happy and healthy. We absolutely love this method and would recommend it to anyone looking for a sleep solution. read more

The Happy Sleeper is teaching me a way to help my baby sleep while still feeling securely attached. With my first child, all I knew about what so-called "attachment parenting," which had me awake all night long nursing to soothe every waking, frantically trying to prevent my baby from crying, which caused severe sleep deprivation and long term health effects for me, and an anxious attachment for my child. For this second baby, 14 years later!, I knew I wanted/needed to do things differently, and I'm so glad we found the Happy Sleeper! I was drawn to it as a psychotherapist largely because Dan Siegel advocates it (he's an expert on the developing brain, mindfulness, attachment), and I trust his judgment. :) Upon reading it, it felt like a sane and gentle approach-- not as harsh and some of the others, but still trusting the baby's ability to figure things out. It's a process we're in right now, not an instant cure, and major changes have happened in the first week. Our 5 month old baby is happy and secure and better rested already, and has gone from waking 5-10x/night to once for a feeding. read more

Where do I begin?! I was incredibly nervous to begin sleep training/learning but had arrived at a point of sleep deprivation that I could no longer bear. I had two half hour consultations (two weeks apart) with Julie in my daughter's third month of life just to get some insight into all things sleep (and lack there of). I learned about some things I could do differently in an effort to get ready to help my baby learn to fall asleep on her own. By the time my daughter was almost 4.5 months old, I was ready and SHE was ready- I emailed Julie requesting the sleep consultation and was able to do it via FaceTime within a day or two! Julie went over the entire plan, exactly what it would look like and we started that night. My husband and I had the plan written down and have been following it for 13 days and my daughter is sleeping very well. She is getting used to our new routine, soothing herself; her awake time is more pleasant now that she is sleeping (and so are my husband and I)! Anyway, best decision I made for our family - giving my daughter invaluable tools. Thank you Julie! read more

We are 2 nights in to the sleep wave with our 6 montand my husband and I are both truly amazed at how well it is going. The first night our baby cried for 40 minutes before falling asleep -- we only had to use our 5 minute checks during one more period of the night (around 11:30pm as she was figuring out how to sleep on her belly). The rest of the night, even after feedings she would fall back asleep within 5 minutes! And then yesterday's naps required NO 5 minute checks...the last two she didn't even cry going down!!! This is for a baby who had only ever napped on or next to us for the majority of her life until Sunday night! We are AMAZED and so thankful! Thank you so much for the help and support you provided during the consult over video chat - it provided the extra clarity and confidence I needed to move forward. It has been such an empowering, encouraging thing to watch this unfold and you were right, I am so proud of my baby and so amazed at her capacity! read more

Julie has been an incredible asset to my family as she helped us overcome various challenges with our son's sleep. For the first year of his life, he woke extremely early (5 am or earlier) and was constantly struggling with sleep deprivation. Julie helped me find a plan that I felt confident employing and it worked within the first week! Her approach was both effective and gentle, a very difficult combination to find when endeavoring to encourage your baby to sleep through the night on their own. I was later able to take these tools to overcome various sleep regressions due to moving, welcoming our second born son, and so on. Not only did Julie help provide current sleep information and an effective plan, she immediately calmed my first-time mama anxiety. I walked away from our consultations feeling calm, confident, and determined to work with my son to get him (and our whole family) the sleep we need! If I could leave 6 stars I would! Thank you, Julie! read more

I first spoke to Julie in the throes of my daughter's four month sleep regression. I was beyond exhausted and just didn't know what to do. Julie showed so much compassion for the challenges I was facing, provided super helpful practical tips, and most importantly, gave me hope that it would get better! And she was right - after getting through the regression, I started The Wave at six months and my daughter's night sleep improved immediately. The first week of nap times were more challenging but another 30 minute chat with Julie got us back on track. For me, The Wave offers the perfect balance between responding to my baby and assuring her she's loved and safe while also giving her the independence to grow and build her sleeping skills. I am so grateful for the Happy Sleeper book and the one-on-one advice from our phone calls - I can't recommend Julie highly enough! read more

The Sleep Wave and consultation with Julie Wright have made an enormous, positive, and really beneficial difference in the lives of me and my child. After using the Sleep Wave consistently for several weeks, my child goes to bed these days reliably and consistently, with no fuss and no protest. Most of the time nowadays, my child sleeps straight through the night. Also, "The Happy Sleeper's" nighttime weaning approach works very well; I never feed my child at night anymore. My child's daytime naps have also improved significantly; there are usually two of them daily, and they usually total at least three, sometimes four hours, sometimes more. I attribute all of this in no small part to Julie's approach and her good advice. I highly recommend reading "The Happy Sleeper" and scheduling a consultation with Julie. read more

Julie of The Happy Sleeper helped us get our 8-month-old's poor napping on track (some days she would only get 30 minutes of naptime all day, even when she was sill a newborn). Julie came to our home and discussed the specifics of our daughter's sleep habits, and set up guidelines and a schedule that have greatly improved her napping (and her mood at the end of the day!). We recommend her highly--she's really compassionate, down to earth, and a great listener, who will focus on your child's individual situation and needs. read more

Julie is the best!! As is the the sleep wave. It worked incredibly well. Julie coached us through exactly what to do. We put it in place when our baby was about 4 1/2 months and after 3 nights she was sleeping 11-12 hours!! I've been singing Julie's praises to all of my mom friends :) the napping is not 100% but there's been a ton of progress and we've completely phased out the pacifier we were once using. We are SO incredibly grateful for her help. (And for all of the sleep we're getting! :) read more

We cannot say enough wonderful things about The Happy Sleeper approach and our consultation with Julie. She walked us through every step of how to help our 6 month old fall asleep independently. Her thorough explanation and customized plan left us feeling confident and excited to start the wave with our baby. It's amazing how quickly our son adapted and started self-soothing. He is so much happier now, and so are we with more sleep!! read more

Julie saved our lives! At around 9 months old our LO was waking up 6-8 times a night and needed us to rock him in order for him to go back to sleep. It was devastating for our work and personal lives, but Julie came in for a private consultation and within 2 day (TWO DAYS!!!) he was sleeping through the night and has been ever since (he's 18 months now!!). Thank you, Julie! We are forever grateful. read more

We've been using the Sleep Wave method for 2 weeks now and I'm happy to say we have "tear-free" naps and nights. Our 5.5 month old is able to self-soothe and getting better at it every day. We are so grateful for your work. read more