When your newborn wakes up in the middle of the night for more than six weeks, Philly sleep consultants could be the answer. Who knew there were so many parenting support resources in Philly?

Find Sleep Consultants and Sleep Trainers in Philly

If your bedtime routine has become a battle or your infant won’t sleep, you may want to enlist the help of a Philadelphia sleep trainer and consultant service. These helpful sleep professionals understand how to get your baby, toddler, or child to sleep.

Then, browse the Philadelphia Baby Guide for other relevant baby-themed businesses and advice.

AM Smiles: Ann Marie Harriger

Ann Marie Harriger started helping families get their babies to sleep as a pediatric sleep coach in 2018.

She learned firsthand what sleep deprivation does to a family years ago when she was a nanny. The baby she cared for depended on nursing or complex rituals to fall asleep. The whole family was miserable and she knew there had to be a better way.

“When I started my own family, I did all my research and got right to work with everything that I learned,” Ann Marie said. “And when my son was five months old, we sleep-trained him and it was a game changer. He slept. We were happy. We thought ‘this is how it’s supposed to be.’”

She successfully sleep trained all three of her baby boys. Soon she began helping friends get their little ones to sleep. With the encouragement of her husband, she began her business as a sleep consultant in the community.

Ann Marie works with babies and toddlers, but her most popular program focuses on children from five to 18 months. She works with families for six weeks, although positive change often happens in the first weeks. What’s more, she provides families with a guarantee. 

“I’m confident enough in my practice and sleep coaching experience that I have no hesitation to offer a guarantee at this point. It is comforting to families at the start knowing that this is going to work,” said Ann Marie.

Contact AM Smiles: 347-719-0417 | IG: @am_smiles_sleepcoach

Born with Love Doulas: Marcella DeRosa

A South Philly native, Marcella DeRosa, began Born With Love Doulas to help families learn how to help babies sleep in a safe sleep space. This local mom of four has been a birth and postpartum doula for over 10 years. Clients encouraged Marcella to become a sleep specialist.

“We focus on their child’s age and development and how to optimize a sleep schedule based on that plus the family’s routine. Most times, I’m just showing families where there’s an imbalance and providing suggestions on how to manage or adjust it,” Marcella said.

Marcella began with a course through Isla Grace, a certifying organization and an accredited school through the American Association of Drugless Practitioners, or AADP. Learning biological norms by age and stage fits her attachment parenting approach. It gave her more tools in order to open her Philly doula business.

“I will never ask you to go against your instinct. You are the expert. Whatever I say is a suggestion because if you’re not comfortable, it’s not going to work,” Marcella said.

Contact Born with Love Doulas: 215-892-7207 | IG: @BornWithLoveDoulas

Confident Parenting: Erica Desper

Confident Parenting provides sleep solutions for children from newborn to age five. It began with Erica Desper’s struggles with Postpartum depression, breastfeeding struggles, and lack of sleep. Erica deviated from her attachment parenting style. Her situation was common among new parents, but she didn’t know what to do.

“After a year of extreme exhaustion, when I couldn’t physically hold my son anymore, I put him down, and he was fine. I realized the way he needed me to go about it was not how I wanted to go about it,” Erica said. “I wish someone could have told me that.”

Erica had a lightbulb moment. She could be that person for other people. Erica could help other sleep-deprived parents. That’s when she began her business, Confident Parenting. They present the different sleep solutions parents can choose to help their baby finally get a night’s rest.

Erica is more than a certified sleep trainer in and around Greater Philly. She’s also a certified lactation consultant, postpartum doula, potty trainer, and babywearing consultant. Erica takes a big-picture approach to parenting woes.

“We find that behavioral strategies aren’t effective if there are other issues that need to be addressed. For example, if a child has a sensory issue they may struggle to eat well throughout the day and feel hungry overnight. So we offer a multidisciplinary effort, tackling the necessary components,” Erica said. “It doesn’t have to be all or nothing. We want to help families find the in-between.”

Contact Confident Parenting: 610-331-8175 | IG: @BeAConfidentParent

Gift of Sleep Consulting: Jennifer Schindele

Jennifer Schindele, the owner of Gift of Sleep Consulting, is the sleep expert others turned to when they wanted to pursue consulting as a career. Extreme sleep deprivation led to postpartum depression and anxiety, but it also gave Jennifer a launchpad for her career. She joined the growing number of Philly sleep consultants.

“I have seen the dark side, so I feel I can truly understand, connect with, and support those parents who are struggling. Sleep is not a luxury; it’s a necessity we need to thrive,” Jennifer said

She found the Sleep Sense program, fixed their sleep, and became Sleep Sense certified. In her first 9 years, Jennifer worked with over 1,000 kids with sleeping issues. Her mission is to help parents give the gift of sleep to their children and, in turn, themselves. She usually works with kids 4 months to seven years old but has worked with all ages.

“I’m not fixing sleep issues; I’m teaching parents to put boundaries in place, which kids need to be happy, successful, and thrive. When they don’t have them, it can spur anxiety,” Jennifer said.

Jennifer usually works with kids ages four months to seven years, but she has served kids outside of that range, too. She maintains a strict policy of only taking three new families a week, so her bookings tend to fill up. “Fit” is important to her. 

Contact Gift of Sleep Consulting | IG: @GiftOfSleep

Happily Ever After Sleep: Katie Roeder 

Katie Roder began her business, Happily Ever After Sleep, after her two daughters had difficulty sleeping. She’d been a store manager for Target since college, but becoming a mom of two girls made her seek something different. She found the Sleep Sense program and made a change to her career.

“If you can’t handle any crying or are super sensitive, then it’s not a good fit.”

Katie works with newborns through school-aged kids. She believes in working with parents to be proactive and plan for things down the road. Although Katie tends to see the same sleep issues pop up, there are usually multiple issues that tie together.

She works with families for a minimum of two weeks. She begins with a consultation to ensure a good fit and to double-check that the whole family is on board. Changing poor sleep patterns and dealing with sleep complexities require that both parents invest in the process.

“When we wrap up, I offer voice and text message support in real time (within a half hour). So I can celebrate with them. Or commiserate with them,” Katie said.

Contact Happily Ever After Sleep: 484-702-9055 | IG: @HappilyEverAfterSleep

Sleeper Teachers: Cassandra Mosman

Contact Sleep had long been a top priority for Cassandra Mosman of Sleeper Teachers. The greater Philly area mother of three had often read sleep books and offered advice to sleep-deprived friends before realizing she could make a career out of her passion.

Cassandra received Sleep Sense certification and then began working with parents in the prenatal stage up through kids aged 12 years old. Philly sleep consultants like Cassandra understand how hard it is to reach out for help.

“I always tell people I talk to, ‘If you’re reaching out to me, you’ve reached rock bottom. Like there’s no perfect time to have a baby, there’s no perfect time to undertake sleep training. When you’re ready is the perfect time.”

While many people think sleep training is synonymous with crying it out, Cassandra says her methods are gentler. “Sleep training means I’m helping parents with a customized sleep plan to develop an age-appropriate schedule, and you’re helping them learn to sleep independently.”

“Sleep training can’t begin until the parents are ready. Everyone has to be on board because it’s about being consistent and doing the same thing every day and every night. If you do that, it will work,” Cassandra said.

Contact Sleeper Teachers | IG @SleeperTeachers

Tiny Transitions: Courtney Zentz

Courtney Zentz of Tiny Transitions was no stranger to the harm caused by sleep deprivation. Eight weeks after she had a baby, and eight weeks after not sleeping, Courtney had a breakdown. She sought help for her family and fell in love with the idea of becoming a sleep trainer.  

Her goal: build a better world of rested people. Courtney wanted to help other parents who were going through the same thing she had. She describes her approach to sleep training as “A holistic style with science-backed sleep coaching.” 

Courtney is also a lactation counselor and postpartum doula. Since the launch of her business, this Philly-area sleep consultant has grown her business to include consultants across the country. Some of her sleep training consultants offer specialties, such as sleep issues with twins or Spanish-language training.

While the issues she helps overcome are similar to others, she emphasizes setting boundaries not just at bedtime but throughout the day. “I don’t sleep train, I do behavior modification to truly get transformation that lasts.”

Whether virtual or in-person, Courtney enjoys helping other families in the Philly area and beyond achieve a good night’s sleep.

Contact Tiny Transitions: 610-314-7437 | IG @TinyTransitions

Philly Sleep Consultants Can Help Babies (and Parents) Finally Rest

Baby, toddler, big kid, or teenager, Philly area sleep consultants can help families sleep well and feel better. Online or off, families can find plenty of options for sleep specialists in and around Philly. Find a sleep coach that fits, and start getting the restorative rest you deserve.

Life’s too short to deal with insufficient sleep. After all, you don’t want to miss any Philadelphia family-friendly events.

Photo by William Fortunato from Pexels