PLEASE ENJOY THE PHOTO GALLERY
OF SOME HAPPY CLIENTS!
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Evan was never a good sleeper. For the first six months of his life he would only sleep in someone’s arms or lying on their chest (usually Mommy’s!). He had to be either nursed-to-sleep or rocked. As he grew, we tried many sleep techniques to no avail – all resulted in very little sleep and a lot of frustration for everyone. Daytime naps were almost non-existent – and usually not worth the hours it would take to rock him only to get a twenty minute nap. Following his first birthday we were at the end of our rope and completely exhausted. The first night of sleep training was amazing! Evan seemed to understand quickly and for the first time, he lay himself down and went to sleep on his own. He repeated this each time he woke during that first night and was back asleep within minutes. On the following nights he woke fewer times and he was sleeping 11 or more hours each night and napping in the afternoon very easily!! Bedtime is a happy, relaxed time now without fights. Daddy can participate in sleep time routines now and share those special moments with Evan. We are all rested and so much happier. Our busy little boy now has the energy to do even more! Helen’s sleep plan has completely changed our life for the better!! We wholeheartedly recommend her to anyone dealing with children’s sleep issues.
Linda and Brent, Calgary Alberta, parents to Evan (aged 13 months at training)
Our daughter Indah had always been a great sleeper! As she got older and our lives became busier with our 5-year old son and home business, we fell back on "quick fixes" such as nursing to sleep. Indah decided she no longer wanted to nurse to sleep and insisted that I lie down with her, at times for 2-3 hours, resulting in her falling asleep sometimes at 11pm! I quickly got to the point where we could no longer continue and I had no energy left. After looking at several sleep consultant's websites I found Helen's services best suited our needs. Her experience and testimonials from other parents prompted me to contact her. With Helen's detailed plan and support, combined with our commitment to follow the plan, our daughter now sleeps earlier, and wakes up happy and rested. My son enjoys quality time with us at night before he goes to bed, not to mention my husband and I after that! And since I work from home, I have more time to work at night and get more sleep as well! Thank you Helen!
Sharon & Vanny, Vancouver BC, parents to Indah (2 years & 4 months at time of training)
Our son, Lincoln, was never a good sleeper, but we were unsure about sleep-training. After a hectic holiday season, Lincoln became chronically overtired. He cried as we rocked him to sleep; was waking up 6 or 7 times a night and had to be held for all naps. Something had to be done! Helen’s plan for our family was detailed and comprehensive – and made sense to us. It was exactly what we were looking for. After the first hour of training on the first night, Lincoln seemed to “get it”. After that, he knew how to go to sleep and stay asleep on his own – for naps and at night! He is actually happy to go to his crib when he is tired! Now, the whole family is well-rested!! Lincoln is happier than ever and his development has sky-rocketed. As parents, we feel human again and have our lives back. We are truly enjoying parenthood now!Helen was a real life-saver for our family through her plan and her support during and after training. Thank you so much, Helen!
Kimberly & Alden, Vancouver BC, parents to Lincoln (5 ½ months old at time of training)
We brought our son Anthony home from the hospital 6½ years ago and from the beginning he was difficult to put down at night. Anthony had to be nursed, rocked, and cuddled to sleep and never slept long. We tried putting him down awake in his crib and he would just scream and cry and we couldn’t take it! We gave in and he slept with us every night for 6 years so we could get some sleep. He not only slept with us but also went to sleep too late which left us stressed and exhausted. We chose a home visit and Helen developed a sleep program just for us based on the evaluation we completed for her!! She explained in detail what we needed to do to make the plan successful and it worked!! It took two challenging nights and that was it. We couldn’t believe it!! We expected a month of long nights. He not only sleeps in his own room but also goes to bed at a decent hour. We thought nothing would work due to his age, but she assured us it was not too late! It changed our lives!! We can’t believe we waited so long to find someone like Helen but we aren’t looking back only forward. Helen is fantastic and we highly recommend her services.
Graham & Kathy, Coquitlam, BC, parents of Anthony (aged 6 years at time of training)
When we finally contacted Helen, our son Rainen was 11 months old and had not once slept through the night. In fact, in the evening, he would wake up approximately 45 minutes after bedtime. I would rock him back to sleep and he would wake up every 2 to 3 hours throughout the rest of the night. That was a good night. On a bad night, he would be awake for 2 to 3 hours in the middle of the night. My husband and I were exhausted, overwhelmed and bickering. When it comes to a baby’s sleep, “almost” doesn’t cut it. My husband and I readied ourselves and by the second night, I put Rainen down in his crib awake and he was asleep within 5 minutes. He then slept through the night! Our home is a much more rested and happy place. Thank you, Helen!
Jocelyne and Robert, Ottawa, Ontario - parents to Rainen (aged 11 months at time of training)
We contacted Helen when our son Elliott was 5 months old after one particularly bad night where Elliott was up every 45 minutes needing to nurse to be put back to sleep. Ever since he was born Elliott has been very “spirited” and was NEVER a good sleeper. We tried EVERYTHING to get him to sleep at night and for naps – rocking, nursing, using our sling, taking him for stroller walks – and often times he would fall asleep – but then be wide awake 20-40 minutes later crying and exhausted. On the FIRST night that we used Helen’s sleep plan Elliott slept for 11 hours – and ever since he has slept very consistently from 7:15pm-7:30am! He has great naps during the day and is a MUCH happier baby since he is getting the sleep he (and we!) needs. We would (and have!) recommend Helen to any of our friends who are having difficulties getting their babies to sleep through the night. We often refer to Helen as “Our sleep Goddess” – and our friends we referred to her, claim that someone needs to name tall buildings after her!
Sarah and Dave, Vancouver BC, parents to Elliott (51/2 months at the time of training)
Contacting Helen to help us with our daughter's sleeping was the best parenting decision we have made.
After only three nights, we now have a baby who sleeps 12 hours a night straight through. It has made such a difference in our lives to have a predictable, stress-free bedtime and we have noticed a great improvement in our daughter's temperament now that she is getting a good night's sleep. (The same can apply to her parents...we are now well rested as well!) We can't recommend Helen enough...it was so comforting to have someone experienced to guide us through the challenge of sleep training and be there to support us during the implementation.
Suzy and Ian, Vancouver BC, parents of Talisa (5 months at time of training)
Before contacting Helen, Carter would not fall asleep without nursing and we were at the point where I was having to lay with him during his daytime naps in order for him stay asleep. He was only waking once during the night but we never knew what time that would be - anywhere between 11:00pm and 4:00am. We realized that things had to change but were unsure how to go about it.
We contacted Helen, still unsure that sleep training was the way we wanted to proceed, but once receiving the sleep plan felt it was possible to make some positive changes. The whole process was much easier than we had thought it would be.
Carter now naps on his own, in his crib at least twice a day, and is in his crib asleep at night for almost 12 hours. He is a much happier little boy when he is awake and very seldom cries. He even likes tummy time now.
We thank Helen for all of her support, and prompt answers to our questions that came up during training.
We are so glad we went ahead with training and will definitely pass her contact information on to friends.
Lesley and Charlie, Vancouver BC, parents to Carter (aged 5 months at time of training)
When baby Kole was two months old I was wearily driving around and happened to spot a car that advertised "baby sleep consultant" and so I quickly jotted the number down on a napkin thinking that this may come in handy!. Sure enough by the time Kole was ten months old we needed help.
He was still waking up multiple times during the night for feedings and to replace his pacifier. We were exhausted and needed help. It was the best investment we've made so far for Kole! Helen met with us and provided us with a comprehensive and customized sleep plan. With a little coaxing from Helen we finally began our sleep training two weeks later. On the third night he slept through the night and has done so every night since without exception! Thank you Helen!
Amber and Kirt, North Vancouver, BC, parents of Kole (aged 10 months at time of training)
After watching friends suffer with sleep exhaustion with their own children, we really wanted to implement some good sleep habits early on. We were both worried about accidentally introducing bad habits that would then haunt us down the road! It was confusing to know what was the right path to follow, and what would work. On top of that, our own sleepless nights, with the frequent feedings of a newborn, made it tempting to go for the "quick fixes" - even if they would backfire later. We heard about Helen and the "sleep shaping" help she could give us and were keen to learn more. We opted for the home visit. Her demeanour was reassuring. She was helpful, and she gave us some great advice to help lay the groundwork for good sleep. Our once-frequent waker is sleeping longer and better at night and during the day, and we are too!! Now we feel like he has a good, solid foundation of sleep habits that will carry him through the years - and he is a happy, eager, excited baby, because he gets enough rest! We have recommended Helen already to other friends and will continue to do so!
Anonymous Mom and Dad, Richmond BC, parents of Michael (aged 10 weeks at time of sleep shaping)
Alexandra has been sleep trained! Thank you for all your help and support during training. We have notice a significant change in her demeanour. She no longer fusses and cries for no reason. She is a lot happier and able to play well. She no longer puts her hand in her mouth which I thought was teething! Now I know it was her way of soothing herself because she was overtired.
Our nickname for Alexandra was 'sleep fighter' before sleep training and now after sleep training it is 'happy baby'.
The sleep plan was very helpful in helping me understand Alexandra and to recognize when she was tired. When she wakes up during her nap now, she is able to go back to sleep on her own.
Your knowledge, service and sleep plan has really helped our family. I would not hesitate to recommend your services to anyone who needs help.
Stella and Jeff, Vancouver BC, parents of Alexandra (aged 6 months at time of training)
Lukas was 4 months and waking every night between 5-8 times. His naps were anywhere from 20-45 minutes 3 times a day. I would nurse and rock him to sleep. Putting him down for naps or at night would take anywhere from 45 minutes to 1 ½ hours! I was living off 2 hours sleep a night and was a wreck. When we received the plan we were so excited and a little anxious to get started! By the 3rd night he was sleeping from 7:30 pm to 6:00 am! Lukas is now having 1 ½-2 hour naps at least twice a day. Once we got into the routine I noticed that Lukas was nursing better then he ever had. Bedtime is no longer stressful or difficult; it is a time that we both enjoy with him. The best part of this process has been when I put him down in his crib he looks up at me, smiles, closes his eyes and fall asleep! This was the best gift I could ever give my son and my family! Thank you Helen!
Barb and Mark, Cloverdale BC, parents of Lukas (aged 4 months at time of training)
Before we contacted Helen, our daughter would only nap in 15-20 minute increments, was waking up every two hours during the night wanting to play and having numerous feedings. As well, she had many sleep crutches that we did not know how to break her out of. My husband and I were experiencing sleep deprivation had led to frustration and the lack of energy was hurting our family dynamics. We decided to seek professional help and began working with Helen. We received a detailed plan on how to deal with the frequent feedings and how to conquer the naps and night time waking's. We are happier now as a family and most importantly our daughter is happy. Each time we put our daughter to sleep in her crib, it is like she is saying ‘Thank you – I really needed this’.
Tammy and Silas – Vancouver BC, parents of Clara (aged 5 months at time of training)
After Emma was born, I was in hospital for several weeks. She stayed with me. The routine was far from structured. Once we were home, a pattern didn’t seem to develop. No one was sleeping. We tried general strategies, but as to be expected, these plans didn’t take our individual needs into account. After six months of sleepless nights and days, we were truly desperate. I was surviving the days at home instead of living them. We heard of Helen through friends at swimming lessons. The very first night of training, Emma slept 11 hours. She was just waiting for the routine to be put in place. We can happily say that 3 months after “training”, Emma has not missed a single nap or 11 hour sleep at night! Our family is thankful for Helen’s support. Emma is now thriving and my husband and I are awake and energized for each precious moment during the day with this sweet girl!
Nancy and Peter, Ottawa, Ontario - parents to Emma, (aged 7 months at time of training)
Putting our little girl Sumaya to sleep involved rocking her until she was completely asleep. The Mommy milk machine was on standby. Mommy would also co-sleep with Sumaya and she would nurse on & off all night. She needed the nipple in the night, to go back to sleep. Daddy felt useless most of this time and Mommy and Daddy’s love life was suffering.
Helen came to our home and developed a program just for us. She took time to explain the extensive program and answer all our questions. We had our doubts that Sumaya would respond to the plan. We thought we knew Sumaya, but she surprised us. Very quickly, Sumaya was sleeping through the night…12 hours! Bedtimes are now a delight! We usually do this together, but sometimes take turns. She is no longer reliant on Mommy, and Daddy loves being involved. It is a wonderful bonding experience and we have some much needed adult time after we put her to bed at 7:00pm. We read, workout, watch a movie, or just cuddle…
Thanks to Helen whose advice and support has changed all our lives for the better. Sumaya is a happier girl and we are truly enjoying parenthood. We will be sure to use these techniques for our next child, which we are working on now!
Kumar and Kim, Surrey, BC, parents to Sumaya (aged 15 months at time of training)
When I brought my baby home from the hospital she slept a lot and I thought to myself, oh lucky me! The great sleeping continued for some time but as my daughter neared the 3-4 month age her sleeping shifted. I had created a pattern with my daughter, she would fall asleep on my bed with a bottle and when she was asleep I would transport her to her bassinet/crib.
At this point I wasn’t getting much sleep, she would wake approx. every two hours demanding a bottle and/or soother, and needless to say I was one tired woman!
My GP recommended Helen Sands to me, so I made a decision and commitment to follow her program. Within 5 days of Helen’s plan my daughter was sleeping for long stretches.
Here we are now some 2 months later and nothing has changed, my daughter is sleeping on average 10 hours per night, she is happy and so is mommy! I would highly recommend Helen Sands; she is priceless!
Christine, Vancouver BC, parent to Kendall (aged 5 months at time of training)
There are so many things to buy for your first baby, but without a doubt Helen was the best money we spent, by far. Helen gave us our lives back. After almost a year of numerous night wakings and poor napping, we now have that sleep schedule that new parents dream about. It's the one in which the baby naps on cue with little help from Mum/Dad, goes to bed early, and sleeps right until morning. If our son does happen to wake during the night, it's not a problem because he knows how to put himself back to sleep. Our family works because of Helen and we all get the best of each other when we spend time together.
Kerri and Peter, North Vancouver BC - parents to Rhoan (aged 11 months at time of training)
When our daughter Ruby was 8 months old, I hired Helen to help us to get her to sleep through the night. At this point Ruby was waking every 2-3 hours a night for milk - I was so exhausted and at wits end. I heard of Helen through a friend who had met with great success using Helen’s strategies for her baby girl. Within short order, Ruby was sleeping from 7:00 pm right through to 6:00 am every night and this was just the beginning. Ruby was also having 2 beautiful 1.5 hour naps a day and waking up happy. Ruby is now almost 1 year old and still sleeping wonderfully. I cannot thank Helen enough for her great assistance and support through these months. I would highly recommend her to anyone having sleep issues with their children. I am so impressed by Helen’s incredible knowledge of babies and children.
Tina and James, Pemberton BC, parents of Ruby (aged 8 months at time of training)
When Rylan entered our lives, we were filled with anticipation and ready to provide our love, care and to be the best parents possible. Sleep deprivation was expected within the first few months but we thought that once a routine set in, life would be easier and baby would eventually sleep through the night on his own.
Unlike typical newborns that sleep 15+ hours a day, Rylan slept little more than 10 hours and often didn't fall asleep from rocking and soothing. Bedtime was a constant battle, night wakings were frequent and daytime naps were both short and unpredictable. Rylan's sleep patterns worsened and he became extremely difficult to manage. We became less patient, were constantly frustrated and had little energy left to be the parents we wanted to be for our son.
We decided that learning to sleep was not only essential for us but for our son's development.
Helen was referred by a trusted mother and friend who had experienced quick success. I feel that Helen's holistic approach was the missing link for our family. She created a customized program based on a detailed evaluation of not only Rylan's sleep situation, but daytime routines and even diet. Helen was readily available to provide support and answer questions along the way.
Today Rylan sleeps close to 14 hours a day and is a much happier boy. Thank you Helen for your expertise. We are once again energized and ready to take on the challenges of parenthood.
Lana & Yosh, Vancouver, BC - parents of Rylan (aged 9 months at time of training)
Our son Sam never seemed to grow out of his newborn stage.
When he was six months old, we were exhausted and bewildered when each attempt to make our son sleep at 2am, 3am and 4am failed. We staggered through our days, numb, nauseous and cranky. We read every book. We used the swing, the infant seat. We drove around the block. We tiptoed around the house when Sam finally dropped off for a few minutes. I nursed on demand sometimes more than six or seven times a night.
Helen was our saviour. Her support began immediately upon my first contact email, and has continued through home visits, phone contact, and email whenever we have a question. Her detailed plan was respectful of our feelings and parenting style and most importantly, tailored to our baby’s issues. She also took into account our family’s needs, in particular those of our three year old. Helen made him part of the solution, as well as giving us back the quality time we were missing with our older child.
Sam slept through the night on the second night of our plan…we haven’t looked back since!
Robin & Steve, Port Coquitlam, BC, parents of Sam (aged 6 months at time of training)
Our little girl, Sorcha was born six weeks early. When we finally got to take her home, the head nurse told me that I had a ‘real personality’ on my hands. We soon got to learn what the hospital chart notes meant when they said ‘awake and demanding’. As she was so very small and precious for us we cradled Sorcha and rocked her to sleep every few hours. She grew to love and expect to be rocked to sleep all the time. By five months, this had become utterly exhausting and it also meant that we couldn’t leave her as we were the only ones who could get Sorcha to sleep. She was only sleeping 40 minutes at a time during the day so she wasn’t the happy baby she should have been.
Helen spent a whole evening with us, patiently going through the concepts of our sleep plan. I have to say, I was petrified before I started the training – I actually cried when Helen walked me through what I’d need to do to train our little baby. Helen’s sleep training is the very best thing we have done for Sorcha. The training wasn’t nearly as difficult as I thought it would be. Helen provided fantastic support and encouragement.
Today Sorcha is seven months old and since the training has been sleeping through every night. She is so happy and a joy to be with.
Sleep training was an absolute miracle for us and we literally now have ‘the perfect baby’!
Madeleine and Brian, Perth, Western Australia, parents of Sorcha (aged 5 months at time of training)
PHOTO GALLERY OF SOME VALUED CLIENTS!
Please enjoy these lovely images of my special clients who are now enjoying healthy, quality sleep!
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Evan Calgary Alberta |
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Lincoln Vancouver BC |
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Carter Vancouver BC |
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Talisa Vancouver BC |
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Lukas Cloverdale BC |
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Kendall Vancouver, BC |
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Clara Vancouver, BC |
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Ava Burnaby BC (Ava recently traveled in Europe and was photographed asleep on a table top in the train! She can sleep anywhere now!) |
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Sumaya Surrey BC |
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Indah Vancouver BC |
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Kendall Vancouver BC |
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Elliott Vancouver, BC |
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Emma Ottawa, Ontario |
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Nicholas Vancouver, BC |
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Victoria Vancouver, BC |
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Peter Pemberton, BC |
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Caroline Wisconsin, USA |
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Avari Sunshine Coast BC |
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Rebecca Ottawa, Ontario |
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Lauren Vancouver Island BC |
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Nicholas Vancouver BC |
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Zachary Northern California, USA |
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Mackenzie Burnaby BC
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Alexander Burnaby BC |
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Ruby Pemberton BC |
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Rylan Vancouver BC |
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Sophia Burnaby BC |
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Titan North Vancouver, BC |
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Noah Ottawa, Ontario |
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Casey Burnaby BC |
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Sorcha Perth, Western Australia |
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Claire Lethbridge, Alberta |
