Before our daughter was born, I had heard of the benefits of sleep training for babies, kids, and parents. I started reading a few books and then ultimately dove into the endless websites and online courses you could buy on the topic.
The amount of information out there was overwhelming, and there didn’t seem to be a universal “right way” to ensure your baby (and ultimately, you) were getting enough sleep.
Now enter Kendra, from Kaleidoscope Sleep. A close friend recommended we look into her, as she was located here in Minnesota, has 4 kids of her own that she had successfully “sleep trained,” along with other friends that she has helped.
We ultimately ended up working with Kaleidoscope Sleep and had the best experience. It is the best money you’ll ever spend and benefits parents and kids alike. It also makes for the perfect baby shower gift – I always recommend it to grandparents to be. What’s the number one thing new parents want? MORE SLEEP!
Here’s why you need to work Kaleidoscope Sleep whether you have a baby or older kid. These are all my opinions, and keep in mind I’m no expert here. Hoping our experience will help someone else!
Why you need to work with Kaleidoscope Sleep
Works in your schedule
Our first conversation with Kendra was a free consultation before our daughter was even born. We had so many questions like, what is sleep training? What is a sleep coach? What’s the right age to start? What are the benefits? Will our baby just be left to cry? Kendra answered all these questions and then some.
Want some answers to these questions? Check out her blog post here: Working with a sleep consultant
This initial call gave us the confidence we needed to know that “sleep training” isn’t as scary as I originally thought, and that when we wanted to start, and how we wanted to work together, were all up to us. This wasn’t a dictatorship relationship, but a true partnership. And there would only be as much “crying it out” as we were comfortable with. (more on that below)
We decided to start officially working with Kendra when our daughter was about 5 months old. We could have started earlier or later, but this time worked best because I was done with maternity leave and back at work (and therefore wanted more sleep!), we wanted her to have a more consistent schedule for daycare, and because we had two weeks where we were home and could dedicate to the process.
Kaleidoscope sleep offers licensed help
So, what is a sleep consultant? It’s like a personal trainer, but for your kid’s sleep. It’s someone who partners with you to create a dedicated and personalized plan for your family with the ultimate goal of more sleep for all. She gives you all the right tools and coaching to get you there.
There are all types of consultants out there, but Kendra is a certified sleep consultant. I’m big on working with experts who have been trained by experts. And knowing that Kendra was certified made me even more comfortable with the process.
You can sleep train to your comfort level
It was important for me to know that I wouldn’t just let our daughter cry all night in her crib. As her mom, I wanted her to know that I was there. Sleep training can definitely have this stigma, so know that this is not that.
Our goals were to have our daughter sleep in her own room and crib, have less feedings during the night, and be able to put herself to sleep whether that was initially, or if she woke up in the middle of the night.
Kendra gave us different choices on how we wanted to approach the process. We decided to do a bit of a hybrid where if she cried, we would let her know we were there during different time increments. Yes, she did cry and protest. But this only lasted a few days. She knew we were there, was able to keep her pacifier for comfort (and still sleeps with them!), and she’s slept perfect ever since.
Working with a consultant takes the guessing out
When working with Kendra, we talked ALL THE TIME. For our two week sleep training time frame, she would give us instruction for every nap and night time sleep. She asked us how they went, we asked her questions, and she made decisions for us. No more guessing what to do next or arguing in the middle of the night over what to do!
With the overwhelming amount of information out there, different opinions from friends and family, and thoughts from your partner, it can get so confusing. With Kendra, we didn’t have to worry about any of that.
We saw results, and hope you will too
We started this process with absolutely no sleep schedule. Our daughter was sleeping here and there during the day for about a half hour at a time, would go to bed when we went to bed and wake up about 3 times a night for a feeding.
After the process, she now sleeps for 12 hours straight overnight and if she wakes up she can easily put herself back to sleep. She also takes two 1.5 hour naps during the day. Once she was sleeping more, she also started eating better. She was in the 8th percentile for weight when we started, and quickly entered the 20th percentile shortly after! Yay!
Having a consistent schedule has been amazing not just for her, but for daycare, and when family members watch her. And we know that if she’s off schedule one day, or we go on vacation, that’s ok. We just get back into her normal routine when we get home. And she slides right back into it.
The best part is knowing that Kendra’s still there. Long after our two weeks ended, I can still text with questions as our daughter gets older. Toddler and kid sleep can be a whole different story, so we’re so happy to have Kendra by our side when that time comes!
Again, I recommend Kaleidoscope sleep to everyone I know. My friends have started to work with Kendra and have also seen amazing results! Go do a free consultation now, you won’t regret it! We did the Kaleidoscope Bundle, but Find her pricing details here.
