Testimonials

Miracle Worker  

Xanthe is an absolute Miracle worker. We were at a complete loss with our 20 month old son. I found myself in a tangle of bad habits, and we had lost all confidence in solving it alone. My son was cosleeping with me (mostly on me) breast feeding throughout the night. He would wake up several times and wouldn’t go back to sleep unless I fed him. Sitting up in bed had become my normal.

We tried to let him cry for a bit, but it just didn’t work as I didn’t have the proper and effective tools to calm him down. It was having such a negative impact on our daily lives and I didn’t know which way to turn…then we found Xanthe!

She taught us so much in such a short space of time (Xanthe stayed with us for 5 nights) and gave us the confidence to stick with it and not go off track.

I felt like I had won the lottery…we cracked it. Prior to that I had been googling how to sleep train, but was overwhelmed by contradictory messages. One way felt too brutal, the other too slow and gradual.

We found that Xanthes approach had the perfect balance of firm (which our son very much needed) and gentle training. The tools she equipped us with have also been incredibly helpful in dealing with other typical and challenging toddler behaviour.

Xanthe is an absolute treasure, so warm, kind and genuinely invested in helping to find the best way to solve sleep issues depending on the individual child. We can’t recommend her enough. There is no way we could have done this without her, my only regret is we didn’t do it sooner!

Xanthe you wonderful lady! Thank you so so much.

Anna and Dale,  Nr Chard, TA20

The confidence she instilled in us, along with her gentle approach, resulted in what I can only describe as amazing. 

Having already tried a sleep clinic with little change, we were sceptical about trying again. However,  Xanthe was highly recommended by a friend who used her services with great results so we decided to give it another go. 

Our son had slept minimally since birth and after becoming unwell at 4 months old, he would not sleep in his own bed and depended on several sleep aids, including comforters, white noise, singing, rocking and being walked about. We were forced to co-sleep, resulting in little to no sleep for ourselves most nights. 

When he was 9 months old, we contacted Xanthe. From our first phone call and throughout the 5 days of working with her, she was professional, calming and had such a lovely manner. She listened to our situation, responded to our individual needs and adapted to our circumstances along the way. The confidence she instilled in us, along with her gentle approach, resulted in what I can only describe as amazing. 

Our son is now 13 months old. He sleeps in his own bedroom, happily goes down for naps and is sleeping throughout the night. We now have a daily routine that works for us. 

I would highly recommend Xanthe to anyone struggling as we were. 

Xanthe, you were wonderful and we can not thank you enough!

David & Nichole, W13

She came highly recommended by a friend

We got in touch with Xanthe after she came highly recommended by a friend. Our one year old son Danyaal had been sleeping poorly since the 4 month sleep regression, was unable to connect sleep cycles alone, co-slept, and we were waking up every couple of hours to resettle him. Watching an evening movie was impossible as we would be constantly on edge waiting for the next wake up! 

In five days we went from co-sleeping, relying on a pacifier and endless rocking to get our son to sleep, and the constant resettling - to seeing him sleep peacefully in his own room for the entire night, which we honestly never believed could happen so quickly. Xanthe provided wonderful support during the five day process and inspired confidence in us throughout. She has also given us a clear routine which works for our whole family and allows us much more predictability to plan our days (and nights!) without stress. I would recommend her to anyone looking to change their child’s sleep habits. Thank you again Xanthe!

Sam B, SW20. Baby 12 months

I would highly recommend her to any parent struggling with sleep issues.

Xanthe helped us with our 20-month old daughter, Beatrice, who was still waking a couple of times a night for milk feeds. We just couldn’t break the cycle and as busy teachers, we were exhausted from the disrupted sleep. The first couple of nights of the training were really hard as we removed the milk completely. But then it got much easier as Beatrice got used to the idea that she wasn’t going to get her night time milk! She now sleeps through the night and is also eating much better as before she was previously filling herself up from the night time feeds. Now she is ravenous at breakfast and we can enjoy family meals together. We are so grateful for Xanthe’s support and I would highly recommend her to any parent struggling with sleep issues.    

Karen, Nr Taunton

Meeting Xanthe was life changing. A term I don't use lightly!

By the time our baby boy reached 10 months, we were officially broken! We had survived on no more than 3-4 hours of sleep strung together since his birth.

Meeting Xanthe was life changing. A term I don't use lightly!

We approached sleep training with a healthy dose of zombified cynicism. Yeah right could this person's advice get my 2-3 feeds a night baby sleeping for 11-12 hours.

Oh! It could. And by night 3?! Yes, by night 3, our baby had learned to sleep. Incredible.

And just like that, the night feeds stopped, meaning no more bleary eyed nappy changes or even worse, full costume and bedding change after nappy leaks.

His appetite at each meal time improved. He focused on milk feeds rather than getting distracted (a sign I mistook for losing interest in BF).

Motor skills came on in leaps. Maybe it was just a coincidence but by day 3 of the sleep training his rolling, turning on the spot and reverse crawling all seemed to improve.

He's 14 months now and we've gone through the 12 month sleep regression, covid, roseola, chicken pox, colds and chesty coughs and starting nursery, all of which impacted his sleep. It feels like a constant work in progress, but I couldn't imagine dealing with all that while living on 3-4 hours sleep. Thank you Xanthe!

Lynda P. Walthamstow

 There was light at the end of the tunnel

We contacted Xanthe to help us with sleep training our 2 year old daughter after a friend recommended her services. I was pretty certain we were beyond help as so many children are sleep trained when they are much younger.

Our daughter had been predominantly fed/cuddled to sleep since birth and was waking each night and coming in to our bed.  As soon as I called Xanthe I felt reassurance that there was light at the end of the tunnel and we booked in a 2 hour call with 5 days follow up phone support. 

On the 2 hour video call Xanthe guided us through the importance of sleep and how we could transition our daughter from her cot into her ‘big bed’ with no feeding/cuddling to sleep, no night wakings and after a few nights she was going down peacefully and sleeping soundly 7am - 7pm. We’re 2 weeks in and are so happy we took the leap to call Xanthe, we have noticed a difference in our daughters mood, appetite and as a family we are feeling much brighter after achieving uninterrupted sleep. Thank you Xanthe! 

Natasha, Bathpool, Taunton

Couldn’t recommend highly enough!

We went from having a 6 month old who woke for tiny mini bottle feeds 4-8 times in the night, after falling asleep in my arms and having to stay there for a good couple of hours before we could (with hit and miss success) transfer her in to her next-to-me, oh and who liked to wake up for the day between 4am and 6am!!! To a little one who sleeps through 7pm - 7am in her cot in her own room, occasionally stirring, but self settling 99% of the time. Cannot explain how much we didn’t think this was going to be possible and how much the sleep we’re now getting has changed our lives for the better!

She used to nap as much / as little as she’d like in the day and usually only in my arms and now she has two structured naps in her cot leaving me plenty of time to get things done.

Xanthe stayed with us for five nights and was incredible, we felt totally at ease letting her work with our baby to sleep train her. She was amazing at keeping us informed with our baby’s progress and explaining what steps she’d be taking each evening.

If you’re struggling with sleep or find the process of sleep training daunting and knackering I can only say positive things about working with Xanthe - you will not regret it.

Louella, Langport

Blew my mind

We asked Xanthe to help us with our second Son who, at 14 mths old, had never slept all night and was still taking a minimum of 2 bottles of milk per night. We met shortly after our first phone call and devised a 24 hr plan to suit not only her strategy but also our son's day. After that we were in the drivers seat but with daily calls to discuss the last 24 hrs and review our progress. The week was very regimented but we immediately felt more positive and found we could finally go to sleep relaxed as knew what to expect and how to deal with the potential wakings. Although her methods blew my mind ( as went against all the usual things you read in forums and baby apps) they demonstrated results immediately. By night 1 he wasn't having milk and by night 5 he slept through the night completely. I would definitely recommend as the intervention from Xanthe helped us focus and ultimately settle our son into a comfortable and reliable routine. As a result, we all feel happier and less stressed and the change in our sons wellbeing and development has been incredible! If you can, do it. It really has changed our lives!

Elspeth de Boeck

Would we be deemed beyond help!

We feel we had great success with Xanthe’s sleep training. My biggest worry before we started was that in our initial chat we would be deemed beyond help! Thankfully not. With our plan in place we had the confidence to persevere and was great not to do cry it out as didn’t think would have held out doing that. 

In less than a week we went from having a grisly tired child roaming until he passed out at 9:30/10pm ish and then co-sleeping to one that is settled and asleep by 8pm and sleeping in his own cot. With an aim to get bedtime slightly earlier.

We now have our evenings back and he is in his cot for naps allowing “jobs” to get done. I am also now back in bed overnight with my husband! (a positive most of the time!)

Our 10 month old is now eating better during the day and getting better quality sleep so we have better playtime and activity time. Wish we had done this sooner! Although I was nervous about doing it having the confidence from Xanthe to know was doing right for our baby and that we could chat the next morning over any issues made it successful!

Beth, Exminster

After struggling on for many months...

After struggling on for many months and having trialled various sleeping techniques my husband and I found we were still unable to get our 15-month-old son to ‘sleep through’. We were finding that we were both up with him at 430 am for the start of the day (plus frequent waking throughout the night) and with both of us needing to go to work we agreed it was time to reach out for some support.

Luckily, we came across Xanthe’s website. We made contact, she responded promptly and was able to provide us with an appointment for a consultation the following day.  As soon as we sat down with Xanthe we felt put at ease and reassured by her calm, friendly and professional manner.  She took the time to find out about our son's sleeping habits and needs and imparted invaluable advice surrounding sleep support.  A plan was devised with further support through daily telephone contact.  

Having Xanthe to speak with after each night was invaluable.  She provided practical tips and reassurance at a time when we needed it the most.  We felt comfortable using her suggested techniques and Xanthe explained the reasoning behind everything she suggested which gave us the confidence to persist. We soon began to see improvements.  

Just one week after our first contact with her we are all beginning to benefit from better quality sleep.  It was a relief to have someone to discuss our concerns with and learn new techniques which were effective for us and our son.  Having Xanthe’s support has benefited the whole family and we are no longer having to second guess ourselves and come up with new strategies to help him sleep! 

Laura, Curry Mallet

Did I just have a baby that didn't like sleep?

After 7 months of very broken sleep, using a dummy, co sleeping, a baby who would sometimes feed hourly and the longest stretch of sleep was becoming less and less sometimes only 1 hour. I had read so much out there on sleep, joined different support groups but felt confused as to what was best to do for Iris. All I knew was something had to change as her sleep was getting worse and we were exhausted as a family. From the moment we spoke to Xanthe, it was such a relief for someone to say she would help and support getting Iris to sleep. Xanthe provided with us a clear plan with naps, feeds and ideas to help Iris to settle herself to sleep. We had daily contact for 5 days, and this was so important and helpful to discuss what was working and what wasn't. Unfortunately Iris wasn't really playing ball with her new sleep plan and took a step back with waking up even more. I was beginning to lose faith in what we had done and reconsidered the whole thing especially as we had kept strictly to Xanthe's plan, did I just have a baby that didn't like sleep?! A quick phone call to Xanthe and she reassured us that Iris was being clever and playing games with us! So with an adjustment to the plan by Xanthe we tried it out and since that night she is now sleeping through the night, no dummy, some wake ups but she settles herself back to sleep and no longer needs a feed from me. She seems so much happier to be getting better quality sleep and I have my bed back!  Xanthe was so supportive and helpful, and after our blib she made sure that with a change to the plan to follow up Iris's progress and not just leave us. Iris's sleep journey has been interesting and tough but we both  as parents now feel so much more confident in how to manage her sleep. Thank you so much Xanthe, I don't dread bedtimes anymore!

Isobel, Exeter

Waking every two hours

Feeling exhausted at 3am in the morning I googled sleep nanny /training! My daughter was 8 months old and waking approx every  2 hours at night and unable to settle herself, she had done this pretty much from birth. I knew we had to make changes but didn’t have the energy to try anything alone. 

On talking to Xanthe I was immediately optimistic and felt relieved, as she really showed that she understood the challenge, that we were not unusual in being in this position, and her experience reassured us that she could make a difference.

We opted for the 5-night session after Xanthe outlined the options and her approach. We were obviously anxious about the process, however Xanthe’s professional and calm approach put our mind at ease and we were very comfortable with her in our home. The first 2 nights our daughter certainly protested to the change in routine, but Xanthe remained calm, consistent and reassuring. There was a change on night 3 and by the end of the 5 nights Gabriella was much calmer and sleeping for longer periods.

We expected that this would only be the start and we’d have work to do ourselves to cement the routine and changes. However, on night 6 and since then two months on, our daughter sleeps from 6:30pm to 6:30am and if she wakes settles herself within 10 minutes. Even though she’s had a cold, cut three teeth and we’ve moved house two weeks ago, it remains consistent. It feels like a miracle, we are all much happier as a family and enjoying the sleep! We cannot recommend Xanthe enough!

Kelly, Thurloxton

Dad's experience of Maternity support

Xanthe’s time with us has been transformational. She supported us as a maternity nurse after our daughter was born and like any expert in their field, she made her job seem effortless - but you only have to look at the stark difference she made on the days/nights when she was with us to appreciate the amazing results she delivered for the whole family. I have no doubt that my two weeks’ paternity leave would have been stressful, exhausting and probably quite daunting if Xanthe had not been supporting us. With Xanthe in our lives those two weeks were instead a magical time spent supporting my wife and getting to know my daughter whilst benefiting from Xanthe’s reassurance. We were shielded from the otherwise inevitable pitfalls of first time parenthood. On my return to work Xanthe continued to support us a few days a week. On the days when my wife was on her own I would often come home to find her anxious and in tears, not having had a moment to herself. When Xanthe was there I came home to a happy, relaxed and peaceful home with my wife being back to her normal fun self. Over time Xanthe helped to build up our confidence and overcome the challenges of parenthood on our own. Xanthe is calm, warm and fun. She is there when you need her and gives you space when appropriate. She has a subtle and supportive approach which is exactly what is required. I can’t thank her enough!

Jack, Portishead

Sleep success 

We recently used Xanthe's 2h consultation service for our 11mth old who was regularly waking 2-5x a night and feeding and settling with a dummy. After I contacted her via the website she got in touch the next working day and was able to come to us the same evening! We found her extremely knowledgable, kind and friendly. She gave us a plan we were happy with (that didn't involve walking out of the room on a crying baby) and then was able to support us over the next five days with daily phone calls. These were invaluable. Although it was not an easy process there's no doubt that it would have been a hundred times harder without her. With the support offered we managed to stick to the plan and after five days we have a baby who no longer uses a dummy, is night weaned and self settles over night. Nothing short of miraculous! Thank you Xanthe.       Julie,   Bradford-on-Tone 

We got our lives back

Xanthe was absolutely brilliant! Our 5 and a half month old son was waking up every hour at night and Xanthe came to help us with sleep training. She was so calm and relaxed when she arrived that we felt like we had known her for years, so it didn't feel like there was a stranger in the house. On the first night we had a long chat about our son's sleeping habits and she explained what she was going to do and how she was going to do it, which put our minds at ease. She also helped us to devise a routine for him. 

On the subsequent nights she answered all our questions from that day which was really helpful. Xanthe stayed for 4 nights and by the 5th night he was sleeping from 7 p.m. until 6 a.m. with one or two wakings in the night (both times he managed to settle himself back to sleep). He is now 6 and a half months old, sleeps from 7 p.m. until 7 a.m. and although he wakes once or twice in the night, he settles himself back to sleep in less then 5 minutes. Although the sleep training is expensive, it is well worth it as it meant that we got our lives back!

Lizzie, Bristol

Couldn't have asked for a better result

Xanthe from the moment she arrived was warm and friendly, she was really keen to spend time getting to know both myself and Maiya before trying any techniques to help with the frequent waking, feeding to sleep and constant feeding due to reflux based snacking.  She fitted the routine and techniques around Maiya and her ability to deal with change, and gave me the confidence to continue the shh and tummy rubs as well as extended feeds once she had gone.  

I found her very approachable and knowledgeable, and she was always happy to explain why she was using these techniques and ran everything by me before she went ahead.

I would definitely recommend Xanthe, her input and advice has completely changed our situation and we now have a happy little girl who self settles and enjoys big meals. Maiya is still doing amazing with her feeding although now she has more energy she definitely gets more distracted during feeds :) And at night she goes down at 7, dream feed at 10 and sleeps until 6.30/7am, and both before sleep and if she wakes in the night she self settles. Couldn't have asked for a better result. 

Emma, Bedminster 4months

Knowledgeable and a really lovely person to have in our house

Xanthe came to help us for 6 nights with my newborn - she was utterly delightful, very helpful and really perfect in all respects.  She never invaded our privacy at night, in fact she was so discreet you would hardly know she'd arrived, she just got on with whatever was needed.  She was obviously very knowledgeable and a really lovely person to have in our house.  I'd definitely recommend her to any new mother.

Emma, Dorchester

Just what I needed

We really appreciated her help so much – she was excellent and just what I needed. I think she is extremely easy to get along with, was lovely with Cecilia and gave me lots of moral support with the weaning. I also had a migraine early in the week so it was wonderful to have her there to help out.

Caroline, Bath

A huge help at a very special time of our lives

Xanthe came to help us with our twins when they were just 5 weeks old. She is a very kind and gentle lady who obviously has a wealth of knowledge with babies and children. She enabled us to have some well needed rest and encouraged a good sleep pattern for the twins. I felt very comfortable with Xanthe and felt as if she was more of a family member than an employee. She is very reliable and gives great advice. I cannot recommend her enough.      Charlotte, Trull, Taunton

Calming and reassuring presence 

“Xanthe was really wonderful. She was a very calming and reassuring presence and her advice gave me a great deal more confidence that I was doing well in many areas, like soothing Evelyn, even though she wasn't going off to sleep! 

Xanthe was friendly and warm but unobtrusive, I felt relaxed having her in my home for 24 hours and trusted her with Evelyn. Having Xanthe here allowed me to get a bit of much needed rest, in addition to some really useful advice on how to help Evelyn to get better at soothing herself to sleep and some short term aims for us. I found this really helpful and we have gone from my husband and I needing to hold Evelyn constantly through the night because she wouldn't go down in her crib for more than 5 minutes, to a point where she is sleeping for 2-3 hours at a time in it. As you can imagine this is an enormous relief and in no small part down to Xanthe's support and advice.” 

Katie, Clifton. 6 months old

Worth her weight in gold

We found our three days with Xanthe very helpful. I was in a confused and overtired state and Xanthe got us long sleeps on the first night and the two subsequent nights which in itself was worth her weight in gold. We moved Max out of our bed, and got him feeding just once in the night. Xanthe also managed to help us deal with Max's terrible wind, which was shortening his naps and meant I was breast feeding him too often. I learnt better winding techniques and how to distinguish sleepy cries from pain cries. 

Even more helpful was the fact that we could call Xanthe two weeks later when I felt I'd made a mess of things and gone backwards. I was able to ask questions and regain my confidence. Xanthe does not have a rigid approach which meant we achieved as much as I think we could achieve in that short space of time. She was also easy to have in our home and nonjudgmental.” 

Emma, Ashley Down. 3 month old