Actually Sleeping FAQ: 53 questions parents ask before a consultation
Direct answers to the 53 questions parents most often ask Actually Sleeping before booking: the guarantee, the method, crying, age, cost, daycare, and what happens if it does not work. Answers are adapted from Dr. Samantha Abrahamson’s own video answers.
Proof and results · Is it worth it? · The method · My baby · Sleep setup · My household · Timing and life
Proof and results
How is the Actually Sleeping guarantee different?
Most sleep consultants promise effort: a plan and some calls. Actually Sleeping promises the outcome. The 14-Day Sleep Guarantee is written into the Terms of Service: 8–12 hours through the night within 14 days of consistent, correct implementation of your sleep plan, or a full refund. In Dr. Sam’s words, “the guarantee is literally our product.” It is also why the team only accepts families it believes it can help.
Do you have families who don’t get results?
When results are slow, it almost always traces to the plan being followed in part rather than in full, which is exactly what the daily check-ins are there to catch early. If a family implements the plan consistently and correctly and the baby is still not sleeping 8–12 hours within 14 days, they receive a full refund under the Terms of Service. The team also declines families on the consultation when it does not believe it can help.
What if I’ve tried other sleep training and it failed?
That describes most Actually Sleeping clients, and it described Dr. Sam herself before she built the practice. Earlier attempts usually fail for one of three reasons: the plan was generic rather than fitted to the baby, nobody was adjusting it day by day, or the response changed on a hard night. A written plan for your baby plus daily 1:1 coaching addresses all three. A previous failed attempt does not make a baby harder to help.
What are Dr. Sam’s qualifications?
Dr. Samantha Abrahamson is a Doctor of Pharmacy (Duquesne University, 2017), a Pennsylvania-licensed pharmacist with a public NPI record, the founder of Actually Sleeping, and a parent who went through this herself. She writes every client’s plan personally and has coached 700+ families. She is not a physician; your pediatrician remains the authority on your baby’s health. Full credentials: samanthaabrahamson.com.
How many families has Actually Sleeping helped?
700+ as of November 2026. The practice only counts a family once the baby has slept through the night for 14 or more consecutive nights with naps in place, not after one good night. There are 129 video reviews from those families, sortable by baby age, and independently verified reviews on Feefo.
How do you know that I will be able to do this?
Because the parents who succeed are not a special type. They are tired, unsure, and often on a second or third attempt. What they have in common is a clear plan, someone to message every day, and the willingness to hold steady for the first few nights. If you are researching this carefully, you already have the part that matters; the coaching supplies the rest.
Is Actually Sleeping a scam?
No. Actually Sleeping is a registered company in Coconut Grove, Florida, led by a named, licensed pharmacist, with 129 video reviews, independently verified Feefo reviews, and a full-refund guarantee written into its Terms of Service. As Dr. Sam puts it, a business that only keeps its fee when the baby sleeps would be “the worst scam of all time.” How to check each claim yourself: Is Actually Sleeping legit?
Have there been cases where clients haven’t gotten results?
The honest answer is that outcomes depend on implementation. Families who follow the plan as written and report in daily get there; the cases that stall are the ones where only parts of the plan are used. That is the reason the guarantee is conditioned on consistent, correct implementation, and the reason a coach checks in every day rather than once a week.
Is it worth it?
How is this different from other sleep consultants?
Three things. The plan is written for your baby by Dr. Sam, not assembled from an age template. Support is daily and 1:1, with bootcamp-style coaching before Night 1, rather than a handful of scheduled calls with days of guesswork in between. And the outcome is guaranteed with a refund. The method itself concentrates on the few actions that matter most, done in a specific order, so the baby understands quickly and there is less protest overall.
How is this different from a course or a book?
Courses and books usually contain sound information; the difficulty is applying it to one specific baby at 3 a.m. A course cannot see that your baby’s wake window is off by 30 minutes or tell you whether tonight is a night to hold the line. What a course cannot give you is the missing piece: a plan fitted to your baby and daily accountability. That is what Dr. Sam’s written plan, bootcamp-style coaching before Night 1 and daily 1:1 check-ins provide, backed by the guarantee.
Can’t I just get this from ChatGPT or another AI assistant?
AI assistants are good at explaining how baby sleep works and what the common methods are. What they cannot do is read your baby’s log every morning, keep one plan steady across two weeks, notice the pattern you are too tired to see, and be accountable for the result. Many families arrive after trying to piece a plan together at night from many sources; the plan was rarely the problem, the consistency was. A plan written for your baby by Dr. Sam, with a coach checking in every day, is built to solve exactly that.
Shouldn’t I just try it on my own first?
Most families who come to Actually Sleeping already have, often more than once. The usual problem is the partial attempt: putting the baby down awake, then rescuing after a long protest, teaches the baby that protesting long enough works, and makes the next attempt harder. Starting with a plan written for your baby, bootcamp-style coaching before Night 1 and daily check-ins avoids that, and it is backed by the written guarantee.
How much work is it for me, the parent?
Less than what you are doing now. The first few days take focus, because your baby is learning a skill and you are reporting in daily. After that the workload drops sharply: bedtime takes minutes, naps happen in the crib, and nights are uninterrupted. Parents consistently describe the first two or three days as the effort and everything after as the payoff.
Is the consultation a high-pressure sales pitch?
No. It is a two-way conversation about your baby’s sleep, schedule and history. Because the result is guaranteed with a refund, the team has no interest in enrolling a family it does not expect to succeed, and it does turn families away. You will leave the consultation with your questions answered whether or not you work together.
How much does Actually Sleeping cost?
Pricing is custom to your baby and is set on the free consultation, once the team understands your baby’s situation and how much support you want. It is not published anywhere, and any figure you find elsewhere online does not apply to your family. Every plan is backed by the full-refund guarantee.
The method
Is this the cry-it-out method?
No. Dr. Sam is a parent too and is specific about this: the team would never simply leave a baby to cry and figure it out. Most of the work happens before the baby goes into the crib, so that the baby understands what is being asked and protests less. Because a baby is learning a new skill, zero tears is not a realistic promise for anyone, but the goal is the least crying overall: typically one harder night, then falling asleep faster each night after.
How much crying should I expect?
It depends on age and habits, so no honest coach will give a number. The usual pattern: Night 1 is the learning night and may involve some protest; from Night 2 the time to fall asleep is typically cut in half; within a few nights most babies settle within minutes for both bedtime and naps. Younger babies with fewer habits generally protest least.
Will sleep training hurt my baby’s attachment?
The research says no. Randomized trials of behavioral sleep training, including a five-year follow-up, found no differences in emotional health, behavior, stress regulation or the parent-child relationship between trained and untrained children. What parents report is the opposite of harm: a rested baby is happier during the day and a rested parent is more present. See Is sleep training safe?
Will my baby feel abandoned?
No. A baby who is set up well during the day, put down by a calm parent, and responded to in a consistent way is not being abandoned; they are being taught. Most babies in the program are going to sleep contentedly in their crib within a few days, and wake happy in the morning.
What if my baby throws up from crying?
This is uncommon. If your baby is prone to it, say so at intake: the plan will include exactly how to respond calmly without undoing progress. Vomiting linked to illness, reflux or feeding is a medical question for your pediatrician, and sleep training pauses during a significant illness.
What is the worst case scenario?
That you follow the plan consistently and correctly and your baby still does not sleep 8–12 hours within 14 days. In that case you receive a full refund; it is in the Terms of Service you sign. The realistic downside is a few focused days of effort.
My baby
What types of babies does this work for?
Actually Sleeping works with babies and toddlers, from newborn on, including reflux babies, NICU graduates, twins and triplets, co-sleepers, contact nappers, babies fed or rocked to sleep, and toddlers in beds. The deciding factor is rarely the baby. It is whether the parents are ready to follow one plan for the first few nights, which is what the consultation is for.
What ages does Actually Sleeping work with?
Babies and toddlers, from newborn on. Sleep foundations can start in the newborn stage, and the 14-day guarantee clock starts at the baby’s 10-week birthday.
Is my baby too young?
No. Actually Sleeping works with families from the newborn stage, and starting young is the gentlest way to do it: there is no habit to undo, so the early work is laying foundations. Night feeds are never dropped by the plan. The 14-day guarantee clock starts on the 10-week birthday. Feeding and weight gain remain your pediatrician’s call.
Do you make babies drop night feeds?
No. Actually Sleeping never drops night feeds as part of the plan. Babies are taught to fall asleep on their own, and in Dr. Sam’s experience they let go of night feeds themselves as that skill settles. Any question about how much your baby needs to eat belongs with your pediatrician.
Is my baby too old to sleep train?
No. Older babies and toddlers often learn fastest, because they understand quickly once the message is consistent. The same intelligence means they will test any inconsistency, so clarity matters more at 12 or 18 months than at 5. Many of the reviews describing 11- and 12-hour nights within the first two nights are from babies over a year old.
What if my baby is extra sensitive?
Sensitive babies benefit most from consistency, because mixed signals are what prolong crying. A plan paced for your baby’s temperament, held steady, is gentler on a sensitive baby than weeks of trying different things.
What if my baby is strong-willed?
Strong-willed babies are common and the plan accounts for it. Persistence cuts both ways: a determined baby protests harder against confusion, and learns faster once the routine is unmistakable. Consistency from both parents is what matters.
Can you help reflux or NICU babies?
Yes, with adjustments built into the plan: feed timing, time upright before sleep, and pacing. Reflux should be managed with your pediatrician first, and premature babies are assessed by corrected age. Safe sleep does not change: flat, on the back, no inclines. See sleep training a baby with reflux.
Can you help with naps too?
Yes. Naps usually fall into place within days of nights being solved, and they are coached with no time limit until they are solid. That is part of every plan, not an add-on.
What if my baby only contact naps?
Contact naps are lovely when they are a choice. The plan teaches your baby to nap in the crib so that holding them for a nap becomes something you do when you want to, not the only way a nap happens. See how to stop contact napping.
What if my baby can stand, sit, or pull up in the crib?
That is normal for most of the babies we work with and does not get in the way. Your plan covers exactly how to handle it, and your coach adjusts it day by day. Mobile babies are old enough to understand a consistent routine quickly.
What if my baby is going through a regression?
The change around 4 months is a permanent shift in how sleep is organized, so there is nothing to wait out. Later “regressions” are usually developmental phases layered on a baby who needs help falling asleep. Babies who can fall asleep independently typically ride those phases out in a few nights, and teaching that skill is what an Actually Sleeping plan does, with daily check-ins until it holds.
Sleep setup
Can I still co-sleep?
During the program your baby sleeps in their own crib or bassinet, so the message is clear. That is also what the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends for infants, and it advises against bed-sharing in the first year. Most families who come to us were bed-sharing out of exhaustion rather than choice.
What if my baby sleeps in our room?
Room-sharing is fine and is what the AAP recommends for the first 6 months. The plan works with a crib or bassinet in your room; families have done it with relatives staying in the same room.
Can you help us transition out of our bed?
Yes. The large majority of families who contact us are bed-sharing when they start. Moving a baby from the parents’ bed to their own sleep space is one of the most common things the plan covers.
Can you help us transition from bassinet to crib?
Yes. Done as part of a plan, the move is usually easier than parents expect, because the baby is learning to fall asleep independently at the same time and the skill travels with them.
What about a smart or motion bassinet?
Whether to use one is a personal choice, and some young babies settle well in them. A motion bassinet does the soothing for the baby, so the skill of falling asleep independently still has to be learned when the baby outgrows it. We help families make that transition.
My household
Does my partner really have to be on the consultation?
Yes, we ask that both parents or all decision-makers attend. Because results are guaranteed, the team needs to hear from everyone who will be putting the baby to bed before it can judge honestly whether it can help, and a plan only works when both adults follow it the same way.
What if my spouse or partner disagrees about sleep training?
This is common, and often follows a previous attempt that went badly. A clear written plan, a neutral coach, and visible progress within the first night or two usually settle it. The skeptical parent frequently becomes the most committed one.
What if I’m a single parent?
Single parents do very well. One adult means one consistent response, and daily contact with a coach replaces the second pair of hands at decision points.
Will grandparents be able to follow this?
Yes. Once your baby has the skill, other caregivers only need a few simple pointers, which you will be able to hand over on one page.
Can you help with my other kids as well?
Yes. Tell us on the consultation how many children you want help with and their ages; plans regularly cover an older sibling alongside a baby.
Can you help twins?
Yes, twins and triplets. Multiples are used to a noisier room and generally adapt quickly when kept on the same schedule. See sleep training twins.
What about nannies, daycares and other caregivers?
A sleep plan has to work in real life, not only at home with one parent. After the first few nights the routine comes down to a few clear steps that a nanny, grandparent or daycare can follow, and your coach will help you brief them.
How does this work with daycare?
Daycare naps are rarely perfect and do not need to be. The plan protects night sleep, tells you how to adjust bedtime after a short-nap day, and gives you a short note for the daycare.
Can this work if I’m back at work?
Yes. Most clients work. Check-ins are by message, not scheduled calls, and the routine is designed to be handed to whoever is with your baby during the day.
Timing and life
What if we don’t have a consistent schedule right now?
That is where most families start. Building the schedule is part of the plan, not a prerequisite.
What if bedtime is different every night?
Bedtime has some flexibility once the days are set up well. A short, repeatable routine matters more than a fixed minute on the clock.
Can we start if my baby is teething or sick?
Mild congestion or teething is not a reason to wait. Fever, vomiting or a significant illness is: pause, see your pediatrician, and start when your baby is well.
What happens if my baby gets sick after sleep training?
Babies who can fall asleep independently usually keep sleeping well through minor illness, because their bodies want the rest. Comfort a sick baby as needed, then return to the normal routine when they recover; your coach will tell you how.
What if travel, a move, or a big life event is coming up?
A baby who has the skill generally carries it through travel and change, and your coach will plan around the dates. If a trip falls in the first few days, it is usually better to start right after.
What happens after the first 7 days?
The first week is the intensive part, and by the end of it most babies have slept through several times. After that, coaching continues: refining wake windows and bedtime, coaching naps until they are solid, and making sure you know what to watch for so the results last. A baby graduates after seven sleep-throughs and then 14 or more consecutive nights.
Dr. Sam answers each of these on video at actuallysleeping.com/reviews.
Want this fixed for your baby?
Actually Sleeping is 1:1 coaching: a sleep plan written for your baby by Dr. Sam, bootcamp-style coaching before the first night, and daily check-ins until it is working. 700+ families coached, 129 video reviews, and a written guarantee: 8–12 hours through the night within 14 days, or a full refund.