Published by Actually Sleeping · Reviewed by Dr. Samantha Abrahamson, PharmD · Review policy · Updated 2026-11-10

How Actually Sleeping works

Actually Sleeping coaching runs from a free consultation to graduation in a fixed sequence: custom plan, bootcamp-style coaching before Night 1, daily check-ins through the first week of bedtimes, naps until solid, then 14+ consecutive nights of 8–12 hours. Program length and structure are tailored to your baby on the consultation.

Step by step

1. Free consultation. You fill in a short form about your baby’s age, sleep and what you have tried. A sleep consultant goes through it with you on the consultation. If the team does not think it can help, it says so.
2. Intake. Detailed history: how your baby falls asleep, what happens at each wake-up, feeding, naps, room setup, reflux or medical notes, prematurity, your own non-negotiables.
3. The plan. Written personally by Dr. Sam. It covers bedtime routine, how to respond to wake-ups, feeding at night, and the nap schedule. It is specific to your baby, not an age-band template.
4. Bootcamp before Night 1. Intensive coaching before you put the plan into practice, so you know exactly what to do at every moment and go into the first night fully confident. We train the parent as well as the baby.
5. Nights 1–7. Each day you report what happened; your coach replies with adjustments.
6. Naps. Usually the hardest part and the slowest to settle. Coached with no time limit until solid.
7. Graduation. Seven sleep-throughs, then 14+ consecutive nights.

What it is not

Not a course, a PDF, or an app. Not “cry it out” and not “wait it out.” The difference is daily human accountability from people who have seen the same pattern in hundreds of babies.

Safe sleep comes first: every plan follows the American Academy of Pediatrics safe-sleep guidance — on the back, in a crib or bassinet, on a firm flat surface with nothing loose. Your pediatrician remains the authority on your baby’s health.

The 14-Day Sleep Guarantee (from our Terms of Service): “We guarantee that your baby will sleep 8–12 hours through the night within 14 days of consistent, correct implementation of your sleep plan.” If that does not happen, the family receives a full refund.

• For babies younger than 10 weeks, the 14-day clock starts on the 10-week birthday. Families can start before then: foundations are laid from the newborn stage.
• Night feeds are never dropped by the plan. Babies keep feeding at night for as long as they need to.
• Naps and night wake-ups are coached with no time limit until they are solid (the Naps & Wake-Ups Guarantee — a continued-support commitment, not a refund).