About Confident Parenting

Erica Desper and son Founder of Confident Parenting

Erica Desper

Founder of Confident Parenting
Senior Sleep & Potty Training Consultant

certifications
Meet the Founder

Welcome! I started Confident Parenting one year after the birth of my son who was great at crying and not so great at sleeping. My own parenting journey involved severe sleep deprivation for 15 months, postpartum depression, divorce, and just enough good stuff to keep me going despite it all. Through those struggles and their resolution, I wished someone had helped me understand why sleep was such a challenge for us and, more importantly, how to address it in a way I felt comfortable with. That journey led to the birth of Confident Parenting in 2011. 

Since then I have offered sleep solutions and potty-training support to families in and around the Greater Philadelphia area as well as internationally. After working with the parents of over 2,000 babies and children, I realized that families need more services than I myself can offer. 

I mean let’s be real – parenting is THE hardest job you’ll ever have. Babies don't come with instructions and many of us don't even have the benefit of a village of support. No matter who you are and what you know, you can’t ever truly be prepared for the demands of parenting. And when you’re exhausted it’s tough to sort through all the conflicting advice and apply it to your own situation. The key to surviving this journey (and to enjoying it!) is having education and support along the way. Finding that support though can be daunting or, at best, time consuming.

All these realizations led me to expand Confident Parenting in 2019 to be a team of sleep and potty training consultants as well as a comprehensive network of experts and resources for all your parenting needs. Whatever challenge you are working through, we have someone who can help! Be sure to check out the services page or contact me for additional resources or information. 
My Qualifications

* Sleep Specialist for Center City Pediatrics since 2015
* Completed 55-hour course with Kim West, aka The Sleep Lady, with case supervision through her Gentle Sleep Coach program
* Certified Maternity and Child Sleep Professional – International Parenting & Health Institute
* Oh Crap! Potty Training Certified Expert
* Graduate of the Infant Mental Health & Development Foundation Program of the Wonder Weeks Academy
* Early Childhood Education degree
* Postpartum Certified Doula – Doulas of North America (DONA)
* Certified Lactation Counselor – Academy of Lactation Policy and Practice
* Certified Educator of Infant Massage – International Association of Infant Massage
* Certified Educator – The Happiest Baby on the Block
* Certified Babywearing Consultant – Center for Babywearing Studies

Meet the Team

Bernadette Samuels

Sleep & Potty Training Consultant

Amelia Kinsolving

Sleep & Potty Training Consultant

As the sleep specialist for Center City Pediatrics and with a growing army of grateful parents in the community, it became clear that, as just one person, I couldn't support everyone. So, in 2020, the Confident Parenting sleep & potty team was born!...


Bernadette is a Mother of two young children and brings over 12 years of experience working with families as a professional nanny to our team. Her desire to continue to help parents navigate common parenting challenges led her to join the Confident Parenting team in 2020, training and being mentored for over one year with Erica as well as receiving her Oh Crap! potty-training consultant certification with Jamie Glowacki, The Poop Lady, herself. To date she has worked with the parents of over 300 babies and children to address sleep and potty-training challenges and has wracked up loads of her own glowing testimonials. In 2022 and 2023 she received the designation of Certified Lactation Counselor and completed Dr. Laura Markham's Peaceful Parenting Training for Parent Educators.


Amelia is Mom to one young child, holds a bachelors degree in psychology and brings over 4 years of experience working with children in the daycare and therapy settings. In 2021 she joined the Confident Parenting team, training and being mentored for over one year with Erica, receiving her own Oh Crap! certification and working toward certification as a lactation counselor. She is also auntie to several children with varying special needs, all of which led her to gain additional experience and training to be able to support children with delays, disabilities and neurodivergence to navigate the potty-training process, completing the Autism Action Plan course led by Molly Johnson, the Autism Consultant. Families navigating the process with special needs have been extremely grateful to finally have somewhere to turn for support.

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