If you’ve ever been in the thick of sleepless nights with a newborn—or even just heard the stories—you know that sleep deprivation can shake even the strongest foundation. For Ann Marie Harriger, founder of AM Smiles Sleep Training, that reality sparked a mission. What began with a pinky finger, a stroller, and a baby who refused to nap without nursing, has grown into a deeply personal business that’s helped over 500 families reclaim their rest—and their peace.
In this candid and heartfelt interview, Ann Marie shares how her experiences as a nanny, mother, and early childhood educator shaped her sleep training philosophy. From founding AM Smiles with the support of her family, to building a business that values connection, reinforcement, and compassion, Ann Marie opens up about the “why” behind her work, the impact of her She Squad, and the advice she’d give her younger self.
Whether you’re a new mom desperately seeking a full night’s sleep or a fellow entrepreneur looking for inspiration, this conversation is a beautiful reminder that good sleep—and good support—can truly change lives.
Hi, my name is Ann Marie Harriger. I’m the owner of Am Smiles Sleep training. I have been in business for seven years and I have helped over 500 families end sleepless nights.
What inspired you to start AM SMILES, and what problem were you hoping to solve for moms?
When I was in graduate school for early childhood education, I was also a nanny for a local family with a five-year-old and a three-month-old. The three-month-old had horrible sleep habits. The only way that this baby would sleep, and I kid you not, was if I was pushing him in a stroller with my pinky in the roof of his mouth. And the reason was, he was a baby who could only sleep when he was being nursed. I obviously could not nurse him, and so my pinky was the closest thing to a nipple.
I remember one morning there was a torrential downpour and I said to the mom, “What should I do for a nap today since it’s raining outside?” She gave me an umbrella. I will always remember that moment because I thought – THIS IS INSANE. I cannot believe that this is what has to happen for this little boy to be able to sleep.
I also witnessed firsthand what sleep deprivation does to a family. The baby was constantly fussy and unhappy, and the mom and dad? Well, let’s just say that when I walked into their home every day at 7 a.m., you could feel the tension because everybody was so tired. I knew when I finished working with them that when I had children of our own, things were going to be different.
How has your family influenced or supported the growth of AM SMILES? Do they get involved in the business at all?
My oldest son, who is 13, absolutely influenced AM Smiles. When he was first born, of course he was a newborn and he wasn’t sleeping well. I was sleep deprived. My husband and I were snapping at each other. Things were not going all that great. I spoke to a friend who talked to me about sleep training. We sleep trained him at five months old and life was good. This was when I realized, I LOVE sleep and what it does to our family. Honestly, good quality sleep is the glue that holds together a healthy lifestyle. And so for me, it was very eye opening to see what life with a baby and also getting good quality sleep was.
Have they helped with the growth of my business? In the beginning, yes, very much so. My husband Dave and I have been together for over 20 years. We’ve been married for 15 years in June and Dave is an entrepreneur.
Dave was the one who kind of gave me the inspiration to start AM Smiles, and he approached me eight years ago and said, “I hear you saying the same thing all the time. You’re helping friends, you’re helping friends of friends, you’re helping family members, and what you’re doing could be something”. So, Dave absolutely helped me get AM Smiles started.
I would even say in those first years as a brand-new entrepreneur, I didn’t have the business confidence to always feel good about how I was talking to my customers and when things needed to be addressed. I would text Dave at work, all the time and ask him, “This is what my clients are saying, what should I say?”
About six years ago, he sat me down and said, “You know what you’re doing and you don’t need to ask me these questions anymore.” And so, he does not help me with that anymore. Every now and then if I have a big business decision, he will help me. But I would say for the last six years I have been cruising on my own, and the last important piece I need to share is about my youngest son. His baby face is “the face” of AM Smiles.
What does having a strong “She Squad” mean to you, how has it impacted your life or business, and what advice would you give to women looking to build that kind of support system?
This is such a great question. So, to me, a She Squad, is having a support system of women in so many different facets of your life.
I have a wonderful She Squad that I’ve been building over the past 13 years, since I became a mom, and is made up of friends that I have had since I was in college. It is made up of my sisters. Most recently, it is made up of friends that I have made through my kids, the moms that I sit on the sidelines with watching baseball games, the moms who are going through the same stages of motherhood, who listen without judgment and encourage you and support you so that you know you’re not doing this alone.
To a new mom who wants to develop her She Squad, I would share that it’s tough because it happens organically. I remember when my first son was born, I wanted mom friends so badly. When I would get invited to a birthday party or a playdate, I was putting on full makeup. I was putting on my best outfits because I wanted to impress moms, because I wanted them to like me so that we could become friends.
What I can tell you is that that’s not how you make friends. What I have learned is that you make friends naturally with the people who are like you and it has nothing to do with your appearance or how you’re showing up. It has to do with the connections that you make. Just trust that you will meet these women and you will have your She Squad. But, you have to be patient because it does take some time.
What makes AM SMILES different from other sleep coaches, and how do you think it’s impacting your members?
This is a pretty easy question, and the reason is because I’ve done a lot of research on my competition and what their programs look like.
Most sleep coaching programs last two weeks, and the reason they last two weeks is because that’s about how long it takes to sleep-train a baby. My program lasts six weeks. I have found over the past seven years that the most success comes when a family prepares for sleep training. There’s a lot that goes into sleep training, and you really do have the best progress when mom and dad, or mom and mom, take a week before to not only get themselves ready, but also get their baby ready. That adds an extra week to the beginning of sleep training. The last three weeks are for reinforcement, and this is the game-changer. The time after sleep training is fragile. These brand-new habits and routines and schedules can be undone so easily unless they are properly reinforced.
So, I like working with my families for an additional three weeks to be sure that these new habits are reinforced because this takes your baby from sleeping great for two weeks to having an incredible sleep foundation that sticks with them throughout their childhood.
What has been your proudest moment so far on this journey?
My proudest moment? I’m thinking back to a mom who I worked with probably five years ago. When she came to me, she was so defeated and she shared,, “I’m coming to you because a friend of mine referred me to you, but I don’t think you’re actually going to be able to help me because things are so bad with my baby that there’s no way things can get better.” I have to tell you that, her prefacing this made me very nervous. I thought, oh my goodness, maybe I won’t be able to help her. But after she and I sat down and talked, I realized her baby was waking up, I kid you not, 12 to 13 times a night and within four days this baby was sleeping straight through the night.
And so, I think I was so proud because this mom told me at the end that I literally changed her life. I was also very proud because when I first started working with her, I was very concerned about whether or not I would be able to have an impact on her family, and we had success on both ends.
What is the best piece of advice you have been given by someone in your She Squad – about motherhood or just life?
This is super easy because I got great advice from one of my best friends recently and it was: “You can only worry about something once”. I was telling her about my oldest son, who is 13 years old, and how he’s getting his license in three years and I’m already concerned about it. And she literally put her hand up and she said, “You can only worry about something once. So are you going to worry about your son getting his license now when he’s 13 or when he’s 16 and he’s actually driving?” And I thought, excellent point. I’m not going to worry about that right now. So that is my advice to you: Only worry about something one time.
One thing that makes you smile—no matter how stressed you are?
That one thing that makes me smile, no matter how stressed out I am, is my puppy. There’s something that I do every day that is not only for my puppy, but it is also for me. She and I go for a walk.
It’s so important for her to run and get exercise, but honestly, I do it for myself because I am out in nature. I’m breathing fresh air, I’m getting sunlight, and honestly, watching my dog run brings me so much joy.
If you could give your teenage self one piece of advice from everything you’ve learned as a mom and business co-owner—what would it be?
Something that I would love to tell my teenage self is to sit back and enjoy as much as possible and really trust. Something I’ve learned in business ownership and motherhood is that you cannot control too much.The more you try to control, the more overwhelmed and stressed you get. So, if you just trust, things really do work out.
Ready to reclaim your nights?
Learn more about Ann Marie’s six-week program at AM Smiles Sleep Training and take the first step toward better sleep—for your baby and for you.
