I’m an early childhood educator in Amsterdam. Since 2001 I’ve worked in Amsterdam daycares and preschools with children from tiny babies to four-year-olds — and with their parents, wherever they come from. I built RaisingSmall so that calm, practical help with young children isn’t a luxury only some families can afford.
No armchair theories — a life that taught me to see what people need before they say it.
I grew up in a family of two physically disabled parents. I never rode bikes or played sports with them — we spent holidays with people in wheelchairs, and to me that was never strange. Handing my mum her socks, helping my dad with his shoes, seeing what someone needs before they ask: that was my everyday routine. That’s exactly where I learned the most important skill of my profession.
I trained at a secondary school of pedagogy and added an extra year of special-needs education after graduation.
I spent several years working with children from socially excluded families in the Czech Republic.
I decided to go abroad. Two years as an au pair in Haarlem were my doorway into the Netherlands.
Ever since, I’ve worked as an invalkracht — a relief educator stepping in at daycares across the whole of Amsterdam. Not one daycare, but dozens: babies from three months to two years, peutergroep from two to four. Amsterdam families, immigrant families, expat families. After 25 years, I see the patterns that repeat across every language and culture.
After countless trainings I went through a slaapcoach course. I respect the science behind it — but I didn’t want to become a sleep coach and promise parents the impossible. Not every family fits one manual.
Everything I’ve gathered in 25 years, I now turn into apps, videos and guides that any family can afford.
“I’m not a baker building a Ferrari in his spare time. But honestly — it’s not far off.”
By day I work with children in Amsterdam daycares. In my free hours I build apps, film videos and learn things I’d never heard of a few years ago. It’s my hobby, it feeds my creativity — and honestly, it also helps me through menopause. Some people buy a red sports car; I learned to code. 😄 So yes: every app, every video and every page here, I truly make myself. No company, no team — one preschool teacher, 25 years of experience, and a lot of evenings at the computer.
Sleep coach prices are incredibly high — help that almost every tired family could use is affordable for very few. And the courses are tailored to a Western mentality, as if the rest of the planet didn’t exist.
What I knew from practice got confirmed: parents don’t need an expensive coach with a one-size-fits-all manual. They need clear information, an overview of their own child, and calm. That’s where RaisingSmall came from — everything I’ve gathered over the years about developmental phases, milestones, daily routines and that eternal topic: children’s sleep, and the lack of it.
I wrote it from three perspectives at once:
Who didn’t get much sleep herself — I breastfed both my sons until they were two.
With 25 years of hands-on experience with young children in Amsterdam daycares.
That anyone can understand — no jargon, no lecturing. Even at 3am.
I’ve seen hundreds of families. There is no single right way to raise a child.
A tired parent doesn’t need theory — they need to know what to try tonight.
Every child has their own pace and every family its own culture. And that’s okay.
I won’t promise your child will sleep through the night in a week. No honest person can.
Tested on real babies and toddlers across Amsterdam — and they are tough reviewers.
Every one of these I designed, built and published myself.
For parents of children 0–4: sleep tracker, AI sleep coach, breastfeeding & pumping, feeding, milestones, diary.
Discover the appA practical guide for international parents in Amsterdam: SOS contacts, local services and the Dutch system explained.
Open the appAn app for parents of twins and multiples. In the making — coming soon.
Videos about raising little ones — calm, practical and with a smile.
Watch on YouTubePractical materials for parents, like “Help, my child bites!”
Questions about the apps, or just want to share your story? Write to me — I read everything myself. (Of course I do — there is no one else here. 😄)
raisingsmall.info@gmail.comLast updated: 14 July 2026