All it Takes is a Plan

This week, we’re talking all about why your baby is still waking up at night! I’m essentially letting you inside my head, as a pediatric sleep coach. I’m peeling back the curtain on what I think through when a family reaches out to me and says, “Why won’t my baby sleep through the night?!” Or, “My baby was sleeping through the night, but now they’re waking again. Why??” Sometimes it’s pretty strai...

Have you ever been worried about being out late with your baby or toddler because they might fall asleep in the car and you're not sure how to transfer them to their bed when you get home? Or have you ever tried transferring a sleeping baby to their bed for the night, and it just didn’t go well? If so, today’s episode is for you! I'm getting into the specifics of how exactly I recommend transferri...

In today's episode, I'm interviewing Jennifer Barnard of Baby Begin. Jennifer has been a pediatric Occupational Therapist for over 20 years and is the owner of Baby Begin . Her goal is to eradicate plagiocephaly (flat head syndrome) worldwide. She has become an expert on treating torticollis and correcting flat heads without a helmet and trains passionate therapists all over the world to do the sa...

Most of us have heard a lot about the safe sleep guidelines for babies, but we don't talk a lot about safe sleep guidelines for toddlers and older kids! So in this episode, we're talking all about safe sleep for toddlers still in cribs, as well as big kids sleeping in a big bed. We're talking about: the importance of sleeping with the door closed safe sleep guidelines for toddlers still in a crib...

In today's episode, I'm diving into the ins and outs of the safe sleep guidelines for babies. We'll start with the basic ABCs of safe sleep, and then dig in even more. My guess is that whether you're a first-time parent or a fourth-time parent, you'll hear a safe sleep guideline you haven't heard before. (To learn more about how to dress your baby for sleep when it's colder in their nursery, read...

As first-time parents, we blamed any and every challenging day or night on teething. We figured our baby must be teething since sleep was a disaster. As fourth-time parents now, I have to admit that teething really doesn't faze me. Because I know that it's not the big-bad-monster it's often made out to be! I'm not saying teething doesn't impact babies at all, but I am saying it doesn't usuall...

Today, we’re going to be talking about adult sleep with our adult sleep coach, Kathryn, and it might feel like a strange tip at first. But what if one of the best tools for better sleep isn’t melatonin, magnesium, or even a stricter bedtime routine—but more fun ? If stress is one of the biggest enemies of adult sleep, FUN might just be one of the anecdotes! Not only is having more fun one way to g...

It is so frustrating when your toddler takes a short nap. You know they need more daytime sleep, but no matter what you do, they still take a short nap! So in this episode, I'll be diving into those short toddler naps. I share: What is considered a "short nap" How long your toddler's nap should be 7 strategies to lengthen them If you're looking for more personalized help when it comes to your todd...

It is so common for babies to take short naps, and it's also so frustrating! And while short naps are sometimes developmental, there are also strategies we can apply to help extend those short naps! So that's what we're covering in this episode -  why  your baby takes short naps and  how  to extend them.  I walk through five different strategies you can try to finally...

Welcoming a new baby into the family is very exciting, and can also be very overwhelming - especially for toddlers and older siblings, as having another baby in the house is a big change! And big changes like this can often cause sleep regressions. In this episode, I am sharing some tips to try to prevent a sleep regression after bringing home a new baby, including things you can do BEFORE baby ar...

It is very common for toddlers and older kids to experience fears and anxieties around bedtime. AND those fears and anxieties do not need to keep them from sleeping - they are still so capable of great sleep. In this episode, I am sharing the following 8 strategies to help your child through their bedtime fears and anxieties, so you can start adding tools to their tool belt for the next time they'...

We teach our kids “why”s all day long… We have to shut the door so bugs don’t fly in, or so we don’t waste the AC. We have to buckle up in the car so we are safe. We cover our mouth when we cough so we don’t spread our germs. From my experience as a mom and a sleep consultant, however, parents don’t usually teach their kids about  sleep  as explicitly, but we can and I think we  sho...

Last week, I shared about my breastfeeding challenges with our son, James. I shared about the wonderful IBCLC who helped us get feeding on track, and this week I'm interviewing her! Allyson Wessells, of Nurture Columbus , is on the podcast this week talking about what tummy time is, the importance of tummy time, and how it has a direct impact on infant feeding, whether that's by the breast or bott...

Although I had nursed three babies before, for a total of over 4.5 years, I had quite a few challenges breastfeeding our fourth baby the first several weeks of his life. In this podcast episode, I'm sharing all of the details! I'm sharing about what red flags we noticed early on, who we sought out for help, the terrible advice we got along the way, the bumps we hit after the frenectomy, and how th...

I love the swaddled, baby burrito phase of newborn life - they're just too cute! And swaddles are a really helpful tool when it comes to newborn sleep. There does come a time, however, when it's time to transition out of the swaddle. Yes, once your baby is trying to roll over, the swaddle needs to be gone for safety reasons. But I recommend transitioning out of the swaddle based more on age rather...

Traveling with young kids can be challenging enough, not to mention changing time zones and dealing with a jet-lagged baby or toddler. It can be rough! But that doesn’t mean changing time zones with kids is impossible, and I certainly don’t want you avoiding family vacations and all of those sweet memories because you’re afraid of the jet lag. In this episode, we'll cover: When to start adjusting...

Do you live in an area of the country where hurricanes, tornadoes, or wildfires are a pretty real threat? If so, this episode is for you! I’m interviewing my teammate, Maura, as she has been in or around her fair share of natural disasters. She’s going to be sharing about how she and her husband prepare for these potential storms, as well as how that has changed a bit with a child. We'll also talk...

Have you ever gone to see the fireworks with your kids on the Fourth of July? Or are you hoping to go for the first time this year? In this episode, we’re going to be talking about your different options when it comes to celebrating the Fourth of July with kids. You can: Stay home, and maybe have some friends or family over Go to a friend's house Go out to see the fireworks! And if you choose to g...

"Is there a wrong way to sleep train?" I’m going to be answering that question today with six mistakes parents often make when sleep training, including: Lying your little one down "drowsy but awake" Keeping the pacifier Not having a plan Not having age-appropriate schedules or routines Making changes too quickly Not making changes quickly enough Snag your FREE BABY SCHEDULE GUIDE here ! Check out...

We welcomed our fourth baby into the world at the end of February, and he was born at home! We had a homebirth for our last two births and really loved it, so in this episode, I'm sharing all about homebirth! I'm sharing why our family chose to have homebirths, and I'm also answering some frequently asked questions about homebirths.

At the end of February, we gave birth to our fourth baby and first boy, so in this episode, I share his birth story! If you're interested in reading about our other birth stories, check them out here: Our first baby's birth story Our second daughter's birth story Our third daughter's birth story For more sneak peeks into our family life and real-life moments, make sure you follow us on Instagram !

Did you know that what you do during the day impacts how you fall asleep and stay sleep at night? For better or worse... On the podcast today, our adult sleep coach, Kathryn, is sharing four practical daytime tips to help adults kick their insomnia and sleep better overnight. Here's a link to the NASA study she shares in the episode. If your curious to learn more about how an adult sleep coach can...

When it comes to baby products, the choices are endless! There are SO MANY products out there - some of which are great, some which you could easily do with or without, and some that just seem pointless. And the same goes for baby and toddler sleep products! In this episode, I'm sharing about one of the sleep products I suggest all parents use with their littles ones, and that's sound machines. We...

Last week, I shared my top three postpartum priorities, none of which included anything about my baby's sleep. So this week, I'm walking through the top three newborn sleep priorities we will have when our son is firstborn, including: Paying attention to awake windows Keeping him awake during feeds Practicing one nap a day in his bassinet I'll also share when we actually plan to start implementing...

I am 34 weeks pregnant with baby number four, so we have officially entered nesting mode and are making lists of what we still need to get before our baby boy arrives. As we get closer to welcoming another baby, we are starting to think of what that postpartum period will look like, and I am inviting you in! In this episode, I am sharing my top three postpartum priorities that help us care best fo...