How Long 'Til Bedtime? | Sleep and Parenting Podcast

Are you searching for a daycare for your child? Check out the 12 most important sleep related questions to ask when you visit potential daycares. Allison has vast experience helping parents navigate sleep with a wide variety of daycares across the United States and in other countries. She's compiled her advice into this comprehensive episode and the corresponding download.  Get your free download...

Join Allison and Kara Ryska, a mom of four and a life coach with experience coaching corporate professionals and special needs moms, for an empowering conversation about self-leadership for all parents.  They explore many of the qualities strong leaders demonstrate and how they pertain to parenting. Listen in as they discuss the importance of learning to listen to yourself and follow your intuitio...

There are so many surprises that come along during the process of delivering a baby the first time. It's vital that women look out for one another and pass on some of the little known secrets with other new moms-to-be. In this episode, Allison is sharing the unsolicited, but VERY good, advice her best friend shared with her before she delivered her first baby. This advice made those first few days...

During the winter, Allison gets a lot of questions about choosing the right pajamas and how many layers we should put on our babies and children when they are sleeping. Many parents also wonder about the ideal temperature for sleep. Allison tackles these topics in this episode. Grab your free Setting the Scene for Sleep checklist .  Allison mentions these pajamas: KicKee Pants Footie Jammies KicKe...

Allison and JoAnn Crohn, parenting coach and founder of No Guilt Mom, discuss the guilt and overwhelm all mothers feel from time to time. They share many personal anecdotes and explore these topics: how current societal pressures impact the role mothers play in a family the effect social media and comparing yourself to others has on moms JoAnn's thoughts on the root of most mom guilt and overwhelm...

Did you catch part one of this two part conversation on the crib to bed transition? In episode 117, Allison and Sophie Kuzjak, one of our sleep coaches, detailed the plan to move Sophie's daughter from her crib to her big girl bed. In this episode, Sophie is back to reveal how well the plan worked, and the insights she gained from the completed transition. Sophie is sharing the lessons she learned...

The crib to bed transition is a significant milestone in a young child's life. In this episode, Allison is collaborating with Sophie Kuzjak, one of our sleep coaches, as Sophie prepares to move her daughter from her crib to her big girl bed. This isn't the first time they've tried to make this transition so Sophie is handling it differently this time. This episode is dedicated to how Sophie has pr...

Once kids transition out of the crib, early morning wakings can become particularly tricky. In this episode, you'll hear 3 quick tips that can help your child stay in their room in the morning, even if they wake up before their designated wake time in the morning. Allison mentions  Episode 46. The Key to Success with a Toddler Clock Click here to watch or listen on YouTube   Want to hear more from...

After each guest interview we do for the podcast, Allison asks our guests some rapid-fire questions unrelated to their area of expertise. Today's episode is a compilation of all the great "bonus answers" they shared with us in the last six months. These five guests will share their best parenting advice, book and podcast and show recommendations, favorite meal they prepare at home, and the persona...

If you have a toddler or preschooler who has become a master at stalling before or during their bedtime routine, this episode is for you. Allison is sharing the benefits of using timers to help your child start and get through their bedtime routine. And even if you've tried timers in the past and didn't think they helped, we encourage you to listen. There are a couple mistakes that parents often m...

So many sleep questions arise when parents think of traveling from the U.S. to Europe with young kids. What's the ideal time of day to fly? Do I let the kids sleep on the plane? What if they don't sleep well on the plane? How do we adjust to the new time zone? How do I manage sleep schedules so my kids are not overtired the whole trip? How do we fit in dinner at a restaurant and still make sure ev...

Allison and our new coaches, Sophie and Ellen, share gift ideas for the holiday season. They're sharing suggestions for both the children and adults in your life, plus some items you may want to treat yourself to, as well!  Allison mentions  Episode 60. Sleep Products My Clients Loved in 2022 Details on the products mentioned in this episode: Wine glasses:  https://www.etsy.com/listing/1147123827/...

Today, we're diving into a topic that many parents face - what happens when your child finds out the truth about Santa Claus. Allison is sharing how her daughter first posed questions about Santa, how she handled telling her the truth, and how they both dealt with the emotions.   Allison mentions  Episode 105. What Your Child's Kindergarten Teacher Wishes You Knew with Meg Franco Click here to wat...

The holiday travel season is upon us. You may be preparing to take your family on a long car ride or be flying somewhere. Your travels may be taking you to stay with family or to stay in a hotel. Some children will be sleeping in their own room during these travels and some of you will need to roomshare. And on top of everything else, many will be traveling to different time zones. So today, Allis...

Allison is joined by Elizabeth Newton, a registered dietician and prenatal nutrition specialist, to discuss tips for batting fatigue during pregnancy. Elizabeth has a true passion for optimizing women's energy and vitality during pregnancy with whole foods and holistic wellness.  While fatigue during pregnancy is complex and can often stem from a combination of multiple factors, one of the first t...

Allison believes that toddler clocks (or toddler light systems) are the most valuable sleep tool you can use for a child over the age of 2 years old. She recommends every parent gift one to their child on their second birthday. In today's episode, however, she answers the question of whether toddler clocks can be helpful for children under 2.  Allison mentions  Episode 9. The Truth About Night Lig...

If you have a child who is 2 years old or younger, this episode is for you. Listen in to hear how much sleep Allison thinks is optimal for babies during their first two years. She is providing detailed advice for each developmental phase in the first two years. She explains the overall amount of sleep that is optimal for each phase, and breaks down how much should be allocated to naps and how much...

The dreaded fall time change is upon us again. In 2023, most of America will move their clocks back one hour on Sunday, November 5th. But there's no need for concern. Allison has guided her community through this transition for years with great results. Her plan makes it a very quick and mostly painless process. Today she shares how you can help your child smoothly transition to the new time. She...

The transition to kindergarten is a big adjustment - both for children and their parents. If your family is going through this transition now, or if it's on the horizon for you, you'll surely learn a few things from Allison's conversation with Meg Franco, a Kindergarten teacher at Ivy Elementary in Charlottesville, VA. Meg has been teaching kindergarten for 22 years and strives to instill in her s...

Whether you have a child already in preschool or one who will start preschool in the years to come, we know you'll learn something from this episode. Elizabeth Lane is a preschool teacher at St. Anne's-Belfield in Charlottesville, Virginia and she's discussing how best to prepare your child for success in preschool. Listen in to hear Allison and Elizabeth discuss these topics: Building Independenc...

In this Sleep SOS episode, a listener asks how to help an eight year old who says she can't fall asleep on her own. Allison has the answer for this listener, plus some general guidelines for helping older kids get enough sleep.   Two weeks ago, Allison asked her Instagram community to submit questions about their child's sleep. Jenna, a mom of an 8 year old girl, shared that her daughter struggles...

What do you do when your child suddenly decides to stop napping? We've got the answer for you today in this Sleep SOS episode. Earlier this week, Allison asked her Instagram community to submit questions about their child's sleep. Jessica, a mom of a 4.5 year old boy, is questioning how to address the fact that her son suddenly dropped his nap. You may know from following Allison that the ideal tr...

If you have a child going to daycare, preschool or elementary school and your mornings are stressful, this episode is for you. Allison is providing solutions to some of the most common issues that families struggle with in the mornings. She's walking you through how her family prepares for smooth mornings, and what things to consider as you develop the plan for your own family. A consistent mornin...

Join Allison in celebrating her 100th episode as she shares what inspired her to become a certified sleep coach in order to help other parents with their children's sleep. Starting her own business was quite a shift from her previous professional positions. In this episode, she's sharing her personal backstory and thanking you for allowing her to be part of your parenting journey. Allison refers t...

Every baby (and adult!) has a different level of natural sleep talent. Understanding where your baby falls on that spectrum of sleep ability is crucial to helping them become a great sleeper.  In today's episode, Allison is explaining the vast extremes of sleep ability to help you think about sleep a little bit differently. Every baby's path to becoming a great sleeper is going to be unique. But i...