Paediatric Sleep and Parenting Podcast with Rachael Wilson

Brand new babies are often very still in the cot when sleeping aside from that Moro reflex kicking in. They can of course be and are noisy when they sleep and those noises often come with some wriggling about but what is normal and what is not? What about when babies grow and get older...?What does that movement look like if it is not so normal and what should you do about it? This weeks podcast I...

Fourth time round Mum, Kate had this sleep thing in the bag…then lockdown happened. And home schooling with a new born happened. And sleep deprivation happened. Co sleeping and sling naps became the norm, It was the only way to get through the day and ensure everyone’s needs were being met in some shape or form, but Mum got to a point this was not sustainable anymore. She knew Minty needed more co...

Boom! Here we go again…another hurdle in the world of sleep. Just as you may have felt your nights were getting on track suddenly they are being disturbed again and you may be wondering “what now”? Well, this is possibly the 18 month sleep regression. Or as we all know I like to call a “progression” because your baby is maturing, not regressing...even though you may feel the sleep is somewhat..! S...

Just when you thought sleep was on track in your home BANG! A temperature rears its ugly head or you are changing bed sheets for the 5th time after they have been thrown up all over…and sleep has gone all out the window! Now what..? How do we deal with sleep when our babies and children are ill? Surely they need to sleep more to recover but what if they are up all night because they slept more in...

When it comes to transitioning out of the swaddle you may wonder what the best sleep sack is to purchase for your baby. With so many options on the market it can be hard to decide what the best one to go for is. ​Of course many high street stores stock them, Marks and Spencer to Sainsbury’s but you may like to dig a little bit deeper and explore other options. Please feel free to share this podcas...

With spring time now here and with the evenings and morning a lot lighter you may find your child’s room a lot lighter and no one wants the sun rise to wake baby at 5am so you may be looking of the perfect black out blind for your child’s bedroom. So what is the best way to ensure the bedroom is kept dark and why do you need this? this weeks podcast I am going to tell you about my favourite produc...

So, you have survived this first year of parenting and reached this awesome milestone your - child’s first birthday! Maybe you will celebrate with a cake smash photo shoot or perhaps invite all the family over but you may also be planning this celebration in a fuzzy haze of sleep deprivation….because you are in that place of no sleep. Your baby is not sleeping well and you wonder is this the 12 mo...

A dream feed is a method used by some parents to offer a late-night feeding, usually between 10 and 11pm, initiated by them just before going to bed. The idea is to feed your baby while they are still sleepy and not fully awake, however, it's important to note that not all babies will benefit from a dream feed which I explain in this podcast. If your baby in under 6 months the dream feed may b...

Too often parents put their child down to bed later in the evening in the hope their child will sleep a little later the following morning. Unfortunately the majority of the time, it backfires and the child wakes at their usual time or even earlier - does 5am sound familiar to you? Why does this happen? They are overtired. The body has a higher level of cortisol in it due to overtiredness and this...

This week's podcast is my opportunity to tell you about the importance of bath time, how we can make it fun for those a little scared of the bath and also some safety tips for us nervous first time mums! I share my top tips on keeping bathtime safe and also ideas on what to do if you don't bathe your child every day and what you can use instead of spending a fortune on bath toys! Please feel free...

So there comes a time when that lovely long lunch time nap is gone…what now?  Does this mean you will be entertaining your toddler for endless hours through the day whilst still managing all your to do list…? I don’t think so! ​In this week's podcast I am explaining the key elements of why it is important for your toddler to still have some "quiet time", what your toddler can do now they are...

Witching hour has arrived, your baby starts to cry and boy does it go on longer than an hour..some days it does not seem to end...and then you have the comments from others saying it's just colic...your baby will get over it...But what is colic really and how can you best support your baby though it? I have been diving into the archives with parenting professionals that I have worked with and this...

This week's podcast I am diving into the archives from my interviews I have done with experts on my Instagram and this week I am bringing Jayne, a 1st Aid expert in the Epsom, Ewell, Kingston and surrounding areas and also offers online courses! Jayne talks to me about 1st Aid in the home and common childhood illnesses, how to prevent and treat.  Jayne offers the following - 1 hour Baby Essen...

Having been a nanny for 20 years and a mum myself for almost 8 years I have planned and prepped hundreds and hundreds of family meals. Never in my life has it become so easy as it has now after the help from the genius that is Suzanne - The Batch Lady! Suzanne has joined Holly and phillip on "The Sofa" over on ITV's "This Morning", written cookbooks and has a huge following over on INSTAGRAM with...

It may seem like there is a very obvious answer out there to this question but with more social media out there and shops advertising beautiful nursery products such as cot bumpers and pillows it can be confusing to know if it is really safe to use these products and if so when is it safe to use them?  In this week's podcast I dive into this topic with a lot of information from the Lullaby Tr...

Don't be scared of this title - I implore you to have a little listen...This week's podcast is about the what, how and when you may want to create a routine for your newborn and you may be surprised that actually you have a little routine going already and don't even know it!  Some parents thrive on routine and others just wonder if they should have a routine and what it may look like. You wi...

The question I am asked most often during discovery calls - "How much crying will be involved Rachael"? An absolutely valid question and one I have answers to. With nearly 6 years of experience behind me in this field of sleep training I have seen it all and supported parents through the tears from both child and parent.  Of course there is going to be tears and in this podcast I explain more...

A question I am often asked from new parents is " when should we get into a routine"? So I kick of this new season of podcast by answering this question. I explain when and why routines may work and also the potential fall outs if there is no routine in place. For the "go with the flow" parents out there, don't be scared to listen to this one... you may find out something interesting that you can...

The holidays always bring some disruption to sleep and Christmas holidays is the most disruptive I would say because it is just all to exciting! Family are staying or maybe you have travelled to to see them, cousins are together and movie nights happen and of course...there is the waiting for Santa! But how can we manage sleep around this, what can we do to help stay on track and does it really ma...

Yuk! I really don't like being cold so this time of year is really not my fave especially with all the extra layers which means more washing we have! And with this many parents ask me because it is so cold what is the best way to dress baby when they go down for sleep? This week I explain what your baby needs to sleep in at night, I explain what happens around 4am in the morning and how this can a...

Like most things practice makes perfect and no less is it true when it comes to sleep training. I know many families have the desire to sleep train and they embark on that journey only to fail because there was no consistency. They may have thought they know what to do because their friend did it and it worked for them or they read an article on google but what was missing here was the true detail...

When embarking on a sleep training journey there are some things you must consider BEFORE you start. So today I wanted to talk over some of the do’s and don’ts from my professional opinion, explain the why behind each point and empower you to know you are making the right choices for your family, know it is the right time or even the wrong time, be able to spot any reasons why sleep training may n...

This week I dive into the signs you may start to see and experience with your baby that may get you wondering "is this the 8-10 month sleep "progression"? I will guide you through these signs and also explain how you can manage them and (hopefully!) come out the other side quite swiftly and without too much disruption to your child's sleep. Wondering about that 3-2 nap transition I mention and wou...

If you are pregnant with your first or maybe your second, third or even fourth...maybe you have thought about hypnobirthing or mindful birthing and wondered what is it all about? On this week's podcast Rachel from Barefoot Birthing answers all your questions about hypnobirthing and mindful birthing! Rachel explains how it helps and enable Mums to prepare for birth and how partners are involved and...

Not sure if you are ready to jump on the sleep training journey? It can be confusing and with public pressure around your from social media, friends and family all telling you different things you may feel torn on what to do, what is the right thing to do and how to go about it. These 4 signs I explain in this week's podcast may help you make the decision. Let me be clear that I am not here to tel...