The Baby Sleep Connection: Holistic help for tired, responsive parents who don't want to sleep train

There’s a lot to feel frustrated and run down about with your baby’s sleep.  But the flip side of the coin matters too. In this episode, we explore the positive side of baby sleep: what happens with sleep, what it can teach you, and what you gain from it (yes, truly!). If you’ve been struggling to see the positive side of baby sleep, have a listen while I explore: Sleep development Uncoupling slee...

Heather Boyd, Occupational Therapist and developmental infant sleep coach gets honest about the things that may be driving you mad about baby sleep.  And when the reality of baby sleep conflicts with what we’ve been told, the gap between what we want and what is happening can be wide.  Let’s get honest about what makes baby sleep hard because then we can shift to what can make it easier.   Honesty...

If you’ve been giving yourself a hard time for not staying calm, have a listen. Perhaps being calm is overrated. It feels so good to stay calm, but calmness doesn’t always fit the situation.  It’s also simply part of the human experience to go through challenges that throw us out of calm, dysregulate us, and leave us feeling off balance and stressed.  The Beatles may have sung about having “nothin...

To start 2026, I’m joined by a guest whose story brings new perspectives around surviving and thriving in parenthood. Stephanie Woodward is a not-for-profit CEO, attorney, proud disabled woman, and mom to six children—including triplets and children adopted through foster care.  She and her husband went from family of 2 to family of 8 within a single year.  In this conversation, we explore parenti...

Sometimes health and medical issues get in the way of how sleep development unfolds. In this episode, Heather Boyd discusses why airway and obstructive sleep apnea are so important to understand, common signs parents may see at night and during the day, sleep apnea’s impact on learning and behaviour, and a plan of action if you are noticing signs of obstructive sleep apnea in your infant. Knowing...

New Years Eve, and New Years Resolutions land differently once you’re a parent. The idea of setting resolutions and goals for oneself in the usual ways may not fit at your season of parenting. And that’s ok. Instead, let’s explore 5 questions to ask yourself as you step into 2026. Join Heather Boyd, Occupational Therapist, sleep coach, and mother of 3 as she explores the merit of asking yourself:...

In this episode, we break down what newborn sleep really looks like in the first week—especially the shift from the sleepy first night to the cluster-feeding intensity of night two. You’ll learn what’s normal, why it happens, and simple ways to support rest and regulation in these early days. Night one is recovery; night two is recalibration. We cover: The biology of newborn sleep and why it’s so...

If you identify as a highly sensitive person, wrap yourself in your favourite blanket, grab a tea, take a deep belly breath and listen in on this episode.  Psychotherapist Nelia DeAmaral chats with occupational therapist and sleep coach Heather Boyd about how to navigate early motherhood as a highly sensitive person. In this episode we talk about: What you may recognize in yourself as a highly sen...

As the parent of a new baby, you know better than anyone that newborn sleep is different. For Heather Boyd, occupational therapist and mom of 3, there likely was nothing that could have prepared her for the interrupted sleep, the noises her baby would make while sleeping, or the intensity of cluster feeding. However, knowing what to expect and what is normal for baby sleep can be reassuring at a t...

In this episode, Heather Boyd, O.T., mom, and sleep coach, explores why babies drop naps, why it can feel so difficult, and what to do to make it easier. Even though dropping naps is a normal part of development, it can be a bumpy ride! HOW to drop naps without making sleep challenges worse is one of the most common questions Heather gets in her practice. Whether dropping naps is parent-led, circu...

Heather Boyd, occupational therapist and mom of 3, shares ways that separation-based advice backfires and what to do instead. When parents get advice that involves separation without any focus on attachment, it can block a parent's ability to help their children regulate.  Whether it’s daytime meltdowns or bedtime shenanigans, separation can feel very alarming. Listen to this episode for examp...

In Part 2 of Sleep Emergencies, Heather Boyd, occupational therapist and sleep coach, explores a shift she has seen in her private practice away from “preventing” sleep challenges towards more sleep emergencies, and increased parent stress. The impact on mental health is significant, and getting the appropriate supports is crucial. At a time when stress and information overwhelm are high, parents...

What is a sleep emergency? How is it different than difficult sleep that needs coaching. And when is it a mental health emergency requiring medical attention? Heather Boyd, occupational therapist and certified infant and family sleep specialist, explores these questions and offers strategies for getting support and managing a sleep emergency including: Signs and symptoms of a mental health crisis...

Sleep associations often get a “bad wrap”, being labelled crutches or bad habits. In this episode, Heather breaks down what a sleep association is, what it isn’t, and how to appreciate the role sleep associations have in making bedtimes more pleasant. Sharing parallels with routines and habits we have during the day, as well as sleep associations that we as adults use, Heather makes a case for jud...

Laila, mom of two and host of the popular Learning To Mom Podcast, shares her personal story about discovering what prenatal depression is and why she has come to understand that prenatal depression may have been part of what made her unexpected pregnancy at age 24 so challenging. This is a heartfelt conversation that runs the gamut from laughter to vulnerability. Although the circumstances of Lai...

What if your baby’s sleep was a language you just haven’t become fluent in yet? It can be frustrating to try to figure out what interrupted sleep, resistant naps, or frequent waking are telling us. But if we start looking at this as a language we can learn, the cues become like words, and patterns begin to form sentences that help us understand what our baby needs. Mentioned in this episode: Liste...

Have you been doing “everything right” with your baby’s schedule, following a rigid instructions of a nap and bedtime schedule you found in a book or online and still feel like sleep isn’t working? Listen to 3 key perspectives that will have you rethinking your relationship to your baby’s sleep schedule. Ultimately: Sleep schedules are tools, not solutions. Stress (in you or your baby) can lead to...

Whether you are a first-time mom or have multiple kids, there are a few things Heather would want to share with you over a cup of tea (or decaf Americano) to make sleep development easier to navigate. Listen in as she reassures listeners that: Your baby is not broken (and you did NOT break their sleep) Your approach is going to be unique and doesn’t have to follow the rules of any one approach. Th...

Angela Sacco talks with Heather about how to give birth through the perspective of yoga. In the interview we talk about: How sounds during labour support opening of your cervix (and what sounds to make) Breath, and its role in birthing your baby How the vagus nerve supports you in staying in a regulated parasympathetic state and staying out of sympathetic fight or flight The connection between fea...

You Ask, I Answer! Join Heather as she answers questions about how to bridge to the next connection without interrupting the bedtime routine, and how to problem solve 2 hour bedtimes. She covers: What is bridging to the next connection? How to use the Boomerang method of leaving your child at bedtime, but returning before they call out to you (or chase you out of the room!) Ways to reconnect and b...

Join Heather Boyd as she talks to Carrie Bennett, a health educator in the emerging field of quantum biology, about using light to optimize health and sleep.  Carrie has a background in biology, nutrition and body work.  Her work is focused on supporting clients by translating and applying research and knowledge about using light and water for promoting optimal health. In this episode, Heather and...

In this episode, Heather answers real questions from tired parents looking for solutions. We cover two questions about independent sleep: How do I stop holding my 15 month old’s hand for her to fall asleep? How do I help my 3 and 5 year old fall asleep independently? To answer these questions, Heather describes sleep support strategies that respect your baby’s need for safety and security, stage o...

Let’s talk about the 4-month sleep regression: what it is, what it’s not, and how to manage it. In this episode, Heather Boyd, occupational therapist and sleep coach, explores what’s happening at the 4-month mark and how to move past the worry and fear about this stage of your baby’s development. You’ll learn: An alternative perspective on the entire idea of a 4-month sleep “regression What’s happ...

If there was one theme in my practice in the past year, it was night weaning and how to do it with respect, reason, and responsiveness.  So today’s episode is right on the mark. My colleague and friend, Kim Hawley, IBCLC and Holistic Sleep Coach, shares perspectives and guidance on night feeding and weaning, and its relationship to sleep. Kim Hawley, MA, MPH, IBCLC is a Holistic Sleep Coach, Lacta...

Wondering if your newborn’s sleep is normal? In this episode, Heather Boyd, occupational therapist and sleep coach, breaks down what to expect in the first few months of sleep development. Listen in to hear: What sleep looks like in the first few months What movements, sounds, and behaviours you’ll see in your newborn when they are sleeping What reflexes, breathing patterns, and movement patterns...