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

Long bedtimes are a frequent challenge for families looking for baby sleep support. Spending one or two hours in a dark room trying to cajole your baby to sleep is a stark contrast to the peaceful, connected bedtimes you may have imagined. In this episode, Heather Boyd, O.T., mom of three, and certified Infant and Family Sleep Specialist, explores 6 reasons long bedtimes might be happening, and wh...

Heather helps unravel the myth that helping your baby to sleep is a “bad habit”. If you nurse to sleep, bed share, or rock, pat, or walk your baby to sleep, listen in to explore: The 3 reasons we fear “bad habits” How habits serve us Why habits are like diapers! 3 things to say to yourself that help you take the fear out of bad habits Mentioned in this Episode: Sign up for the Free Sleep Workshop:...

Heather Boyd is joined by Mr. Chazz, educator, mentor, and motivational speaker, who is making positive waves in the parenting community through his work teaching Conscious Discipline. In this episode, Mr. Chazz covers: The 5 steps to Conscious Discipline (I am, I calm, I feel, I choose, and I solve) The idea of accepting the parenting reality in front of you, instead of resisting it Learning cons...

Heather Boyd, Occupational Therapist, mom of 3, and certified Infant and Family Sleep Specialist, talks about the value of connection and self-regulation in helping make transitions (including bedtime) easier.  Parenting is hard.  Let’s find ways to use connection to ease the load. Have a listen to hear about: How Gordon Neufeld’s approach to attachment supports cooperation Keeping your dignity in...

Heather Boyd, Occupational Therapist and sleep coach, explores the strategies she guides parents to use to tackle the mountain of challenges in the first few years of parenting (and beyond!). In addition to sharing how she tackled a particularly chaotic period of parenting, Heather breaks down the three steps she uses when there seems to be more problems to solve than there is time to solve them....

Heather Boyd interviews integrative pediatrician, Dr. Joel “Gator” Warsh about what it takes to raise healthy children.  Dr. Warsh, M.D., has a Master’s degree in epidemiology, and founded his private pediatric clinic in California in 2018.  He is a speaker, published researcher, dad, and author (his book, Parenting At Your Child’s Pace : The integrative pediatrician’s guide to the first three yea...

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! Whether dropping naps is parent-led, circumstance-led, or baby-led, Heather explores ways to make the transition easier. She also explores: Robust naps versus “cat...

Heather Boyd, OT, Sleep Coach, and mom of 3 answers the common question that tired and worried parents ask: How much sleep does my baby need? We explore how many hours of sleep are recommended at various ages, and what factors can impact how much sleep your baby needs (and how much they're getting!). The Resources I Mention in this Episode: Sign up for the Podcast Resource Hub to access Nation...

Heather Boyd, sleep coach, occupational therapist, and mom of 3 addresses the big concern that many parents have around their baby being overtired.  She provides reassurance and strategies for managing overtiredness in babies and explains what else might be going on, and why it can be SO hard to get your baby to fall asleep if they’ve missed their bedtime.  2:18 Fear of baby being overtired 3:26 H...

In this episode Heather Boyd, sleep coach and therapist, chats with Tara Gratto, mom of 2 and parenting coach who supports parents and caring adults of children from toddler through early teen with behaviour, emotional regulation and social-emotional wellbeing.  *Heather's audio in this interview is, unfortunately, quite low. We didn't edit it out to provide context for the questions Heath...

Heather Boyd, occupational therapist, mom of 3, and Infant & Family Sleep Specialist, outlines the four most common reasons she sees parents struggle with a baby who is not sleeping as well as expected. This episode is a sneak peak at Heather's upcoming free Masterclass, "Why Isn't My Baby Sleeping?". Save your seat for May 30th at www.familysleep.ca/free-workshops to attend...

Join Heather Boyd in her interview with Sara Intonato, master coach to parents of children with special needs, as they explore parenting, self-regulation, and how Sara used yoga and self-care to heal emotionally after her son was diagnosed with autism.     With over 20 years of coaching experience that includes an extensive background in the ancient science of yoga, Sara Intonato brings a unique c...

Heather Boyd, Occupational Therapist, Sleep Coach, and Mom of 3 explores a NEW way to give on Mother’s Day.  If you’ve been disappointed, underwhelmed, overwhelmed, or overcommitted on Mother’s Day and are left wondering how to feel loved and nurtured on Mother’s Day, have a listen. Heather explores: 4 gifts to give yourself this (and every) Mother’s Day What to let go of Why self-love is importan...

When sleep gets challenging, it's tempting to focus all of your attention on your baby's behaviour (hello, behavioural sleep training!). Instead, what if you put your energy and attention on things BEYOND actual sleep that can make sleep easier? Sleep hygiene is probably the most underrated and underappreciated strategy for sleep, but can be SO valuable for making sleep easier. And that&#3...

In this episode, Heather Boyd, mom of 3, certified Infant & Family Sleep Specialist, and Occupational Therapist, talks about why working so hard on making our baby’s sleep better can often make sleep harder. She shares: ✔️ Why we are conditioned to think grit gets us goals ✔️ Why sleep training  culture makes us believe it’s our JOB to work hard to make sleep easy ✔️ How working hard on your b...

Heather Boyd chats with Jessica Darling, a personal trainer from Toronto, Ontario who specializes in prenatal and postpartum fitness.  As a former competitive athlete, (rowing, cycling) and all round gym rat, Jessica loved feeling strong and pushing herself to the limits. After the birth of her daughter, jumping back into that kind of exercise wasn't the right fit. After some searching she fou...

In this episode, Heather Boyd, mom of 3, sleep coach, and occupational therapist dives into how to trust your baby and trust the process. As an exhausted and overwhelmed parent, you are likely all too aware of how hard this is. And yet, as a responsive parent looking for a better way to parent than conventional approaches, you've probably already had experiences that have required trusting the...

If you have an unsettled baby, settle in for a listen as I talk with Alice Lucken, Internationally Board-Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC), nurse, and coach to parents of unsettled babies. Alice is from the UK.  In addition to her IBCLC and coaching ro In this episode we talk about: A holistic approach to supporting an unsettled baby How to advocate for your baby when you  The value of having...

Heather Boyd, mom of three, occupational therapist, and attachment-based sleep coach, explores why baby sleep looks so different from your own sleep --and how that guides what you can do as a parent to support your baby's sleep. In this episode, Heather covers: What 4 things change with your baby's sleep as sleep matures How sleep is brain-based (what's going on in that cranium, anyhow...

There’s a misconception out there that there are only two choices when it comes to supporting your baby’s sleep: cry it out, or ride it out. And as much as I tend to lean towards letting sleep development unfold (ride it out, within reason), this false dichotomy really does a disservice to parents. In this episode I explore why I believe this false dichotomy exists, and what to do instead. I talk...

The message so many parents get is that the burden is on YOU to teach your baby to sleep independently. Instead, let’s explore a holistic approach to your baby’s sleep.   In this episode I cover: What is a holistic approach to sleep? Finding easier ways to support sleep without sleep training is valuable to your baby AND to you Sleep as a vulnerable state that requires feeling safe Why wake window...