The Responsive Family Sleep Podcast

The research on sleep training has many limitations that are often not discussed in mainstream narratives around sleep training. In this episode I’m joined by Jess of the infant sleep scientist, to talk about sleep training research. We discuss the challenges in reading research, and how sleep training research has historically been very separate from other important areas like attachment, develop...

Independent sleep isn’t inherently something young children can do, and yet it is one of the most common goals parents have for their baby or toddler. That tension between expectation and capability can lead to a lot of stress and frustration. In this episode I’m digging into what it means to work towards independent sleep. I discuss how independent sleep goals can look different from family to fa...

Birth is the transition into parenthood, and your birth story affects your early parenting experience. In this episode, I’m joined by Jaely Turner, a Perinatal Educator, Birth Story Listener, and doula, to talk about the power in our birth stories. We discuss why birth stories matter, the importance of integrating our birth story, and how carrying that story forward without holding space for it ca...

What does it mean to support healthy sleep for your baby or toddler? In this episode I’m unpacking the definition of healthy sleep. In the US, our definition of healthy sleep is very narrow and focused around independent sleep. I’m sharing how this narrow definition affects sleep goals, and what babies, toddlers, and all humans really need for healthy sleep. Resources related to this episode Check...

Your postpartum experience matters. In this episode, I’m joined by Hollie Hauptly, doula, Childbirth Educator, and CEO of Birth Boot Camp. Our conversation focuses on what to expect in the 4th trimester and how best to support yourself. We talk about what the 4th trimester is, and why your postpartum experience matters. We discuss realistic expectations around baby care, expectations around the bi...

I hear this popular phrase a lot – that sleep begets more sleep. It brings your focus to always encouraging longer naps, longer nighttime sleep, and that lack of sleep is always the reason sleep is tricky. In this episode I’m debunking this myth. Assuming your baby always needs more sleep can actually make sleep worse. I walk you through the idea that babies (and all humans) only need so much slee...

The questions ‘are contact naps ok?’ and ‘are contact naps creating bad habits?’ come up a lot with new parents. There’s such a narrow definition of acceptable, healthy naps, that it’s easy to feel guilty and stressed over a baby who does better contact napping. In this episode, I’m answering this question. I’m sharing why contact naps are healthy, normal, and a great parenting tool. Enjoy those b...

Weaning is such a big step in a nursing journey, and often there isn’t much support and space to explore the weaning process. In this episode, I’m joined by Katy Baker-Cohen, an IBCLC with a special love of supporting parents on their weaning journey. Our conversation focuses on the experience of choosing to wean an established nursing relationship. We talk about the decision to wean and the emoti...

We live in a sleep training culture, and that means we hear a lot of promises around the magic of sleep training. It’s safe, effective, and will definitely fix your baby’s sleep quickly! There’s much more complexity to what the research actually says about sleep training, however, and much of what we commonly hear is full of false promises. In this episode, I’m sharing reflections around the idea...

The early years are a sensitive period for development, and the last several decades have started to give us insights into this sensitive period through the lens of neuroscience. . In this episode, I’m joined by Greer Kirshenbaum, PhD, a Neuroscientist, Doula, and Infant and Family Sleep Specialist. Our conversation focuses on the importance of nurture in the early years and how this time is reall...

The world of sleep info is generally terrible when it comes to supporting the nursing relationship. As a nursing parent, it’s important to know when information could potentially harm your supply or make nursing unnecessarily hard. IN this episode I’m highlighting some of the most common information that signals a source isn’t giving you nursing supportive advice. Resources related to this episode...

Babywearing is one of my personal essential parenting tools! In this week’s episode I’m joined by Katie Shamp, Babywearing Educator/Consultant, and we are talking all about babywearing. We touch on the reasons to reach out to a babywearing educator and the many ways they can help you along your babywearing journey. We discuss how babywearing looks different from family to family and as your child...

In this episode , I’m talking about what to do when your baby or toddler really, really won’t accept their other parent overnight. Even with the best tips, not all children at all ages are going to gently be nudged into accepting both parents overnight. I work with many families who find that it’s more stressful than they are comfortable with and prefer to find other ways to support the nursing pa...

Sharing nighttime parenting sounds like a great way to approach caring for your little one, and yet it often doesn’t end up working in practice for many families. There are so many reasons why the nighttime parenting might fall on one parent more than the other. However, just because it isn’t happening organically, doesn’t mean you can’t gently work towards both parents being involved in nighttime...

Parenting is full of hard things and hard conversations. Between the lack of sleep, shifting identities, and new dynamics, it’s natural to struggle with some hard conversations and disagreements. In this episode, I’m joined by Megan Walsh, an attachment-based therapist with a specialty in building skills and confidence around hard conversations. Megan shares tips for how to have hard conversations...

Touch is a powerful need and support of healthy development. In this episode, I’m joined by Helen Thompson, a qualified baby massage instructor. We chat about the benefits of massage, ways massage can support sleep, tips for making massage more playful and multi-sensory, and a lot about attunement, reading your babies cues, and communication. I hope this episode gives you some simple ideas you can...

In this episode, I’m talking about reflecting on your baby sleep story. Baby sleep stories are the ideas, expectations, and preconceptions we have about what baby sleep should look like. They are influenced by many factors and inform our parenting and sleep experience. Reflecting on your narrative or sleep story can allow you to set aside the expectations and pressures that don’t meet your family’...

Sleep is complex and influenced by many factors. In this episode, I’m joined by Dr. Karen Molano, a psychologist specializing in infant, family, and early childhood development. Our conversation touches on her 8 pillars to support optimal wellness and then we dive into the specifics around gut health, digestion, and sleep. We touch on the importance of a healthy gut, the brain gut connection, prom...

In this episode, I’m unpacking the ways in which sleep and lactation are interconnected. So many parents hear conflicting information about nursing and sleep, and there is a lot of sleep advice that can negatively impact a parents nursing relationship. This is a big topic, and I’m highlighting 4 factors that are important to consider: the need for nighttime milk removal to maintain supply; baby’s...

In this episode, I’m joined by Nikko a Perinatal Quantum Biology Practitioner and Doula. We talk about the importance of a healthy circadian rhythm, how the circadian rhythm develops, and factors that support a healthy circadian rhythm. We also discuss why you should even care about a healthy circadian rhythm. This was a fun conversation and I hope it offers you some new ideas and insights. About...

In this episode, I’m sharing 5 basic concepts that can guide the ways you understand and support your littles sleep. These are concepts I’m often talking about with the parents I support – curiosity, context, connection, coregulation, and consistency balanced with flexibility. I hope they give you some new insight or perspective the next time you are stressing over what’s happening with sleep or h...

Bedsharing is a wonderful parenting tool, but also one that comes with so many questions, decisions, and challenges in modern western culture. In this episode I’m joined by Tiffany from Cosleepy to talk about bedsharing tips and tricks. Our conversation ranges from worries and anxiety over choosing to bedshare to tips around comfort while bedsharing. Plus, we talk about some of the grey areas and...

Gentle is such a buzz word in the sleep world. What does gentle even mean when it comes to sleep support, gentle sleep strategies, or gentle sleep training? In this episode, I’m exploring thoughts around what gentle is and what it is not. I’m talking about my own personal ideas  around gentle and encouraging you to think about your own definition. Resources Related to this Episode Check out my old...

It’s almost that time of year again! The clocks jump forward, and we get more evening sunlight. In this episode , I’m sharing some ideas around helping your baby adjust to daylight saving time. I share a few ways to adjust your baby’s sleep times ahead of daylight saving time and a few tips for helping everyone settle in after the time change. And if you are looking for permission to just do nothi...

In this episode , I’m joined by Austin Rees, IBCLC and Craniosacral Therapy Practitioner. We discuss what bodywork is, and more specifically what CST is. We talk about the ways bodywork can help your baby with more comfortable and effective feeding, calm the nervous system, and support sleep. Austin shares ideas on how to find a bodyworker and a few ideas for what to do when you are struggling to...