The Snooze Button: Baby & Toddler Sleep, Simplified

Having a baby changes everything - your body, your relationships, maybe your career....and certainly, how you see yourself in this new, wild life. Kate Blumstein is a Seattle-based clinical psychologist & PhD who specializes in the perinatal period. Kate talks us through all facets of postpartum identify shifts, and the important reminders we often need in this stage - that we don't have to fi...

Stessed about nighttime potty training? After this episode, you probably won't be. Today we're getting into the VERY BIG difference between daytime & nighttime potty training, what NOT to do to try and force it, and what you CAN do at the right time to help enable your child to get their successfully on their own. Tickets to Troop Potty Training are here! Join Us! Loved this episode? There is...

Today's episode is brought to you (as usual!) by a conversation with a client that I had today. This time, it was a reel, captioned "Cry It Out Is Not A Thing" which discussed.....nothing that was even remotely related to sleep. But a great hook, right?! So today I'm going to unpack it a bit - a response to the constant barrage of triggering content we get as parents on social media (and a reminde...

Does your family attend church on Sunday mornings? Or head over to a relative's home each Friday for Shabbat? If so, you're like many of my clients. And I have great news - your champion sleeping baby is going to thrive, even if these weekly rituals mean their sleep will be a little bit different on occasion. In today's episode, I'll explain why these weekly events ain't no thang for a great sleep...

I hear it all the time "I've tried everything! But he/she still has short naps!" It's a tale as old as time. Time you spend trying to hack your way to great naps - and I am here to stop you in your tracks! In today's episode we'll discuss a few things - how long naps typically take to "click", why the quick tips and hacks you try never work, and what you need to take into consideration if you do w...

"Oh my God what a great sleeper, you're so LUCKY!" Ever been triggered by that one?! Or maybe you're the Mom with a toddler who seems to tantrum 24/7, and are convinced you did something wrong and have singlehandedly created a monster. Today I will disabuse you of these theories - both through my own experience as a Mom of 3 (who are all sometimes easy and sometimes not so much) and as a professio...

Got a stage 5 clinger on your hands? If you're a parent of a pre-toddler, the answer is probably yes. Is it totally age appropriate and developmental? Yes. Is it exhausting as a parent? Also yes. Are there things you can do to help facilitate independent play at this age? Great news - very much YES! Today we'll break this down into two parts: Tools to set your child up for success with playing ind...

First time parent with a new baby? You might be doing one of these two things: 1) Feeling bored AF. Baby is just laying there, you are staring at them, wondering when they will be old enough to form an opinion about socioeconomic issues or 2) Feeling overwhelmed. You have your color contract cards, your baby toy subscription, your prescribed exact numbers of minute to allocate for tummy time each...

Have you ever stared blankly into your fridge at 5 PM, trying to conjure up a dinner plan for your family? Have you ever felt the gentle parenting levetate out of your body when your child begs you for the 35th snack of the day? Recipe guru & cookbook author Rachel Mansfield is here, and she is going to solve all your family food problems (seriously - I was literally taking notes as we spoke)....

I cannot pretend that I am excited to turn 40 tomorrow, but here we are! To ease my birthday scaries, I'm sending a message to little 30 year old Brittany, who is newly pregnant with her first baby. Some of my lessons are cliche (but real) and some, maybe, will give you some food for thought, if you're still in your 30s! Loved this episode? There is so much more where that came from: ️Subscribe......

Spoiler! The list of reasons why it's a good idea is very, very short (and rarely the reasons I see clients coming to me using them, without success). So today we'll get into it - when not to use one, why I don't suggest it, and in which (rare) scenarios it might be a worthwhile idea! Looking for more of my hot takes on gadgets that you don't need to help with sleep? Check out this previous episod...

Yes, I found a way to make Heated Rivalry the topic of a baby & toddler sleep podcast episode, you are welcome! Because mentally, we are all still at the cottage *this episode contains show spoilers* In today's episode, I'm going to discuss some a-ha moments I had about how I want to raise my sons (and my daughters), after watching Heated Rivalry, a show about two professional hockey rivals wh...

Whether you're annoyed by judgey comments, disappointed your feeding journey looks different than you imagined, or just overwhelmed by all the options available, formula feeding comes with it's own sets of challenges. And in 2026, it comes with new concerns - safety, recalls, did someone say seed oils?! Well great news, Mallory Whitmore of the popular IG account The Formula Mom, is here to put you...

Spoiler! A qualified sleep consultant would never tell a parent "You’re spoiling your baby" or "Your baby is manipulating you". It's honestly insane I need to say that, but I've actually had clients forward me reels claiming this is coming from my "predatory industry". Lolz, I digress. While we'd never say that, there are certain atributes about a consultant's business that signal they are not onl...

Toddler parents, this one is for you. I'm about to tell you to ignore all (some?) of your adult-centric instincts, and how it will help your 2 or 3 year old tremendously. We parents? We have a tendency to overcomplicate things for people who, despite their strong opinions, are surprisingly uncomplicated. I'll walk you through 4 concepts - The Gentle Parenting Trap, The Multiple Choice Meltdown, Th...

Think your baby might just be "low sleep needs"? Think again my friend! High and low sleep needs very much do exist, but usually not the way you think. In today's episode, I'll explain how low and high sleep needs do not manifest (spoiler: your baby isn't taking 45 minutes naps because they are "low sleep needs"), and I'll share the illustrative example of two pretend children, one "high" and one...

There may be no audience more primed to be triggered and confused than a tired new Mom whose trying to learn about baby sleep. I have noticed an uptick recently in clients complaining about the content they're being fed, and I wanted to address it. In this episode I'll remind you - who is saying this (and moreso, who is NOT saying it - trusted sources), why you keep seeing more of it (it's not bec...

You did everything to prep your toddler to meet their new sibling, and now the time has come. What should you expect? What's a "normal" transition? How to do you go from taking care of one human to two? In today's episode, we'll cover all of it : how baby's arrival may (or may not) impact toddler's sleep, potty, feeding and behavior ways to fill your toddler's cup and reaffirm them in the early we...

Baby's on the way! How will your first baby handle it? First things first - there is no one way. But there are certain things that can pop up, and there are ways to best handle it. From fixing in the moment sleep issues to preventing future headaches, this is the episode to listen to as soon as that double line shows up, and you've got a toddler underfoot! Loved this episode? There is so much more...

Today's episode came via a client's request - that I talk about how to handle social dynamics with friends who don't prioritize sleep for their kids....which means YOU are the bad guy for pulling them away from late night events to make it home for bedtime. It's a classic "next stage" of parenting moment - when your kids realize that their friends don't have a household run identically to their ow...

It's one of the most frustrating experiences for so many of my new clients. They come to me exhausted and confused. "We already sleep trained, we don't understand why it didn't work!!" Today I'll share all of my cold hard truths that will hopefully allow you to release the fear that you simply have a uniquely mystifying "bad sleeper" - even if you tried the same failing process with another child...

"A race to the bottom" is how a client of mine once referred to her friend circle, regarding sleep. Everyone seems eager to one up each other on how terrible their baby or toddler sleeps. But when it comes to potty issues, parents don't feel that same energy - they feel isolated, like their child is the ONLY one who can't seem to figure it out. So, I'm here as a professional potty trainer to assur...

No hate no shade! Pediatricians are some of my favorite people. Great ones are a LIFELINE to their patients, and they are wonderful partners, sounding boards, and resources for me as a professional. But all pediatricians are not created equal, and more importantly, they really aren't trained on sleep at all. Despite over a decade of schooling and training required for this very difficult and impor...

Night sweats? Phantom Baby Cries? Leaky Boobs? Just Can't Put Down The Damn Monitor? Postpartum sleep struggles are all too real and common. This week we're un packing them - what's normal, how Moms can get better sleep in the early weeks, and even some tips to help baby get better sleep in the early weeks.....cause the hard work now means blissful days and nights later! I mentioned a LOT of other...

It's bedtime (or bath time, or play time) and your toddler only wants YOU. Parental Preference can be draining and frustrating for both parents. Board Certified Behavior Analyst and co-founder of ​Behaviorish​ Rachel Morris is here to make it easier. Rachel walks us through all the things - WHY kids tend to default to a specific parent, why it matters that we don't always give into it, how to mana...