The Responsive Family Sleep Podcast

How do you define healthy baby sleep? I bet you’ve been told it’s a baby who goes in their crib drowsy but awake, falls asleep independently, and sleeps through the night. That’s our cultural definition of healthy sleep, but it’s not a more developmentally informed, biologically based definition. In this week’s episode, I’m walking you through a better way to conceptualize healthy baby sleep. I’m also sharing a reminder that healthy and normal doesn’t mean easy or sustainable, and to always remember that modern life regularly undermines healthy sleep for us all. 

Connect with Kim 

Instagram: instagram.com/intuitive_parenting_dc
Facebook:  facebook.com/intuitiveparentingdc

Learn more about working with Kim: https://intuitiveparentingdc.com/

There are so many decisions we parents make every single day. It’s exhausting. And trying to make decisions in the middle of the night adds an extra layer of exhausting. Should we wait a few minutes, or go in right way? Is it ok to feed again? Who should respond? These are questions I hear from parents all the time. Sometimes nighttime needs are high, and there isn’t a clear and easy path towards lowering them in the immediate term. However, we can strategize ways to reduce that nighttime decision fatigue. That is what this week’s episode is all about. Having a plan and thinking through things ahead of time makes a huge difference!

Connect with Kim 

Instagram: instagram.com/intuitive_parenting_dc
Facebook:  facebook.com/intuitiveparentingdc

Learn more about working with Kim: https://intuitiveparentingdc.com/

Is your little one super wiggly at bedtime? Do they have a hard time settling down and relaxing into sleep? Parents often think these littles need more calm (and sometimes that’s a factor) but they can also use more big body play. In this episode, my good friend, sleep coach, and OT Heather Boyd and I are talking about big body play for better bedtimes. We are digging into the reasons movement matters so much when it comes to settling down for sleep, and how sensory needs, regulation, and connection needs can all be met through big body movement throughout your evening. 

We also have a new guide on this topic we’ve collaboratively written. It was so much fun working together on this project, and we are so excited to share it with you! 

Get A Guide to Big Body Play for Better Bedtimes Here: https://intuitiveparenting.vipmembervault.com/products/courses/view/1197922/?action=signup

And if bedtime is a real struggle, I encourage you to also check out my comprehensive bedtime guide here: https://intuitiveparenting.vipmembervault.com/products/courses/view/1197923/?action=signup

These guides compliment each other, with the big body play guide a deep dive on a topic summarized in the comprehensive guide. 

About Heather 

Heather is a private practice occupational therapist from Niagara, Ontario, Canada and the mother of three boys.  She provides online support to families who are experiencing challenges with infant sleep, parenting, and infant development.  Heather takes a developmental- and attachment-based approach to supporting families by helping parents change perspectives and change the sleep environment, rather than change the nature of the child.  

Connect with Heather

Website: https://familysleep.ca/
Instagram: @familysleep.ca

Connect with Kim 

Instagram: instagram.com/intuitive_parenting_dc
Facebook:  facebook.com/intuitiveparentingdc
Learn more about working with Kim: https://intuitiveparentingdc.com/

We are taught to focus on reducing the number of night wakes to improve our sleep. And there is certainly a level of waking where bringing those wake ups down is going to help most parents sleep better. But an equally (if not sometimes more) important part of parent sleep is how quickly you are able to fall back asleep after responding to a night wake. In this episode I’m sharing 10 tips to help you fall back asleep more quickly and get better rest. Some are nighttime specific, and some take a bigger picture view. 

Connect with Kim 

Instagram: instagram.com/intuitive_parenting_dc
Facebook:  facebook.com/intuitiveparentingdc
Learn more about working with Kim: https://intuitiveparentingdc.com/

Most parents want longer sleep stretches at night, and yet most sleep info on improving nighttime sleep doesn’t take into account protecting breastmilk supply. Balancing sleep goals and feeding goals is a big part of the work I do with families. And the truth is, there isn’t one solid answer to the question – how long can I go overnight between feeds (or milk removals) without negatively impacting my supply. It depends on your own biology, breast storage capacity, and feeding history. It depends on your feeding goals, your baby’s age, and whether we are talking a regular occurrence or a night here and there. In this episode I talk you through some of the factors I consider when trying to protect parents’ sleep and milk supply. There isn’t a consensus or evidence-based answer to this question, which is why you may see varied advice on the internet or from professional to professional. If you are an IBCLC listening in, I’d love to hear from you and how you talk parents through this balancing act.

Connect with Kim 

Instagram: instagram.com/intuitive_parenting_dc
Facebook:  facebook.com/intuitiveparentingdc
Learn more about working with Kim: https://intuitiveparentingdc.com/

Sleep is an expression of so many factors. Babies and children have differing needs, capacities, and temperaments. Parents have differing needs, capacities, and temperaments. Goals aren’t the same from family to family and phase to phase. So, in this episode, I am talking you through my framework for how to make sleep easier in your family no matter your needs, capacity, temperament, or goals. This is the framework I use with the families I support across a range of goals because it helps keep us centered on your child as an individual, stay grounded in connection and developmental norms, and intentionally work through all the factors that shape sleep in your family. Let’s make sleep EASIER! 

E - Expectations 

A – Attachment focused and developmentally based  

S – Sleep biology, regulation, and sensory needs

I – Intentionally optimizing your environment, rhythms, and routines 

E – Encouraging parental well-being and sleep quality 

R – Responsive strategies for making changes 

I hope you find this framework helpful as you are thinking about your own family’s sleep situation

Connect with Kim 

Instagram: instagram.com/intuitive_parenting_dc
Facebook:  facebook.com/intuitiveparentingdc
Learn more about working with Kim: https://intuitiveparentingdc.com/

So many commonly held sleep beliefs developed without any thought to breastfeeding needs and norms. As a result, a lot of common advice can complicate or undermine your nursing relationship or your milk supply. In this episode I’m talking you through some of the common signs that sleep info isn’t lactation informed or supportive. I hope it helps you spot strategies and beliefs that can hurt breastfeeding so that you can make informed decisions about both your sleep and feeding goals. 

Connect with Kim 

Grab a free sleep myth busting guide and learn more about working with Kim: https://intuitiveparentingdc.com/

Instagram: instagram.com/intuitive_parenting_dc
Facebook:  facebook.com/intuitiveparentingdc

Everyone tells you to be consistent, but how do you know if it’s time to call quits on a change or strategy? Sometimes we jump from strategy to strategy too quickly and other times we feel pressure to push through, even when we know it feels like too much. In this episode, I’m talking you through 7 questions to ask yourself when you are deciding to  push through or make a change in approach. The questions are:

1. What do I mean by hard?
2. Is the timing right?
3. How long have I tried this?
4. Does it feel out of my child’s cope?
5. Does it feel out of my ability to support my child through it?
6. What is my motivation for this change? 
7. Is it aligned with my parenting values

I hope these give you some clarity to be more intentional if you feel like a change is hard. There isn’t always a clear right or wrong answer when it comes to supporting sleep changes. 

Connect with Kim 

Grab the free guide busting common sleep myths and learn more about working with Kim: https://intuitiveparentingdc.com/

Instagram: instagram.com/intuitive_parenting_dc
Facebook:  facebook.com/intuitiveparentingdc

Getting a baby or toddler used to a new sleep space can be tricky, especially for more sensitive littles. Whether it’s the transition from bassinet to crib, crib to toddler bed or floor bed, or any other shift in sleep set up, crib play is a strategy I often recommend. In this episode, I’m talking you through the key points of crib play. 

• What is crib play?
• When should I use crib play?
• How do I do crib play?

I hope this episode gives you some practical tips to support your next sleep set up transition. 

Connect with Kim 

Grab the free guide busting common sleep myths and learn more about working with Kim: https://intuitiveparentingdc.com/

Instagram: instagram.com/intuitive_parenting_dc
Facebook:  facebook.com/intuitiveparentingdc

So many babies who struggle with sleep also struggle with transitions, with feeding, with going from zero to a million in a second. In this episode I’m exploring a different way of looking at sleep, feeding, and fussiness concerns with Kaili Ets, a colleague, sleep coach, and OT. Our conversation focuses on looking beneath the behavior at the nervous system. 

We talk about temperament, nervous system regulation, and capacity. Kaili shares tips for how to spot body tension in your baby and for supporting increased capacity. We talk through finding the why – why your baby is struggling; why are they so sensitive; why is their system working so hard . It’s about digging into the why beneath the behavior you are seeing and connecting the dots.

About Kaili

Kaili Ets is a pediatric occupational therapist, infant craniosacral therapist, author, speaker, and host of the Mothering From Within podcast. With more than 18 years of experience supporting infants, children, and families, she is passionate about helping parents uncover the root causes behind challenges such as sleep struggles, reflux, feeding difficulties, sensory processing differences, developmental concerns, and nervous system dysregulation.

Lovingly known as the Holistic Baby Guru, Kaili combines evidence-informed practice with a holistic understanding of the body, nervous system, and parent-child connection. Her work empowers parents to move beyond conflicting advice, trust their instincts, and better understand what their baby's body may be communicating. Through her clinical work, speaking engagements, writing, and podcast, Kaili is on a mission to reduce the overwhelm of motherhood, one family at a time.

Connect with Kaili 

website: https://www.kailiets.com
IG: https://www.instagram.com/theholisticbabyguru/
Calm Baby Blueprint (free guide re: baby body tension) - https://freebie.kailiets.com/calm-baby
Baby Bodywork At Home Course ($47) - https://courses.kailiets.com/baby-bodywork

Connect with Kim 

Grab a free sleep myth busting guide and learn more about working with Kim: https://intuitiveparentingdc.com/

Instagram: instagram.com/intuitive_parenting_dc
Facebook:  facebook.com/intuitiveparentingdc