All it Takes is a Plan

“I know it’s time to transition my baby out of the bassinet, but I’m terrified of doing it wrong and wrecking their sleep.”Can you relate??In this week's episode, we're covering the bassinet to crib transition, including:When it's time to transition your baby from the bassinet to their cribTips to transition from the bassinet to the cribExtra tips to transition your baby from the SNOO to the cribHow long to expect the transition to takeIf your baby is younger than 16 weeks old and you're looking for extra sleep support, check out our newborn course, Newborn Sleep from A to Z.Or if your baby is older than 16 weeks and is really struggling to transition out of the bassinet and you need some sleep training support, check out our personalized sleep plan options!

Listen as I interview Michelle Pratt, a nationally certified Child Passenger Safety Technician (CPST) and mom of two, best known as the founder of Safe in the Seat, the leading car seat safety platform for parents. In the episode, she shares:Her personal why behind Safe in the SeatThe most common car seat mistakesWhat we should all know about car seats and sleepThe various resources Safe in the Seat offers familiesDon't miss these amazing resources:The blogCar seat finder toolOnline guidesOne-on-one supportAnd make sure you follow her on Instagram, where you'll continue to get more free car seat advice!

In the last two episodes, I shared about our challenging sleep journey with baby number four, and how that resulted in quite a bit of co-sleeping. This week, I want to have some real talk about co-sleeping, both from a sleep coach's perspective and from a real mom who had to co-sleep!And if you're currently a co-sleeping parent but are looking for help getting your baby or toddler sleeping in their own bed all night long, we'd love to help!

Last week, I shared all about our challenging sleep journey with baby number four, due to some airway issues. But how we finally got the green light to sleep train him at 9 months old!So this week, I'm sharing all about what it actually looked like to sleep train James, both the highs and lows. I share how he did, as well as how I coached myself, sleep coach to mama, throughout the process, when things felt really hard. I also share the "afters" of how our day-to-day so quickly changed because our son was not only taking naps in his bed, but also sleeping through the night!If you're curious to learn more about what it would be like to have this sleep coach and mama supporting you through sleep training your baby or toddler, click here!

We welcomed our fourth baby and first son, James, into the world last February, and he has just been the happiest baby!Rather than being the "easy" last baby, however, he struggled with sleep from day one. We never had any intentions of co-sleeping and really weren't comfortable with it, but we didn't have another option the first several weeks of his life. He was not able to lie flat to sleep without making an awful grunting or choking noise for the first 12 weeks of his life, so we had to hold him upright for all naps and through the night.In this podcast episode, I share all the details of those first 12 weeks, as well as the next several months of a roller coaster of sleep, as we continued learning more about what was going on (hint: airway issues!).I share about how tough those sleepless nights were and how that impacted us as parents and as a family. And I share about when we finally got the green light to sleep train him!

When is the BEST time to sleep train? When should you NOT sleep train?In today's episode, I'll be answering those questions for you, so you can decide if and when sleep training is best for your family.If you're curious to learn more about what it would look like to sleep train your little one with our team's help, check this out!

In this episode, I'm sharing my love for the SlumberPod! I truly think it's one of the best baby and toddler sleep products out there, and I recommend it to every family I work with!I will be sharing:What the SlumberPod isWhy we love itFrequently asked questionsHow to use it with toddlersTo get a discount on your SlumberPod or SlumberTot, use the code VIAGRACESPOD at checkout!Our favorite travel cots that fit under the SlumberPod:SlumberTotMillard Toddler Floor BedRead this blog post for more

This week, I am interviewing my favorite pelvic health physical therapist, Dr. Lindsay Durand Massumi. She is based in Northern Virginia, serving families at her practice and in their homes, as well as families nationwide through her virtual PT!We talk all about what the pelvic floor is and why pelvic floor PT can benefit everyone - male, female, young, and old. We also talk about how pelvic floor health often overlaps with both pediatric and adult sleep!To learn more about how Dr. Lindsay can help you or to reach out about scheduling with her, visit her website!Follow Dr. Lindsay on Instagram here!

Last week, we answered why your baby might be waking up at night.So this week, we're answering the questions: "Why is my toddler still waking up at night?" Or, "Why is my toddler all of a sudden waking up at night again?"I walk through the four most common reasons toddlers wake up at night, as well as some others that could be causing night wakings for your toddler. These are all of the podcast episodes I reference to dig deeper:Sleep Training Methods- Episode 9Pacifiers- Episode 4Weaning from the Bottle- Episode 55Dropping the Final Nap- Episode 15Toddler Sleep Regressions- Episode 26Sickness- Episode 48Teething- Episode 80Introduce a Toddler Clock- Episode 28Nightmares and Night Terrors- Episode 51Bedtime Anxiety- Episode 75Click here to snag our free and printable bedtime routine chart and boundary cards!Don't forget to check out our online sleep course for toddlers and young kids, Big Kid Sleep from A to Z, for more DIY sleep training help!And if you'd like to chat more about what it would look like to work together one-on-one with a sleep coach, schedule a free discovery call here!

This week, we’re talking all about why your baby is still waking up at night! I’m essentially letting you inside my head, as a pediatric sleep coach. I’m peeling back the curtain on what I think through when a family reaches out to me and says, “Why won’t my baby sleep through the night?!” Or, “My baby was sleeping through the night, but now they’re waking again. Why??”Sometimes it’s pretty straightforward, but sometimes we have to play 20 questions to get there.So I'll be walking you through the top three questions that come to my mind right away and how to think through them, as well as other less common factors that might be contributing. These are all of the podcast episodes I reference to dig deeper:Sleep Training Methods- Episode 9Pacifiers- Episode 4Bedtime Routines- Episode 7Sleep Regressions- Episode 25Sickness- Episode 48Teething- Episode 80Click here to snag our free schedule guide!Don't forget to check out our online baby sleep course, Baby Sleep from A to Z, for more DIY sleep training help!And if you'd like to chat more about what it would look like to work together one-on-one with a sleep coach, schedule a free discovery call here!

Have you ever been worried about being out late with your baby or toddler because they might fall asleep in the car and you're not sure how to transfer them to their bed when you get home? Or have you ever tried transferring a sleeping baby to their bed for the night, and it just didn’t go well? If so, today’s episode is for you! I'm getting into the specifics of how exactly I recommend transferring your sleeping baby from their car seat to their crib at bedtime. And how to transfer your sleeping toddler from the car to their bed at night. I share what to do, as well as what to do when plan A doesn't work, and then what to do when plan B doesn't work. If you're listening to this episode in preparation for some travels coming up, and you’re nervous about what your baby or toddler’s sleep will look like, and you’re thinking through all of the potential challenging scenarios that might come up, make sure you check out our travel sleep guide! It was created with you in mind, to help take some of that sleep anxiety off your chest.

In today's episode, I'm interviewing Jennifer Barnard of Baby Begin. Jennifer has been a pediatric Occupational Therapist for over 20 years and is the owner of Baby Begin. Her goal is to eradicate plagiocephaly (flat head syndrome) worldwide. She has become an expert on treating torticollis and correcting flat heads without a helmet and trains passionate therapists all over the world to do the same.To learn more about how Baby Begin can support your baby and family, check out their website. And make sure you're following Baby Begin on Instagram!

Most of us have heard a lot about the safe sleep guidelines for babies, but we don't talk a lot about safe sleep guidelines for toddlers and older kids! So in this episode, we're talking all about safe sleep for toddlers still in cribs, as well as big kids sleeping in a big bed. We're talking about:the importance of sleeping with the door closedsafe sleep guidelines for toddlers still in a cribsafe sleep guidelines for toddlers and older kids in big bedssafe sleep rules for bunk bedsAnd more!Our favorite bed railings and bumpers:bed railingsbed bumpersOptions to "lock" your child's door:door knob covermonkey lock

In today's episode, I'm diving into the ins and outs of the safe sleep guidelines for babies. We'll start with the basic ABCs of safe sleep, and then dig in even more. My guess is that whether you're a first-time parent or a fourth-time parent, you'll hear a safe sleep guideline you haven't heard before. (To learn more about how to dress your baby for sleep when it's colder in their nursery, read this blog post.)

As first-time parents, we blamed any and every challenging day or night on teething. We figured our baby must be teething since sleep was a disaster. As fourth-time parents now, I have to admit that teething really doesn't faze me. Because I know that it's not the big-bad-monster it's often made out to be!I'm not saying teething doesn't impact babies at all, but I am saying it doesn't usually affect babies as much as we assume it will.So on today's episode, I'm diving into the world of teething for both babies and toddlers. I'm sharing how teething might impact your little one (and how it might not), as well as how teething might impact their sleep, specifically. Here are some of our favorite teething toys:Silicone teetherPenguin teetherBanana massaging toothbrushFinger toothbrush

Today, we’re going to be talking about adult sleep with our adult sleep coach, Kathryn, and it might feel like a strange tip at first. But what if one of the best tools for better sleep isn’t melatonin, magnesium, or even a stricter bedtime routine—but more fun?If stress is one of the biggest enemies of adult sleep, FUN might just be one of the anecdotes!Not only is having more fun one way to get better sleep, but so is having great sleep hygiene! So if you're looking for another tangible way to start working toward better sleep, make sure you snag our free guide to the Best Bedtime Routine for Adults. And to learn more about how an adult sleep coach can help you tackle your insomnia, book a (free!) discovery call with Kathryn to learn more about how she can help you finally have restful nights again!

It is so frustrating when your toddler takes a short nap. You know they need more daytime sleep, but no matter what you do, they still take a short nap!So in this episode, I'll be diving into those short toddler naps. I share:What is considered a "short nap" How long your toddler's nap should be7 strategies to lengthen themIf you're looking for more personalized help when it comes to your toddler's sleep, see how we can help!

It is so common for babies to take short naps, and it's also so frustrating! And while short naps are sometimes developmental, there are also strategies we can apply to help extend those short naps!So that's what we're covering in this episode - why your baby takes short naps and how to extend them. I walk through five different strategies you can try to finally get a longer nap!FREE SCHEDULE GUIDESFor babiesFor newbornsAnd if you listen to this episode and you're still stumped by your baby's short naps, we'd love to help you make a plan to finally extend them! Learn more about how we can support you here.

Welcoming a new baby into the family is very exciting, and can also be very overwhelming - especially for toddlers and older siblings, as having another baby in the house is a big change! And big changes like this can often cause sleep regressions. In this episode, I am sharing some tips to try to prevent a sleep regression after bringing home a new baby, including things you can do BEFORE baby arrives, and AFTER.I also share what to do if your toddler does experience a sleep regression after becoming a sibling.

It is very common for toddlers and older kids to experience fears and anxieties around bedtime. AND those fears and anxieties do not need to keep them from sleeping - they are still so capable of great sleep. In this episode, I am sharing the following 8 strategies to help your child through their bedtime fears and anxieties, so you can start adding tools to their tool belt for the next time they're feeling afraid or anxious:Explain how the monitor worksUse a night lightWhy you should NOT use "monster spray"Use affirmations"Plan" your child's dreamsUse social stories"Cupcake breathing"The "what next" strategySome of our favorite social stories around fears and anxiety:The Kissing HandRuby Finds a WorryWhy We Say GoodnightThe Invisible StringIt Will Be OkayWhat Do I Do With Worry?ROUTINE AND BOUNDARIES FREEBIEIf you're looking for more one-on-one help with your little one's bedtime, learn more about how we can help you through a step-by-step plan!