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Description
If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by conflicting sleep information; frustrated by sleep advice that felt wrong; or searched for a truly gentle, responsive alternative to sleep training, then you are in the right place. In each episode I’ll be answering your most pressing baby and toddler sleep questions, dispelling common sleep myths, deepening your understanding of biologically normal sleep, and encouraging you to trust your intuition. And because sleep is rarely just about sleep, you may just find some responsive parenting, lactation, or self-care tips sprinkled in along the way.
I’m your host, Kim Hawley, MA, MPH, IBCLC Holistic Sleep Coach, Lactation Consultant, Peaceful Parenting Educator, and mom. My specialty is truly holistic, developmental, attachment focused sleep support – no hidden sleep training here!
123 Episodes
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There’s lots of talk about how babies should sleep, but that conversation it often misses the mark for what babies and toddlers actually need to get good quality sleep. We need to look past the modern sleep rules and shoulds and should nots and talk about the physiological factors that lead to good quality sleep. In this episode I’m sharing the core things humans of all ages need to sleep well – to be tired, able to relax, and feel safe and secure. They sound simple, but in practice can be nu...
Happy Thanksgiving. I hope today is a day full of family, food, and connection with loved ones. This is a short episode reflecting on gratitude. Connect with Kim Instagram: instagram.com/intuitive_parenting_dc Facebook: facebook.com/intuitiveparentingdc Learn more about working with Kim: https://intuitiveparentingdc.com/
The holiday season comes with so much joy and also so much disruption to your normal sleep and parenting routines. This is a common time for lots of questions about routines, sleep set ups, and navigating family. In this episode I’m talking through some of the most common concerns I hear from the families I work with, and I hope they give you some good food for thought as you plan for your holidays. Resources related to this episode While I didn’t mention this in the episode, this gui...
The return to work is a big transition. So many parents are worried about the impact of starting daycare on sleep, and the need to prepare their baby to handle daycare naps. In this episode, I’m walking you through some key things to consider about sleep and the daycare transition. This is a big transition for the whole family, and bringing understanding, patience, and extra connection through the process makes a big difference. Connect with Kim Instagram: instagram.com/intuitiv...
Your toddler nurses 1 million times a night (or at least it feels like it)! Your little won’t unlatch for hours on end. There are many reasons why you might want to set some limits around your toddler’s nursing around sleep or otherwise, but how do you do it? In this episode I’m talking about nursing limits. What is a nursing limitWhen might you want to use a nursing limit, sleep and otherwiseWhy daytime breastfeeding limits are the place to startHow to set a nursing limitNursing limits...
It’s germ season, and babies, toddlers, and young kids get sick a lot! In this episode, I’m talking with pediatrician Dr. J about supporting sleep when your little is sick. We chat about: What to expect from sleep when your little is sickHow to make them more comfortable Red flags that you need medical supportTips for preventing illness in the germy months Sick littles and sleep is hard, and the only way through is to support everyone through it. I hope these tips help you next time...
Switching sleep spaces can be stressful for both parents and babies. Whether you are moving your little from their bassinet to their crib, crib to big kid bed, bedsharing to floor bed, it can be a big transition. In this episode I’m sharing ways to make the transition easier for everyone. I talk you through building familiarity with the new sleep space, helping them feel safe and connected to you in that sleep space, and tips for supporting them through the transition. Some strategies work at...
Parent preference is a really normal thing, and it’s a common struggle around sleep. Sometimes it’s developmental and sometimes it comes from doing what works for so long that we just don’t have experience doing something else anymore. In this episode, I’m sharing some tips around parent preference and how to gently encourage balancing things out. I share some tips for supporting the relationship away from sleep, ways to get them involved with you around sleep with both parents present, and s...
Habit stacking is a common strategy I use with many families when they want to make a change with sleep or have more flexibility. In this episode I’m sharing: What is habit stacking (or layering sleep associations)?When and how to use habit stacking when supporting your baby or toddler through a sleep change.Examples of sleep soothing tools to stack.And some tips for ways I see the strategy not work in implementation. If you’ve been wondering how you can increase flexibility in how you s...
Sleep predictability is a common struggle for many families. And the important thing to note is that not all babies are going to have the same level of predictability in their sleep patterns. In this episode I’m talking you through the things we can’t control and the things we can control that contribute to how predictable our child’s sleep is. Everything from age development, and temperament to how we set up our days can influence sleep predictability. Connect with Kim Instagra...
For most babies and toddlers, there naps have an impact on their nighttime sleep quality. So what happens when your child is in daycare, and you aren’t in control of their naps? This is a common situation for many of the families I support. In this episode I’m talking you through some daycare nap troubleshooting. I discuss: The most common daycare nap challengesDaycare has limitsEvery environment is differentAsk questionsGive clear suggestions while respecting limitationsConnect daycare sleep...
Are you a morning or evening person? What about your baby or toddler? We all have tendencies in our circadian rhythm, and this episode dives into those tendencies or chronotypes. I talk about the general trends in chronotypes, some impacts of modern living environment on our circadian rhythm, and How our circadian rhythm shifts across the lifespan. I also talk about the mismatches that can happen between parent and baby chronotypes, and how that can complicate supporting everyone’s slee...
Black out curtains are a popular tool for helping people of all ages get better sleep. In this episode I’m talking you through when to use black out curtains and some of the unintended impacts I see with my clients. I discuss: Why to use them. When to and when not to use them.Some ways they can mess with sleep rhythms. Do you find black out curtains helpful for your little one? I’d love to hear. Connect with Kim Instagram: instagram.com/intuitive_parenting_dc Facebook:...
Are you regularly nap trapped? Whether you know your little routinely needs contact naps to get good sleep or you just find yourself caught in a phase where it’s happening a lot, being nap trapped by a contact nap can be frustrating. In this episode I’m sharing tips around making the best of contact naps. I talk about: Being realistic about contact napsTaking care of your own needs before you think the nap will happenSetting yourself up for productivity or relaxation Not putting ev...
Welcome to the last of the summer from the archives series! We’re revisiting some much loved podcast episodes from the early months of the podcast. These are episode that are great to revisit at different points in your parenting journey. The majority of parents will bedshare at some point, some regularly and some occasionally. Yet we live in a culture that actively discourages bedsharing. Many parents struggle to find helpful bedsharing information or are too anxious to even ask. That’...
Welcome to the summer from the archives series! We’re revisiting some much loved podcast episodes from the early months of the podcast. These are episode that are great to revisit at different points in your parenting journey. Sleep training culture is pervasive, and almost every parent I talk with feels its impact in some way, even the most confident, attachment focused parents. Understanding the ways that sleep training shapes our culture well beyond cry it out can be a powerful tool ...
Welcome to the summer from the archives series! We’re revisiting some much loved podcast episodes from the early months of the podcast. These are episode that are great to revisit at different points in your parenting journey. There’s so much focus on what baby’s need in infancy, and so little focus on what parents need in those early critical months. Even when the focus is on new parents, the focus is often on very basic physical and emotional postpartum changes. This conversation is d...
Welcome to the summer from the archives series! We’re revisiting some much loved podcast episodes from the early months of the podcast. These are episode that are great to revisit at different points in your parenting journey. Sleep and lactation – such a huge an important topic! In honor of World Breastfeeding Week, I think this is an important topic to share again. Every parent needs sleep information that supports their feeding goals! And sadly, that’s not what is happening for...
Welcome to the summer from the archives series! We’re revisiting some much loved podcast episodes from the early months of the podcast. These are episode that are great to revisit at different points in your parenting journey. When will my baby sleep through the night is one of the most common questions I get in casual conversation with parents. There’s so much pressure and emphasis placed on sleeping through the night, and so many parents feel like a failure when there baby is sleeping...
Welcome to the summer from the archives series! We’re revisiting some much loved podcast episodes from the early months of the podcast. These are episode that are great to revisit at different points in your parenting journey. This is one of my top episodes for good reason. Sleep is all about regulation, and we can’t talk about improving sleep without understanding nervous system regulation. In this episode, I’m joined by the amazing Lyndsey Hookway to talk all about regulation an...
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