The Responsive Family Sleep Podcast

In this episode, I’m sharing about sleep training culture and how it influences your sleep expectations in ways you don’t often realize. So many parents know they don’t want to sleep train, but aren’t aware how much sleep training culture shapes their expectations and goals. Supporting sleep responsively isn’t just about avoiding harsh sleep training strategies, but a totally different paradigm for sleep.Resources Related to this EpisodeMy related blog post, History of Sleep Training:https://intuitiveparentingdc.com/blog/history-of-sleep-trainingConnect with KimInstagram: instagram.com/intuitive_parenting_dcFacebook:  facebook.com/intuitiveparentingdcLearn more about working with Kim: https://intuitiveparentingdc.com/

In this episode, I’m unpacking the myth that babies should go down drowsy but awake. In a culture so unhealthily obsessed with independent sleep, this sleep should can be hard to shake. I’ll talk about why falling asleep independently isn’t biologically normal and the positives of supporting sleep instead.Resources Related to this EpisodeMy related blog post, Should I Put My Baby Down Drowsy But Awake:https://intuitiveparentingdc.com/blog/put-baby-down-drowsy-but-awakeConnect with KimInstagram: instagram.com/intuitive_parenting_dcFacebook:  facebook.com/intuitiveparentingdcLearn more about working with Kim: https://intuitiveparentingdc.com/

Everywhere you turn, people are talking about teaching babies to self-soothe. In this week’s episode, I’m diving into this popular sleep myth and unpacking what self-soothing really means (and doesn’t mean). I’m sharing where this idea and phrasing comes from, the neuroscience behind calming and self-regulation, and what you should be focusing on instead for long-term emotion regulation.Resources Related to this EpisodeMy related blog post, The Facts Behind Babies and Self-Soothing:https://intuitiveparentingdc.com/blog/2020/12/30/the-facts-behind-babies-self-soothingConnect with KimInstagram: instagram.com/intuitive_parenting_dcFacebook:  facebook.com/intuitiveparentingdcLearn more about working with Kim: https://intuitiveparentingdc.com/

In this episode, I’m talking all about nursing to sleep. The myth that nursing to sleep is a bad habit is so wide spread, but the reality is that nursing to sleep is healthy and normal. I’ll help you understand how interconnected sleep and lactation are and share many ways that nursing to sleep is healthy, effective, and a parenting superpower.Resources Related to this EpisodeMy related blog post, Why Feeding To Sleep Is A Healthy Sleep Habit. https://intuitiveparentingdc.com/blog/2021/7/29/why-feeding-to-sleep-is-a-healthy-sleep-habitMy related blog post, Does My Baby Need Night Feeds? https://intuitiveparentingdc.com/blog/2023/4/25/does-my-baby-need-night-feedsConnect with KimInstagram: instagram.com/intuitive_parenting_dcFacebook:  facebook.com/intuitiveparentingdcLearn more about working with Kim: https://intuitiveparentingdc.com/

We’ve all had those really, extra hard nights when your baby or toddler woke a million times, and you are completely exhausted. In this episode, I’m sharing my tips for supporting yourself the day after a really hard night of baby sleep.Resources Related to this EpisodeMy related blog post, 8 Tips To Try After A Particularly Hard Night With Your Baby: https://intuitiveparentingdc.com/blog/2023/6/14/8-tips-to-try-after-a-particularly-hard-night-with-your-babyConnect with KimInstagram: instagram.com/intuitive_parenting_dcFacebook:  facebook.com/intuitiveparentingdcLearn more about working with Kim: https://intuitiveparentingdc.com/

In this episode, I’m unpacking the myth that babies should be sleeping through the night. We’ll talk about what it means to sleep through the night and what the research actually says around waking and sleeping through. Next time you get one of those “but shouldn’t they be sleeping through the night by now” comments, you’ll know just what the truth actually is.Resources Related to this EpisodeDevelopmental Sleep Expectations blog post (lots of citations): https://intuitiveparentingdc.com/blog/2018/7/6/developmentally-appropriate-sleep-expectations-birth-to-age-5Study CitationsHoyniak, CP, Bates, JE, Staples, AD, Rudasill, KM, Molfese, DL, Molfese, VJ.  (2019.) Child sleep and socioeconomic context in the development of cognitive abilities in early childhood.  Child Development, 1718-1737.Hysing PhD, M., Harvey PhD, A. G., Torgersen PhD, L., Ystrom PhD, E., Reichborn-Kjennerud PhD, T., & Sivertsen PhD, B. (2014). Trajectories and Predictors of Nocturnal Awakenings and Sleep Duration in Infants. Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics, 309-316.Paavonen, E. J., Saarenpaa-Heikkila, O., Morales-Munoz, I., Virta, M., Hakala, N., Polkki, P., Karlsson, L. (2020). Normal sleep development in infants: findings from two large birth cohorts. Sleep Medicine, 145-154.Pennestri, M. H., Burdayron, R., Kenny, S., Béliveau, M. J., & Dubois-Comtois, K. (2020). Sleeping through the night or through the nights? Sleep Medicine, 76, 98-103.Connect with KimInstagram: instagram.com/intuitive_parenting_dcFacebook:  facebook.com/intuitiveparentingdcLearn more about working with Kim: https://intuitiveparentingdc.com/

In this episode, I’m calling out the baby and toddler sleep rules, sleep shoulds, and bad habit nonsense that permeates mainstream, sleep training culture. Let’s set aside unrealistic sleep expectations and rules and support sleep from information based in science and development (and of course your intuition).Resources Related to this EpisodeMy related blog post, 6 Sleep Shoulds That Simply Aren’t True: https://intuitiveparentingdc.com/blog/2022/9/12/5-sleep-shoulds-that-simply-arent-trueConnect with KimInstagram: instagram.com/intuitive_parenting_dcFacebook:  facebook.com/intuitiveparentingdcLearn more about working with Kim: https://intuitiveparentingdc.com/

In this episode, I introduce you to what holistic sleep support means when thinking about your baby or toddler’s sleep. There’s a range of ways we think about baby sleep (from wait it out to cry it out) and holistic sleep support is a developmentally based, attachment focused way to support your family’s sleep while staying connected to your baby and following your intuition.Resources related to this episodeMy related blog post, Holistic Sleep Coaching: The Sleep Training Alternative You Never Knew You Needed: https://intuitiveparentingdc.com/blog/2021/2/28/holistic-sleep-coaching-sleep-training-alternativeConnect with KimInstagram: instagram.com/intuitive_parenting_dcFacebook:  facebook.com/intuitiveparentingdcLearn more about working with Kim: https://intuitiveparentingdc.com/

The first episode of The Responsive Family Sleep Podcast Drops on August 10th!