The Responsive Family Sleep Podcast

I hear this popular phrase a lot – that sleep begets more sleep. It brings your focus to always encouraging longer naps, longer nighttime sleep, and that lack of sleep is always the reason sleep is tricky. In this episode I’m debunking this myth. Assuming your baby always needs more sleep can actually make sleep worse. I walk you through the idea that babies (and all humans) only need so much sleep in 24 hours, when more sleep is helpful, and when more sleep is not helpful.Resources related to this episodeCheck out more info about sleep totals in this blog post:https://intuitiveparentingdc.com/blog/2018/7/6/developmentally-appropriate-sleep-expectations-birth-to-age-5Connect with KimGrab a free sleep myth busting guide and learn more about working with Kim:https://intuitiveparentingdc.com/Instagram: instagram.com/intuitive_parenting_dcFacebook:  facebook.com/intuitiveparentingdc

The questions ‘are contact naps ok?’ and ‘are contact naps creating bad habits?’ come up a lot with new parents. There’s such a narrow definition of acceptable, healthy naps, that it’s easy to feel guilty and stressed over a baby who does better contact napping. In this episode, I’m answering this question. I’m sharing why contact naps are healthy, normal, and a great parenting tool. Enjoy those baby snuggles!Resources related to this episodeCheck out my blog on contact naps for more tips: https://intuitiveparentingdc.com/blog/2021/7/9/lets-talk-contact-napsConnect with KimGrab a free sleep myth busting guide and learn more about working with Kim:https://intuitiveparentingdc.com/Instagram: instagram.com/intuitive_parenting_dcFacebook:  facebook.com/intuitiveparentingdc

Weaning is such a big step in a nursing journey, and often there isn’t much support and space to explore the weaning process. In this episode, I’m joined by Katy Baker-Cohen, an IBCLC with a special love of supporting parents on their weaning journey. Our conversation focuses on the experience of choosing to wean an established nursing relationship. We talk about the decision to wean and the emotions that surround this part of the nursing journey. We explore the relationship between weaning decisions and sleep and how interconnected these aspects of parenting often are. For many parents, the decision to wean interacts with the ways a parent supports sleep, from complete weaning to small steps to create limits around nursing. From our shared love of supporting the weaning process, we both hope this episode helps you see more seen, validated, and supported.About KatyKaty Baker-Cohen, she/her, lives with her husband and children, Adam (11) and Aida “IDA” (7) in Philadelphia. After becoming a nurse in 2010 Katy worked for 4 years on an inpatient oncology floor.  Katy then followed her dream of supporting families and for the last 10 years, Katy has been a nurse home visitor with The Philadelphia Nurse Family Partnership (NFP) supporting first time parents from pregnancy until child’s second birthday. With a cohort of fellow NFP nurses, Katy became an IBCLC in 2017. Katy has a small lactation private practice, Crescent Lactation Care, where she offers in-home and virtual visits, a weekly lactation support group and a monthly weaning support session.Connect with KatyWebsite: https://www.crescentlactationcare.com/Turning Leaves, weaning support session sign up: https://www.crescentlactationcare.com/turning-leavesWeaning blog post: https://www.crescentlactationcare.com/crescent-lactation-blog/weaningIG: @crescentlactationcareResources related to this episodeYou may find my 2 blog posts on night weaning helpful….Considering night weaning: https://intuitiveparentingdc.com/blog/ready-for-night-weaningStrategies for night weaning: https://intuitiveparentingdc.com/blog/how-to-night-weanConnect with KimGrab a free sleep myth busting guide and learn more about working with Kim:https://intuitiveparentingdc.com/Instagram: instagram.com/intuitive_parenting_dcFacebook:  facebook.com/intuitiveparentingdc

We live in a sleep training culture, and that means we hear a lot of promises around the magic of sleep training. It’s safe, effective, and will definitely fix your baby’s sleep quickly! There’s much more complexity to what the research actually says about sleep training, however, and much of what we commonly hear is full of false promises. In this episode, I’m sharing reflections around the idea that sleep training guarantees quick fixes to sleep. Even when parents don’t want to sleep train, I see them grappling with this false promise, and it’s exhausting.Resources related to this episodeDig into the history of sleep training more in this blog: https://intuitiveparentingdc.com/blog/history-of-sleep-trainingDive into the research around sleep training more in this blog:https://intuitiveparentingdc.com/blog/2022/5/5/sleep-training-research-unpacking-sleep-training-cultureConnect with KimGrab a free sleep myth busting guide and learn more about working with Kim:https://intuitiveparentingdc.com/Instagram: instagram.com/intuitive_parenting_dcFacebook:  facebook.com/intuitiveparentingdc

The early years are a sensitive period for development, and the last several decades have started to give us insights into this sensitive period through the lens of neuroscience. . In this episode, I’m joined by Greer Kirshenbaum, PhD, a Neuroscientist, Doula, and Infant and Family Sleep Specialist. Our conversation focuses on the importance of nurture in the early years and how this time is really the infancy for the brain. We dive into our low nurture culture and the importance of working towards a high nurture culture. We talk about some of the pressures and cultural narratives that create barriers to nurture for parents and babies. Increasing nurture has a powerful affect on so many aspects of long-term wellness – let’s be a part of the nurture revolution!About GreerGreer Kirshenbaum PhD is an Author, Neuroscientist, Doula, Infant and Family Sleep Specialist and Mother. She trained at the University of Toronto, Columbia University, New York University and Yale University.  Greer has combined her academic training with her experience as a doula and mother tolead The Nurture Revolution.  A movement to nurture our babies’ brains to revolutionize mental health and impact larger systems in our world. Greer wants families, professionals, and workplaces to understand how early caregiving experience can boost mental wellness and diminish depression,anxiety, and addiction in adulthood by shaping babies’ brains through simple intuitive enriching experiences in pregnancy, birth and infancy. Her book is called The Nurture Revolution: Grow Your Baby’s Brain and Transform Their Mental Health Through the Art of Nurtured Parenting.  She offers resources, workshops, and coaching on her website www.nurture-neuroscience.comConnect with GreerInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/nurture_neuroscience_parenting/Website - www.nurture-neuroscience.comBook - https://www.nurture-neuroscience.com/the-nurture-revolutionConnect with KimGrab a free sleep myth busting guide and learn more about working with Kim:https://intuitiveparentingdc.com/Instagram: instagram.com/intuitive_parenting_dcFacebook:  facebook.com/intuitiveparentingdc

The world of sleep info is generally terrible when it comes to supporting the nursing relationship. As a nursing parent, it’s important to know when information could potentially harm your supply or make nursing unnecessarily hard. IN this episode I’m highlighting some of the most common information that signals a source isn’t giving you nursing supportive advice.Resources related to this episodeMy podcast on nursing to sleep: https://intuitiveparentingdc.com/podcast/2023/9/19/is-nursing-to-sleep-a-bad-habitAnd my podcast on sleep and lactation:https://intuitiveparentingdc.com/podcast/2024/3/29/lets-talk-sleep-and-lactationConnect with KimInstagram: instagram.com/intuitive_parenting_dcFacebook:  facebook.com/intuitiveparentingdcLearn more about working with Kim: https://intuitiveparentingdc.com/

Babywearing is one of my personal essential parenting tools! In this week’s episode I’m joined by Katie Shamp, Babywearing Educator/Consultant, and we are talking all about babywearing. We touch on the reasons to reach out to a babywearing educator and the many ways they can help you along your babywearing journey. We discuss how babywearing looks different from family to family and as your child grows. Plus, we touch on different carrier options, benefits of babywearing, and things to consider when doing a babywearing nap. I hope this conversation gives you some new ideas and things to consider.About KatieI’ve been working in baby- and lactation-land since 2012 at The Breastfeeding Center. A lot of my work supporting our community is behind the scenes, sourcing and vetting our product selection, honing our systems, and supporting our staff with technology—though my favorite excuse to close my computer is working with families on babywearing! I trained with the Center for Babywearing Studies in 2019, and became a Certified Breastfeeding Specialist in 2021. My passion for this work is centered in reproductive justice: I believe all people deserve access-to, and autonomy-in their choices about whether and how to grow their families, followed by respect, and support in realizing their goals. At home I love to splash in any body of water I can find, go on crisp early morning bike rides, and enjoy backpacking with my family and hound-dog.Where to find Katie’s babywearing supporthttps://www.breastfeedingcenter.org/babywearingInstagram: @breastfeeding_centerResources from Katie on babywearinghttps://www.carryingmatters.co.uk/2018/11/24/seven-reasons-why-babywearing-matters/https://www.carryingmatters.co.uk/positive-effects-of-carrying-for-baby/https://www.carryingmatters.co.uk/types-of-slings/https://www.babycarrierindustryalliance.org/resource/eu-baby-carrier-recalls-2023/Connect with KimGrab the free sleep myth busting guide and learn more about working with Kim:https://intuitiveparentingdc.com/Instagram: instagram.com/intuitive_parenting_dcFacebook:  facebook.com/intuitiveparentingdc

In this episode, I’m talking about what to do when your baby or toddler really, really won’t accept their other parent overnight. Even with the best tips, not all children at all ages are going to gently be nudged into accepting both parents overnight. I work with many families who find that it’s more stressful than they are comfortable with and prefer to find other ways to support the nursing parent – at least in their current phase. So, I’m sharing some ways to reframe and support the primary nighttime parent while you wait for a better time to even out the nighttime parenting load.Resources related to this episodeCheck out my related blog post on supporting a nursing parent with nighttime parenting: https://intuitiveparentingdc.com/blog/2021/7/9/how-to-support-a-nursing-parent-with-nighttime-parentingConnect with KimGrab the free guide busting common sleep myths and learn more about working with Kim: https://intuitiveparentingdc.com/Instagram: instagram.com/intuitive_parenting_dcFacebook:  https://www.facebook.com/intuitiveparentingdc

Sharing nighttime parenting sounds like a great way to approach caring for your little one, and yet it often doesn’t end up working in practice for many families. There are so many reasons why the nighttime parenting might fall on one parent more than the other. However, just because it isn’t happening organically, doesn’t mean you can’t gently work towards both parents being involved in nighttime parenting. In this episode, I’m discussing tips for sharing nighttime parenting. I share some different options to get your little one more comfortable with the idea and some ideas around when to try first.Resources related to this episodeCheck out my related blog post on supporting a nursing parent with nighttime parenting: https://intuitiveparentingdc.com/blog/2021/7/9/how-to-support-a-nursing-parent-with-nighttime-parentingConnect with KimGrab a free sleep myth busting guide and learn more about working with Kim:https://intuitiveparentingdc.com/Instagram: instagram.com/intuitive_parenting_dcFacebook:  facebook.com/intuitiveparentingdc

Parenting is full of hard things and hard conversations. Between the lack of sleep, shifting identities, and new dynamics, it’s natural to struggle with some hard conversations and disagreements. In this episode, I’m joined by Megan Walsh, an attachment-based therapist with a specialty in building skills and confidence around hard conversations. Megan shares tips for how to have hard conversations in a way that brings you closer together on the other side. We talk about the needs and feelings that often underly hard conversations and disagreements, and how to validate, understand, and come together for a solution that both parents feel good about.About MeganMegan is a psychotherapist and mentor who supports individuals to release people-pleasing, embrace imperfection, calm their bodies, say hard things & build thriving relationships.Connect with MeganWebsite: https://connect-with-megan.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/connectwithmegan/Resources Related to this EpisodeCheck out this blog about how to manage conversations when you and your partner don’t agree about supporting baby sleep: https://intuitiveparentingdc.com/blog/2022/10/22/my-partner-and-i-dont-agree-about-sleepConnect with KimGrab a free sleep myth busting guide and learn more about working with Kim:https://intuitiveparentingdc.com/Instagram: instagram.com/intuitive_parenting_dcFacebook:  facebook.com/intuitiveparentingdcLearn more about working with Kim: https://intuitiveparentingdc.com/