The Responsive Family Sleep Podcast
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!
Episodes
147 episodes
Does My Baby Need a Pre-Nap Routine?
What does a baby need headed into a nap? Do they need a pre-nap routine just like they need a bedtime routine? In this episode I’m answering some common questions about pre-nap routines, how they can help, and how to make sure they aren’t limit...
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Is Your Little’s Tongue Position the Missing Piece to Their Disrupted Sleep With Dr. Alison Sigal
What does your baby’s tongue position have to do with their sleep? Actually, quite a bit. In this episode, I’m joined by Dr. Alison Sigal, a pediatric dentist and airway specialist, for a conversation about airway health and sleep. I find...
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Is My Baby Overtired?
Overtiredness is a common topic in the sleep world. Sometimes, it feels like it’s the answer to all sleep problems. I see so many parents anxious about overtiredness. In this episode, I’m sharing a deeper look at the overtired conversation. I w...
The Power of the Reframe
I think we’ve all been there – your little one is not…settling down, stopping crying, letting you transfer them, falling asleep! And you are wondering why is it always this hard. The frustration builds, and you are getting dysregulated right al...
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Nurturing yourself to nurture your little one with Jennifer Grove
The way you take care of your nervous system influences how you show up to nurture and take care of your baby. In this episode, I’m joined by Jennifer Grove, a Nervous System Whisperer & Venting Coach, to talk about how you can show up for ...
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Let’s Talk About Hard Seasons of Life
I talk with so many parents who are in a hard season of life. They feel bad that it’s so hard. That they aren’t coping better. They feel like it should be easier, come easier. Sometimes it’s hard because it is hard. In this episode, I’m talking...
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What to Do When You Are Having a Terrible Nap Day!
We’ve all had one of these days – the first nap is rough, they fight the next nap, and it’s late afternoon and they’ve hardly slept. You're frustrated and dysregulated. They are tired and dysregulated. And you feel the impending doom of how bad...
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Why Is My Baby Awake So Long in the Middle of the Night?
Night wakes are a normal part of nighttime parenting, and often they are more disruptive to parent sleep than baby sleep. Long wakes in the middle of the night are a particularly challenging experience. In this episode, I’m talking you through ...
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Crying in Arms, No Cry, and Cry It Out: How We Get Crying Wrong on All Sides
You are told to leave your baby to cry by the sleep trainers. You are told to respond, and made to feel like you should have the answer to every cry by the no cry folks. You wonder if crying in arms is just as bad as CIO – and does it matter if...
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Tips for Toddler Quiet Time After Dropping the Nap
Are you dreading the time when your toddler drops their nap? Wondering about quiet time? In this episode I’m sharing some insight and tips about quiet time. There are different ways families think about quiet time, and different set ups will wo...
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Can I Reduce Night Feeds Without Night Weaning?
There are so many all or nothing messages about night feeds. Pressure to night wean early. Pressure to be 100% consistent. In this episode, I’m sharing my thoughts and some practical tips for how you can reduce night feeds without night weaning...
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How Does My Baby’s Temperament Affect Their Sleep?
Temperament is one of the biggest factors that shapes what kind of sleeper your baby or toddler is. It’s also one of the least acknowledged pieces of sleep in the sleep world. In this episode, I’m going over some key points about temperament th...
Supporting Responsive Grandparenting with Sheena Hill
As new parents, you are trying to figure this whole parenting thing out, and as new grandparents, your parents are trying to figure the whole grandparenting thing out. And a lot has changed in the last several decades when it comes to parenting...
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What is a Good Nap?
There are lots of rules shared about what makes a nap a good nap. Most of them aren’t true, or aren’t true as absolutes. In this episode, I’m busting some nap myths and sharing some thoughts around what makes a good nap for your baby or toddler...
Do I Need to Stop Nursing to Sleep So That Other People Can Do Bedtime?
Breastfeeding is not the reason that other people can’t support your baby to sleep! And yet, it’s so often blamed for a parent preference around sleep. In this episode, I’m talking you through why we see a feeding to sleep preference so o...
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How to Help a Newborn Learn Their Days From Their Nights
Babies aren’t born regulating their circadian rhythm which means they don’t know their days from night in the early months. While time is a big piece of the puzzle, there are things you can do to help your baby’s emerging circadian rhythm and s...
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10 Things I Wish Every Perinatal Professional Knew About Infant Sleep
We need to do better as perinatal professionals when it comes to sleep information. To parents who are my main listeners, this episode highlights the most common misinformation shared about sleep from professionals so that you are more able to ...
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What Do You Do When Your Baby Wakes at Night?
Your baby wakes, signals they need you, and you respond to settle them back to sleep. This is a pretty standard part of most parents nights. What most people don’t realize is there are lots of small decisions you make about that interacti...
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Reflecting on Lessons From Early Parenting
The other day I was reflecting on some of the struggles a few clients had shared with me, and how common their individual stories really were. As new parents, there’s so much pressure, guilt, and expectation that you should be doing it “right”....
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Troubleshooting Long and Stressful Bedtimes
Bedtime can be a really hard time of day for many families. If bedtime has been long, stressful, and feels like a battle, then this episode is for you! There are many reasons bedtime can turn into a struggle. In this episode I’m walking you thr...
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From the Archives: How to Get Back on Track With Sleep After the Holidays
Happy new year It’s January, and you may be thinking about bringing some order to the chaos that the holidays brought to your sleep routines. I’m sharing a from the archives episode on getting back on track after the holidays. I wan...
What Are Your Non-Negotiables?
What helps you feel like you are taking care of yourself ? How well have you adapted those things to your life as the parent of a baby or toddler. In this episode, I’m talking about non-negotiables. The self-nurturing things you need to show up...
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The Biology Mismatch in Modern Sleep Info
Modern sleep info is recent while baby biology is hundreds of thousands of years old. While cultural expectations have changed drastically, babies have not. In this episode I’m talking you through the mismatch of baby biology and humans as carr...
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A Simple Checklist for When Sleep Goes off the Rails
Sleep is in a reasonably good place. You feel like you have a handle on things. Then suddenly, they are waking more, a struggle to get down to sleep, and need so much support and soothing! What happened? This is a normal part of sleep developme...
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What Babies Need to Sleep Well
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...
