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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!
The Responsive Family Sleep Podcast
Does Introducing Solids Improve Baby Sleep?
Anyone with a baby somewhere around 4-6 months has probably heard the advice to start solids to help improve sleep. And yet, the reality of the impact of solid food on baby sleep doesn’t back up this common advice. In this episode I’m talking about the popular sleep advice to start solids to improve nighttime sleep. I discuss the reality of solids food having a neutral to negative impact on sleep and the reasons for this including:
- Waking isn’t just about hunger.
- Solids generally aren’t very calorically dense.
- Babies don’t generally eat a lot of solids at first.
- Digestive issues can happen as baby adjusts to solids that disrupt sleep.
- Shifting calories to the daytime may help if baby is reverse cycling.
Resources related to this episode
Signs of readiness for solids: https://kellymom.com/nutrition/starting-solids/solids-when/
Reverse cycling tips: https://intuitiveparentingdc.com/blog/2023/6/27/reverse-cycling-why-your-baby-is-suddenly-feeding-more-at-night
Connect with Kim
Learn more about working with Kim and grab your free sleep myth busting guide: https://intuitiveparentingdc.com/
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Facebook: facebook.com/intuitiveparentingdc