Hello tired parents! If you feel exhausted and overwhelmed about your baby’s sleep and are trying to be gentle and responsive but aren’t clear how, welcome!
In this podcast, we go beyond wake windows and bedtimes to help you understand your baby’s sleep so that you can find responsive ways to support it…without sleep training!
The Baby Sleep Connection also explores all the layers connected to baby sleep --maternal mental health, nutrition, temperament, sensory processing, gentle/responsive parenting, and infant development so that sleep (and life!) feels easier. I'm so glad you're here.
In today’s episode, Heather explores two different approaches to sleep coaching: traditional sleep coaching that uses sleep schedules and a sleep plan, and a more adaptable, holistic approach to sleep coaching.
If you’ve been drawn to sleep schedules and step by step plans because it feels like they’d provide reassurance and predictability, but find you’ve wrestled with making it work, or if you’re struggling to be adaptable to the ever-changing needs of your baby, you’ll find perspectives in this episode that covers:
Why sleep plans and sleep schedules feel so helpful (and the ways that they might not be)
How taking a more curious and adaptable approach to sleep can help you as a parent now and beyond your baby’s sleep challenges
The reason why sleep coaches should always be planning for discharge
Sleep logs: their value and their limits, and what may matter more
If you found this episode helpful, here’s what you can do next:
Subscribe to this podcast and share it with a friend! Provide a review on Apple Podcasts. It truly makes a difference to reaching families who would benefit from understanding their baby’s sleep better.
Sign up for weekly baby sleep emails. (https://heatherboyd.activehosted.com/f/1) https://heatherboyd.activehosted.com/f/1 (https://heatherboyd.activehosted.com/f/1)
Book a screening call with Heather (https://familysleep.ca/) (receipts provided for Ontario families)
Credits: 🎵 Music: Jordan Wood
1 Oct 2026
Ep 79: Sleep Challenges: Is it me or my child who’s having the challenge?
When sleep feels like a challenge, parents want to know what they can do to get their child to sleep longer. And to do that, many parents look at what needs to be changed in the child
–what does their child need to do to make this feel better.
But what if your child’s sleep is actually typical for their age? What then?
In this episode, Heather Boyd explores some of the reasons why sleep can be atypical for children, and what to do if their sleep is actually typical but you are struggling with the wake ups, early rising, and short naps.
Heather asks parents to reflect on:
What is getting in your child’s way of sleeping?
How are your child’s sleep patterns impacting you and the family?
What are your perceptions of the problem?
What else is making this hard (outside of sleep)?
What are your perceptions of what this should look like?
What needs to change (to improve your baby’s sleep and to increase your capacity for managing the current sleep situation)?
Ultimately, you could ask yourself, “If I stopped measuring my child’s sleep against an ideal, what would I actually want to be different?”. Chances are your answer goes far beyond your baby’s sleep.
Here’s to the coming months/season/stage of your parenting providing you with rest, connection, and meaning.
Mentioned in this episode:
Lyndsey Hookway has often said “It’s hard because it’s hard”. I quoted her spontaneously in this episode and didn’t give her credit. Lyndsey is the author of Holistic Sleep Coaching and co-facilitator of The Holistic Sleep Coaching Program. You can find her at lyndseyhookway.com (http://lyndseyhookway.com).
What you can do next:
Subscribe to this podcast and share it with a friend! Provide a review on Apple Podcasts. It truly makes a difference to reaching families who would benefit from understanding their baby’s sleep better.
Sign up for weekly baby sleep emails. (https://heatherboyd.activehosted.com/f/1) https://heatherboyd.activehosted.com/f/1 (https://heatherboyd.activehosted.com/f/1)
Book a screening call with Heather (https://familysleep.ca/) (receipts provided for Ontario families)
Credits: 🎵 Music: Jordan Wood
24 Sept 2026
Ep 78: How Big, Whole-Body Movement Supports Sleep with Kim Hawley
I am excited to be joined today by my good friend and sleep colleague Kim Hawley. Kim is an IBCLC and Holistic Sleep Coach from Washington, D.C., and is my go-to person for rich conversations about what matters most when helping families through sleep challenges.
In this episode, Kim and I talk about how big motor movements can be a game changer for better bedtimes and easier night time sleep.
In this conversation, Kim and I explore:
Why we ended up connecting with each other around the idea of big body movement
What is big body play, and how does it connect to the sensory system and regulation
Alternatives to “too calm” and “too frantic” bedtime approaches
The value of curiosity in tailoring evening routines and activities for sleep
What does big body movement look like, and how does it change as your baby develops
To learn more parent strategies for motor play and regulation for sleep, you can get A Guide to Big Body Play for Better Sleep at familysleep.ca/resources (familysleep.ca/resources).
Mentioned in today’s episode:
The resource that Kim and I have developed together is available for purchase at familysleep.ca/resources
What you can do next:
Subscribe to this podcast and share it with a friend! Provide a review on Apple Podcasts. It truly makes a difference to reaching families who would benefit from understanding their baby’s sleep better.
Sign up for weekly baby sleep emails. (https://heatherboyd.activehosted.com/f/1) at https://heatherboyd.activehosted.com/f/1 (https://heatherboyd.activehosted.com/f/1)
Book a screening call with Heather (https://familysleep.ca/) (Occupational Therapy receipts are provided for families from most provinces in Canada)
Credits: 🎵 Music: Jordan Wood
Who has been a guest on The Baby Sleep Connection
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Carrie Bennett
Heather Boyd
Kim Hawley
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
5 ratings
Spotify
4.8 / 5
5 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 57 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
89
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
60
Contact The Baby Sleep Connection
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Books guests
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