The Responsive Family Sleep Podcast

Sleep is an expression of so many factors. Babies and children have differing needs, capacities, and temperaments. Parents have differing needs, capacities, and temperaments. Goals aren’t the same from family to family and phase to phase. So, in this episode, I am talking you through my framework for how to make sleep easier in your family no matter your needs, capacity, temperament, or goals. This is the framework I use with the families I support across a range of goals because it helps keep us centered on your child as an individual, stay grounded in connection and developmental norms, and intentionally work through all the factors that shape sleep in your family. Let’s make sleep EASIER! 
E - Expectations 
A – Attachment focused and developmentally based  
S – Sleep biology, regulation, and sensory needs
I – Intentionally optimizing your environment, rhythms, and routines 
E – Encouraging parental well-being and sleep quality 
R – Responsive strategies for making changes 
I hope you find this framework helpful as you are thinking about your own family’s sleep situation
Connect with Kim 
Instagram: instagram.com/intuitive_parenting_dc
Facebook:  facebook.com/intuitiveparentingdc
Learn more about working with Kim: https://intuitiveparentingdc.com/

So many commonly held sleep beliefs developed without any thought to breastfeeding needs and norms. As a result, a lot of common advice can complicate or undermine your nursing relationship or your milk supply. In this episode I’m talking you through some of the common signs that sleep info isn’t lactation informed or supportive. I hope it helps you spot strategies and beliefs that can hurt breastfeeding so that you can make informed decisions about both your sleep and feeding goals. 

Connect with Kim 
Grab a free sleep myth busting guide and learn more about working with Kim: https://intuitiveparentingdc.com/
Instagram: instagram.com/intuitive_parenting_dc
Facebook:  facebook.com/intuitiveparentingdc

Everyone tells you to be consistent, but how do you know if it’s time to call quits on a change or strategy? Sometimes we jump from strategy to strategy too quickly and other times we feel pressure to push through, even when we know it feels like too much. In this episode, I’m talking you through 7 questions to ask yourself when you are deciding to  push through or make a change in approach. The questions are:
What do I mean by hard?
Is the timing right?
How long have I tried this?
Does it feel out of my child’s cope?
Does it feel out of my ability to support my child through it?
What is my motivation for this change? 
Is it aligned with my parenting values
I hope these give you some clarity to be more intentional if you feel like a change is hard. There isn’t always a clear right or wrong answer when it comes to supporting sleep changes. 

Connect with Kim 
Grab the free guide busting common sleep myths and learn more about working with Kim: https://intuitiveparentingdc.com/
Instagram: instagram.com/intuitive_parenting_dc
Facebook:  facebook.com/intuitiveparentingdc

Getting a baby or toddler used to a new sleep space can be tricky, especially for more sensitive littles. Whether it’s the transition from bassinet to crib, crib to toddler bed or floor bed, or any other shift in sleep set up, crib play is a strategy I often recommend. In this episode, I’m talking you through the key points of crib play. 
What is crib play?
When should I use crib play?
How do I do crib play?
I hope this episode gives you some practical tips to support your next sleep set up transition. 

Connect with Kim 
Grab the free guide busting common sleep myths and learn more about working with Kim: https://intuitiveparentingdc.com/
Instagram: instagram.com/intuitive_parenting_dc
Facebook:  facebook.com/intuitiveparentingdc

So many babies who struggle with sleep also struggle with transitions, with feeding, with going from zero to a million in a second. In this episode I’m exploring a different way of looking at sleep, feeding, and fussiness concerns with Kaili Ets, a colleague, sleep coach, and OT. Our conversation focuses on looking beneath the behavior at the nervous system. 
We talk about temperament, nervous system regulation, and capacity. Kaili shares tips for how to spot body tension in your baby and for supporting increased capacity. We talk through finding the why – why your baby is struggling; why are they so sensitive; why is their system working so hard . It’s about digging into the why beneath the behavior you are seeing and connecting the dots.

About Kaili
Kaili Ets is a pediatric occupational therapist, infant craniosacral therapist, author, speaker, and host of the Mothering From Within podcast. With more than 18 years of experience supporting infants, children, and families, she is passionate about helping parents uncover the root causes behind challenges such as sleep struggles, reflux, feeding difficulties, sensory processing differences, developmental concerns, and nervous system dysregulation.
Lovingly known as the Holistic Baby Guru, Kaili combines evidence-informed practice with a holistic understanding of the body, nervous system, and parent-child connection. Her work empowers parents to move beyond conflicting advice, trust their instincts, and better understand what their baby's body may be communicating. Through her clinical work, speaking engagements, writing, and podcast, Kaili is on a mission to reduce the overwhelm of motherhood, one family at a time.

Connect with Kaili 
website: https://www.kailiets.com
IG: https://www.instagram.com/theholisticbabyguru/
Calm Baby Blueprint (free guide re: baby body tension) - https://freebie.kailiets.com/calm-baby
Baby Bodywork At Home Course ($47) - https://courses.kailiets.com/baby-bodywork

Connect with Kim 
Grab a free sleep myth busting guide and learn more about working with Kim: https://intuitiveparentingdc.com/
Instagram: instagram.com/intuitive_parenting_dc
Facebook:  facebook.com/intuitiveparentingdc