All it Takes is a Plan

Screen time is one of those parenting topics that can bring up a LOT of opinions, questions, and guilt. But what if the goal isn’t to follow one set of rules forever, but to figure out what works best for your family in the season you’re in?

In this episode, I’m sharing how we’ve approached screen time in our family over the last several years, how our boundaries and expectations have changed, and what’s influenced those decisions along the way. From one season of parenting to the next, what felt right for our family...

What does nervous system regulation actually look like when you have kids?

In Part 2 of my conversation with Amanda Armstrong of Regulated Living, we're getting much more practical about nervous system regulation for parents and children, and how we can support our kids when they're overwhelmed, dysregulated, tantruming, or struggling to settle down for sleep.

One of the biggest takeaways from this conversation is that co-regulation comes before self-regulation. Our kids' nervous systems are constantly communicating with ours, which means that learning to regulate ourselves is one of the most powerful things we can do...

What does the vagus nerve have to do with sleep? More than you might think.

In this episode, I’m joined by Amanda Armstrong of Regulated Living to talk about the vagus nerve, nervous system regulation, and the connection between our nervous system and sleep.

We talk about what the vagus nerve actually does, how our nervous system responds to stress, and why regulation can play such an important role in our ability to settle, rest, and sleep.

Amanda also shares practical ways to support nervous system regulation, including breathing, movement, time outside, an...

Is your baby or toddler waking up in the middle of the night and staying awake for hours? If so, you may be dealing with a split night.

In this episode, we’re breaking down what a split night actually is, why they happen, and most importantly, how to fix them. We’ll talk about the most common causes for split nights, including a lack of independent sleep skills and/or a schedule issue.

Snag our FREE schedule guide for babies!

If you’re exhausted from being awake with your child for hours every...

In August of 2022, our oldest daughter, Olivia, was diagnosed with cancer. Just 9 days before her 5th birthday, she was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma. Her main tumor was in her jaw muscle, and she had a handful of tumors in her lungs, as well.

Two weeks ago, I shared all of the details of Olivia's diagnosis: what led us to the ER that day and what those initial days and weeks looked like as we got more information and treatment started.

Last week, I shared about what her 40 weeks of frontline treatment looked like, including chemo and...

In August of 2022, our oldest daughter, Olivia, was diagnosed with cancer. Just 9 days before her 5th birthday, she was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma. Her main tumor was in her jaw muscle, and she had a handful of tumors in her lungs, as well.

Last week, I shared all of the details of Olivia's diagnosis: what led us to the ER that day and what those initial days and weeks looked like as we got more information and treatment started.

This week, I'm sharing all about her frontline treatment - what our day-to-day and week-to-week looked like...

In August of 2022, our oldest daughter, Olivia, was diagnosed with cancer. Just 9 days before her 5th birthday, she was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma. Her main tumor was in her jaw muscle, and she had a handful of tumors in her lungs, as well.

In this episode, I'm sharing all of the details of Olivia's diagnosis: what led us to the ER that day and what those initial days and weeks looked like as we got more information and treatment started.

In this episode, I'm answering YOUR questions! Here's what we're walking through:

One of the questions I get most often from families preparing ot travel is: "How do we all sleep when we're sharing a hotel room?"

If you're nervous about sharing a hotel room with your baby or toddler, you're not alone. In this episode, I'm sharing practical tips we've used with our own family and the strategies I recommend to clients for making hotel room sleep easier.

We'll cover everything from creating separation in a shared space and packing the right sleep essentials to wake-ups and maintaining realistic expectations while you're away.

Travel...

In this week’s episode, I’m sharing something a little different and more personal — our family’s experience with homeschooling.

I talk about why we chose homeschooling, what we’ve come to love about it, and also the parts that have been genuinely hard. From slower mornings and family rhythms to the challenges and sacrifices that come with it, this episode is just an honest conversation about what homeschooling looks like in our home right now.

Whether you homeschool, send your kids to school, or are simply curious about why families make different educational choices, I...

If your toddler suddenly starts fighting their bedtime routine, or they start freaking out when you go to lay them in their crib or tuck them in for the night - and before this, sleep has been pretty smooth - separation anxiety may be playing a role.

But it’s not always the whole story.

In this episode, I’m breaking down:

If your baby suddenly cries the moment you walk toward the crib, or bedtime feels like more of a fight, or the nap and bedtime routine have gotten tougher, separation anxiety may be playing a role.

But it’s not always the whole story.

In this episode, I’m breaking down:

I also share a bit about how to know when something else may be a...

Every toddler parent dreads the day their toddler climbs out of the crib. That definitely wasn't part of the plan! So what do you do?

In this episode, I share 7 tips to actually prevent your toddler from climbing out of their crib, and then I also share what your options are once they climb out.

I also give a peek inside what we did when our toddler climbed out of her crib about a month ago!

Get our FREE bedtime boundary printables here!

And to learn more about how we can...

I'm excited to introduce you to the newest pediatric sleep coach on the Via Graces team, Samantha Gomella!

In this podcast, she tells us about the sleep challenges she had with her oldest son, and how that finally connected her to me. She also shares about how different her experience was the second time around with her daughter, and how confidence marked her journey rather than anxiety.

Sam also explains how her own sleep journey inspired her to become a pediatric sleep consultant and why she's excited to help more families sleep!

Book...

"What if sleep training doesn’t work?"

This fear and common hesitation isn't actually about sleep, it's about putting your time and energy and emotions into something hard, and worrying it won’t pay off.

So let’s talk about it!

In this episode, I’m breaking down why sleep training sometimes seems like it’s failing—and what’s actually going on behind the scenes. You’ll walk away knowing what to adjust, what to expect, and how to move forward with confidence.

For more confidence sleep training on your own, check out o...

Can you breastfeed and sleep train?

If you’re a nursing mom and even thinking about sleep training, chances are you’ve wondered, “Does sleep training mean I have to stop nursing overnight?”

Or worse, “Will sleep training tank my milk supply?” Or, “My baby probably won’t sleep through the night until I wean.”

In this episode, we talk about how:

I also share some practical tips for sleep training b...

We are continuing our mini-series on sleep training hesitations. And today the big question we're asking is, Will sleep training make our life rigid?

And we're answering that big question by answering these smaller questions:

Learn how we balance slee...

Last week, we kicked off a mini-series on common sleep training hesitations with, "Does sleep training harm attachment?"

This week, we're continuing with those hesitations by answering the question, "How much will my baby cry during sleep training?" We'll talk about what's realistic when it comes to babies and toddlers crying during the sleep training process, what's not realistic, as well as ways that we, as sleep coaches, try to minimize crying!

If you want a personalized sleep training plan where we walk you through how to respond to the tears so you feel confident...

Does sleep training harm your baby’s attachment?

It’s one of the most common—and emotionally charged—questions parents ask. If you’ve ever worried that sleep training might damage your bond with your baby, you are absolutely not alone.

In this episode, we’re diving into the research behind attachment and sleep training with psychologist, Dr. Shanna Sarita Alvarez, to answer the question: does sleep training affect attachment?

We cover:

If you have twins or triplets, or are expecting twins or triplets, this episode is for you!

While much of sleep training twins is the same as sleep training a singleton, there are also many differences, because you have more babies or more toddlers!

So in this episode, I'm sharing how to sleep train twins and triplets, including:

Have you ever been nervous about putting your child to bed after they skipped dinner? What if they wake up hungry? Have you found yourself in the pattern of giving your toddler a bedtime snack every night to try to help them sleep through the night?

Is that bedtime snack actually necessary?

In this episode, I'm interviewing Alyssa Miller, a registered dietitian and picky eating specialist with Nutrition for Littles. We are talking all about bedtime snacks.

She is sharing:

My baby just turned 12 months old last week, which means there are some sleep changes on the horizon for us.

So in today's episode, I'm sharing the three sleep changes that should be top of mind when your baby turns one! Including:

If you have a baby who is almost one, or who just recently turned one, this episode is for you!

Listen as I interview Angie Ludwig, a mama of two and a family photographer in Columbus, Ohio, as we talk about the before and after of the sleep training process with both of her kids.

She shares why her family chose to hire a sleep consultant to help with both kids, and also peels back the curtain on what the sleep training process was like for them.

If you'd like to chat more about what it would look like to work together, book a (free!) discovery call with us so we can chat more!

If you've done any research about baby sleep, you've heard about overtiredness and how it can wreck sleep. And while yes, overtiredness can absolutely cause sleep challenges, we need to talk about undertiredness!

As a sleep coach and mom of four, I see undertiredness impacting sleep way more often than overtiredness.

In this episode, I share:

And more!

Finally, don't miss...

“I know it’s time to transition my baby out of the bassinet, but I’m terrified of doing it wrong and wrecking their sleep.”

Can you relate??

In this week's episode, we're covering the bassinet to crib transition, including:

If your baby is younger than 16 weeks old and you're looking for extra sleep su...

Listen as I interview Michelle Pratt, a nationally certified Child Passenger Safety Technician (CPST) and mom of two, best known as the founder of Safe in the Seat, the leading car seat safety platform for parents.

In the episode, she shares:

Don't miss these amazing resources:

And make sure you follow her on Instagram...

In the last two episodes, I shared about our challenging sleep journey with baby number four, and how that resulted in quite a bit of co-sleeping.

This week, I want to have some real talk about co-sleeping, both from a sleep coach's perspective and from a real mom who had to co-sleep!

And if you're currently a co-sleeping parent but are looking for help getting your baby or toddler sleeping in their own bed all night long, we'd love to help!

Last week, I shared all about our challenging sleep journey with baby number four, due to some airway issues. But how we finally got the green light to sleep train him at 9 months old!

So this week, I'm sharing all about what it actually looked like to sleep train James, both the highs and lows.

I share how he did, as well as how I coached myself, sleep coach to mama, throughout the process, when things felt really hard. I also share the "afters" of how our day-to-day so quickly changed because our son was...

We welcomed our fourth baby and first son, James, into the world last February, and he has just been the happiest baby!

Rather than being the "easy" last baby, however, he struggled with sleep from day one. We never had any intentions of co-sleeping and really weren't comfortable with it, but we didn't have another option the first several weeks of his life. He was not able to lie flat to sleep without making an awful grunting or choking noise for the first 12 weeks of his life, so we had to hold him upright for all naps...

When is the BEST time to sleep train? When should you NOT sleep train?

In today's episode, I'll be answering those questions for you, so you can decide if and when sleep training is best for your family.

If you're curious to learn more about what it would look like to sleep train your little one with our team's help, check this out!

In this episode, I'm sharing my love for the SlumberPod! I truly think it's one of the best baby and toddler sleep products out there, and I recommend it to every family I work with!

I will be sharing:

To get a discount on your SlumberPod or SlumberTot, use the code VIAGRACESPOD at checkout!

Our favorite travel cots that fit under the SlumberPod:

This week, I am interviewing my favorite pelvic health physical therapist, Dr. Lindsay Durand Massumi. She is based in Northern Virginia, serving families at her practice and in their homes, as well as families nationwide through her virtual PT!

We talk all about what the pelvic floor is and why pelvic floor PT can benefit everyone - male, female, young, and old. We also talk about how pelvic floor health often overlaps with both pediatric and adult sleep!

To learn more about how Dr. Lindsay can help you or to reach out about scheduling with...

Last week, we answered why your baby might be waking up at night.

So this week, we're answering the questions: "Why is my toddler still waking up at night?" Or, "Why is my toddler all of a sudden waking up at night again?"

I walk through the four most common reasons toddlers wake up at night, as well as some others that could be causing night wakings for your toddler.

These are all of the podcast episodes I reference to dig deeper:

This week, we’re talking all about why your baby is still waking up at night! I’m essentially letting you inside my head, as a pediatric sleep coach. I’m peeling back the curtain on what I think through when a family reaches out to me and says, “Why won’t my baby sleep through the night?!” Or, “My baby was sleeping through the night, but now they’re waking again. Why??”

Sometimes it’s pretty straightforward, but sometimes we have to play 20 questions to get there.

So I'll be walking you through the top three questions...

Have you ever been worried about being out late with your baby or toddler because they might fall asleep in the car and you're not sure how to transfer them to their bed when you get home? Or have you ever tried transferring a sleeping baby to their bed for the night, and it just didn’t go well?

If so, today’s episode is for you! I'm getting into the specifics of how exactly I recommend transferring your sleeping baby from their car seat to their crib at bedtime. And how to transfer your sleeping toddler from...

In today's episode, I'm interviewing Jennifer Barnard of Baby Begin. Jennifer has been a pediatric Occupational Therapist for over 20 years and is the owner of Baby Begin. Her goal is to eradicate plagiocephaly (flat head syndrome) worldwide.

She has become an expert on treating torticollis and correcting flat heads without a helmet and trains passionate therapists all over the world to do the same.

To learn more about how Baby Begin can support your baby and family, check out their website.

And make sure you're following Baby Begin on Instagram!

Most of us have heard a lot about the safe sleep guidelines for babies, but we don't talk a lot about safe sleep guidelines for toddlers and older kids! So in this episode, we're talking all about safe sleep for toddlers still in cribs, as well as big kids sleeping in a big bed.

We're talking about:

And more!

Our favorite...

In today's episode, I'm diving into the ins and outs of the safe sleep guidelines for babies.

We'll start with the basic ABCs of safe sleep, and then dig in even more. My guess is that whether you're a first-time parent or a fourth-time parent, you'll hear a safe sleep guideline you haven't heard before.

(To learn more about how to dress your baby for sleep when it's colder in their nursery, read this blog post.)

As first-time parents, we blamed any and every challenging day or night on teething. We figured our baby must be teething since sleep was a disaster.

As fourth-time parents now, I have to admit that teething really doesn't faze me. Because I know that it's not the big-bad-monster it's often made out to be!

I'm not saying teething doesn't impact babies at all, but I am saying it doesn't usually affect babies as much as we assume it will.

So on today's episode, I'm diving into the world of teething for both babies a...

Today, we’re going to be talking about adult sleep with our adult sleep coach, Kathryn, and it might feel like a strange tip at first. But what if one of the best tools for better sleep isn’t melatonin, magnesium, or even a stricter bedtime routine—but more fun?

If stress is one of the biggest enemies of adult sleep, FUN might just be one of the anecdotes!

Not only is having more fun one way to get better sleep, but so is having great sleep hygiene! So if you're looking for another tangible way to...