How Long 'Til Bedtime? | Sleep and Parenting Podcast

Latest Episodes:

153. When is the best time to sleep train a child? Sep 16, 2024

Show notes

If you have a baby or young child who isn't sleeping well, you may have wondered when it is the "best time" to implement a sleep training plan or you may have searched the internet to try to figure out if you are "too late." Allison has helped over 1,000 families teach their children to become independent sleepers and she's sharing her thoughts on identifying the "best time" to sleep train your child.

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152. How to Balance Sleep and Evening Activities with Older Kids Sep 09, 2024

Show notes

As children get older and move into the elementary school years, evening activities often begin to push bedtimes a bit later and interrupt sleep schedules. Families with young children who are thriving with their early bedtimes may worry about or even start to feel the negative effects of these later bedtimes.

In this episode, Allison is offering a plan for balancing evening activities, homework, and sleep. She's sharing tips for keeping kids well rested without sacrificing the chance to participate in sports and other after school activities.

Allison mentions Episode 1. My Case for an Early Bedtime

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151. Daycare Won't Cap or Drop My Child's Nap - Help! Sep 02, 2024

Show notes

Many children between 3 and 5 years old attend a daycare where rest or nap time is offered daily. Often, a child who is struggling with sleep at home catches up on their sleep by taking a long nap at daycare. And when bedtime is a struggle at home, parents sometimes ask the daycare to either skip the nap or cap it after a certain amount of sleep. It's not uncommon for daycares to respond by telling parents that they are legally required to offer a nap and can't wake their child up until the end of the nap period. So what can a parent in this situation do?

Listen in as Allison offers advice to help you figure out if the nap is the reason bedtime is a struggle, then navigate the necessary changes both at home and at daycare.

FREE Challenge Starts September 4th - 3 Days To Smoother Bedtimes. If you have a 2.5 to 6 year old and you want to go from bedtimes that take forever to shorter bedtimes and your child falling asleep faster, sign up today!

Contact Allison if you're looking for more help creating smoother bedtimes.

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150. How Two Small Changes Helped This Mom Achieve Smoother Bedtimes with Jessica Oliveri Aug 26, 2024

Show notes

If you have a child between 2.5 and 6 years old and you've been dreading bedtimes because your child resists, stalls or is falling asleep crazy late, Allison's 3 Days To Smoother Bedtimes sleep challenge is for you. We're kicking off this FREE challenge for the third time on September 4th. Hundreds of parents have participated in our two previous challenges and have found that a few simple tweaks have allowed them to improve their child's sleep habits and regain some free time for themselves in the evenings.

In today's episode, Allison is joined by Jessica Oliveri, a mom who participated in our April challenge. Jessica and her husband implemented a couple changes during the challenge and saw huge improvements in their son's sleep situation. Listen in as Jessica shares the ways in which her son's sleep got off track, how she and her husband implemented Allison's suggestions, and the advice she gives to other parents when it comes to preschool sleep.

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149. The Power of Exposure in Building Inclusive Communities with Angela O'Brien Aug 19, 2024

Show notes

Allison is joined by Angela O'Brien for a vulnerable conversation about the importance of exposure and inclusion as it relates to the special needs community. Angela is a professional organizer, host of the Especially Organized podcast, and a special needs mom.

Allison and Angela discuss the reasons it's important for our young children to be exposed to people with special needs, the biases that still exist in today's communities and why we need to work towards a more inclusive society. Both Allison and Angela share their own personal stories of how individuals with special needs have impacted their families.

Angela opens up about the joys and challenges of parenting a child with intellectual disabilities, makes suggestions for how parents can approach and include families with special needs children, as well as offers guidance on how parents of special needs children can find support and community in their own lives.

Learn more about Angela on her website or on Instagram

The National Down Syndrome Society holds Buddy Walks across the country to celebrate Down Syndrome awareness. Find a Buddy Walk in your area

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148. Back to School Sleep Tips: Elementary Schoolers Aug 12, 2024

Show notes

August is the month many families find they need to tighten up their sleep schedules to prepare for back to school. In this episode, Allison is providing back to school sleep tips for elementary school aged children. Time and again, studies have shown that children who receive an optimal amount of sleep have greater learning engagement and retention, improved emotional regulation and impulse control, and even have reduced anxiety, which translates to less separation anxiety at drop off and greater independence at school.

Listen in as Allison explains the amount of sleep that is appropriate for this age group and how to find an appropriate sleep schedule that will help your child thrive at school.

Allison mentions:

Episode 128. Sleep To Get By Or Sleep To Thrive? Sleep For 3 to 10 Year Olds

Episode 147. Back to School Sleep Tips: Preschoolers and Daycare

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147. Back to School Sleep Tips: Preschoolers and Daycare Aug 05, 2024

Show notes

August is the month many families find they need to tighten up their sleep schedules to prepare for back to school. In this episode, Allison is providing back to school sleep tips for preschoolers and toddlers starting daycare for the first time. The research is clear - children who receive an optimal amount of sleep have greater learning engagement and retention, improved emotional regulation and impulse control, and even reduced anxiety, which translates to less separation anxiety at drop off and greater independence at school.

Listen in as Allison explains the amount of sleep that is appropriate for toddlers and preschoolers. She'll help you set the necessary sleep schedule - from identifying the time they'll need to wake for preschool or daycare, to shifting them to the corresponding bedtime. Plus, she discusses how naps at home and naps on cots at school or daycare play into their overall sleep needs.

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146. Going From One to Two: Fears and Challenges Jul 29, 2024

Show notes

Parents often have concerns about the changing dynamics when you prepare to add a second child to their family. Their fears vary - from how they'll spread their love and attention across two children, to the logistics of getting through life with two little ones, to how this new addition will affect their career, marriage and relationship with their first child. Some parents also worry about being older and sleep deprived the second time around, or how they'll manage if they don't have a local support network to lean on.

We dove into the topic of going from one to two children in last week's episode with Ellen Hayden. Ellen shared her personal experience of welcoming her second child. She shared that the transition went better than she expected and she was pleasantly surprised with how naturally she and her family were able to work through the issues she was most nervous about before giving birth. While this is the case for many families, others face more challenges during this transition.

Allison is back this week to provide a slightly different take on this transition. She shares two more stories of moms expecting their second child, both her own story and that of another mom in this community. She elaborates on the worries they both had before their second child arrived - some similar to the worries Ellen had, and some very different. She provides a glimpse into her own family during this delicate time - the biggest challenges her family faced after her second daughter's birth, what strategies they put in place that really improved the situation, as well as her lessons learned along the way.

Allison mentions:

Episode 29. My Postpartum Anxiety Story

Episode 100. My Story - Why I Became A Sleep Coach

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145. Transitioning From One To Two Kids with Ellen Hayden Jul 22, 2024

Show notes

Going from one to two children is a transition point that parents often have angst about and find challenging. Our sleep coach Ellen Hayden recently welcomed her second baby. To provide a first-hand account of the ups and downs that happen during the months before and after welcoming a new baby, Allison had two candid conversations with Ellen. They spoke first before the new baby's arrival to discuss how Ellen was feeling about the idea of becoming a mom of two. Allison asked Ellen about her concerns, the things she was most looking forward to, as well as the challenges Ellen and her husband were preparing to tackle after the new baby's arrival. Their second conversation took place after Ellen's second baby's arrival. Ellen shared the differences in her two experiences with labor and delivery, recovery, feeding, and sleep during the early newborn weeks. She explained how the reality of adding a second baby to the family differed from what she anticipated.

Find out more about Allison's Have Baby, Need Sleep Newborn Sleep Coaching Program that was mentioned in the episode

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144. Our Guests Dive Deeper Jul 15, 2024

Show notes

After each guest interview we do for the podcast, Allison asks our guests some rapid-fire questions unrelated to their area of expertise. Today's episode is a compilation of all the great "bonus answers" they shared with us in the last six months. These six guests will share their favorite stress-relieving self care strategies, family game and book and podcast recommendations, charities and nonprofit organizations they support, and the personal goal they are working towards this year.

Links to the previous episodes referred to in this episode:

117. How To Execute a Smooth Crib to Bed Transition with Sophie Kuzjak - Part One

118. How To Execute a Smooth Crib to Bed Transition with Sophie Kuzjak - Part Two

122. Self-Leadership as a Parent with Kara Ryska

126. Transitioning Back To Work After Maternity Leave With Rebecca Olson

129. Co-Parenting and Single Parenting with Alicia Robertson

133. Encouraging Our Children To Engage More With Household Responsibilities with Lori Sugarman-Li

137. How Postpartum Support International Supports Parents with President and CEO Wendy Davis

57. Celebrating Our First Anniversary

90. Our Guests Have Even More To Say

115. Our Guests Have Even More To Say - Part Two

Games mentioned in this episode: