All it Takes is a Plan

Do you ever have to do bedtime on your own with multiple kiddos? And if so, how does it go? Do you have it down to a science, or is it pretty chaotic?One of our sleep coaches, Sam, is on the podcast today, sharing her top tips on how to do bedtime solo with multiple kids. Due to her husband's job, she does bedtime on her own more often than not and is sharing 7 tips that have made solo bedtimes smoother in her house. If bedtime doesn't go well at your house, whether you're doing it on your own or with your spouse, and you're looking for help feeling confident not only about bedtime but also overnight, book a free discovery call with us so we can chat more about what it would look like to work together!

In this episode, I'm answering YOUR questions! Here's what we're walking through:Our 7-month-old is mostly on a two-nap schedule, and depending on whether he has one or two night feeds, he either wakes up around 6 or 7 am. When he's up early, his first nap interferes with preschool drop-off. If he wakes up around 7, he can wait until after. Any suggestions?We're almost ready to sleep train our 3-month-old and he relies on the pacifier to sleep. When we sleep train, do we also remove the pacifier from daytime use, including daycare?Our daughter is almost 3 and has always been an independent sleeper, but recently started climbing out of her crib, so we've been resorting to holding her until she's asleep and then transferring her. We're traveling soon for another child's surgery and I'm nervous about her sleep in the Airbnb. Any tips?My 9.5-month-old falls asleep independently and sleeps 11 hours through the night, but she wakes up at 6 am and is inconsolable until I nurse her. How do I shift my baby to wake up later and happy?Our 4-year-old has been an independent sleeper since she was a baby, but she recently started fighting sleep at bedtime. We're wondering if she needs a schedule change, how to respond well when she's fighting bedtime, and how to handle early morning wake-ups.Here is the FREE boundary card resource I mentioned!And if you're looking for a step-by-step sleep training plan and personalized support as you implement the plan, check out what that would look like!

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 has shifted — and I’ve learned that we don’t have to do things the same way forever just because they worked (or didn’t work) in the past.This isn’t about telling you how much screen time your kids should get or giving you another set of rules to follow. It’s an honest look at how we’ve navigated screen time as a family, with the hope of encouraging you to think about what’s working for your family, too.Because parenting isn’t about getting every decision right. It’s about giving ourselves the grace to adjust as our kids, our families, and our seasons of life change.

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 to support our children.Amanda shares practical strategies she uses with her own kids, including breathing exercises, movement, sensory activities, getting outside, and creating a home environment that supports the nervous system. We also talk about why it's important to practice these tools during calm moments rather than waiting until your child is in the middle of a full-blown tantrum.(She shares this great song she found recently: Big Feelings Emotional Regulation Song)And there's of course an important connection to sleep!If you haven't listened to Part 1 yet, start there for the foundation on the vagus nerve, nervous system regulation, and sleep. Then come back here for the practical, kid-focused conversation.Amanda Armstrong is the founder of Regulated Living, a mental health coaching practice focused on anxiety, depression, and nervous system regulation. She is also the author of Healing Through the Vagus Nerve and host of the Regulate and Rewire podcast.

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, and creating an environment that is more supportive of our biology. We also talk about why there isn't one magic trick for regulating your nervous system, and why understanding your own body and what helps you feel settled is so important.And while much of this conversation applies to adults, there's a lot here for parents, too. The way we regulate ourselves can have a direct impact on the people around us, including our children.This is Part 1 of my conversation with Amanda. In Part 2, we'll dive much more specifically into nervous system regulation with kids, including practical ways parents can support their children—and why our own regulation is such an important part of that process.Amanda Armstrong is the founder of Regulated Living, a mental health coaching practice focused on anxiety, depression, and nervous system regulation. She is also the author of Healing Through the Vagus Nerve and host of the Regulate and Rewire podcast.

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 night, this episode will help you understand what’s happening and give you practical steps to start getting those nights back on track.And if you need more help, learn about how we can do that here.

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 radiation. I also shared the many ways we were supported and loved on during her treatment.This week, I'm sharing all about Olivia's relapse treatment, why we switched hospitals and chemo regimens, and surgery. And I'm also sharing a bit about what life looks like now, post-treatment!

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 for 40 weeks of chemo, as well as radiation. I also share the many ways we were loved on and supported during treatment.

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:How do we adjust our sons' sleep schedule (ages 9 and 6.5)? We want them to go to bed later at night and wake up later in the morning. We've pushed bedtime later, but they're now waking up even earlier in the morning.Is my toddler (2 years 7 months) ready to drop her nap or should we push bedtime back later?Should we give our 2.5-year-old a toddler clock or is he okay without it? Sometimes he wakes up in the morning and wants out of his crib right away, whereas other mornings he's content to play in his crib by himself!How can I stretch my 5-month-old's wake windows? He struggles in the morning, especially.Do you have any tips for juggling multiple nap schedules/bedtimes with multiple little ones, while still trying to have a life? I feel like I’m trapped in the house playing "musical kids all day."What are your tips for transitioning a toddler from a crib to a bed?And here are the FREE resources I mentioned in the episode:FREE sleep schedule guide for babiesFREE bedtime boundary cards for toddlers