New Years Eve, and New Years Resolutions land differently once you’re a parent.
The idea of setting resolutions and goals for oneself in the usual ways may not fit at your season of parenting. And that’s ok.
Instead, let’s explore 5 questions to ask yourself as you step into 2026.
Join Heather Boyd, Occupational Therapist, sleep coach, and mother of 3 as she explores the merit of asking yourself:
1. What about this past year am I proud of or feel happy when I think of it?
2. What do I want to take with me from this past year?
3. Who do I want to be this coming year?
4. What do I want from my environment that will help me thrive and feel good --and how will I create it?
5. Who in my life is important to me (and have I told them lately)?
Here’s to the coming months/season/stage of your parenting providing you with rest, connection, and meaning.
What you can do next:
Credits: 🎵 Music: Jordan Wood
In this episode, we break down what newborn sleep really looks like in the first week—especially the shift from the sleepy first night to the cluster-feeding intensity of night two.
You’ll learn what’s normal, why it happens, and simple ways to support rest and regulation in these early days. Night one is recovery; night two is recalibration.
We cover:
Mentioned in this episode:
What you can do next
Credits:
🎵 Music: Jordan Wood
If you identify as a highly sensitive person, wrap yourself in your favourite blanket, grab a tea, take a deep belly breath and listen in on this episode.
Psychotherapist Nelia DeAmaral chats with occupational therapist and sleep coach Heather Boyd about how to navigate early motherhood as a highly sensitive person.
In this episode we talk about:
What you may recognize in yourself as a highly sensitive parent
The difference between overstimulated and stressed
Shifting from overstimulated to regulated
Is your baby overstimulated? Or are they actually under-stimulated?
Contrasting calm versus regulated
The Window of Tolerance
Strategies for supporting yourself and your baby as a highly sensitive parent
Mentioned in this episode:
You can find Nelia at neliadeamaral.com, and on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/nelia.deamaral/info.
What you can do next
Credits:
🎵 Music: Jordan Wood
As the parent of a new baby, you know better than anyone that newborn sleep is different.
For Heather Boyd, occupational therapist and mom of 3, there likely was nothing that could have prepared her for the interrupted sleep, the noises her baby would make while sleeping, or the intensity of cluster feeding.
However, knowing what to expect and what is normal for baby sleep can be reassuring at a time when everything feels raw, unpredictable, and new.
Listen to this episode for an overview of:
Mentioned in this episode:
What you can do next:
Credits:
🎵 Music: Jordan Wood
In this episode, Heather Boyd, O.T., mom, and sleep coach, explores why babies drop naps, why it can feel so difficult, and what to do to make it easier.
Even though dropping naps is a normal part of development, it can be a bumpy ride! HOW to drop naps without making sleep challenges worse is one of the most common questions Heather gets in her practice.
Whether dropping naps is parent-led, circumstance-led, or baby-led, Heather explores ways to make the transition easier.
She also explores:
Robust naps versus “cat naps” (neither is bad or good)
What signs there are that your baby is ready to drop a nap
The role adenosine plays in naps
Why nap dropping isn’t “all or nothing”
How to prepare for bedtime when a nap varies from day to day
How expectations can support you in managing the “messy middle” of dropping naps
How the last nap drop with our child went (and how we stayed flexible)
Why dropping naps can feel disappointing for parents, and
Why dropping naps can be a great thing!
Wondering 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 better understanding their baby’s sleep.
Sign up for weekly baby sleep emails. https://heatherboyd.activehosted.com/f/1
Book a screening call with Heather (receipts provided for Ontario families)
Credits:
🎵 Music: Jordan Wood
Heather Boyd, occupational therapist and mom of 3, shares ways that separation-based advice backfires and what to do instead.
When parents get advice that involves separation without any focus on attachment, it can block a parent's ability to help their children regulate. Whether it’s daytime meltdowns or bedtime shenanigans, separation can feel very alarming.
Listen to this episode for examples of bad separation-based advice that Heather wishes she’d ignored early on in parenting, and what to do instead.
With attachment-based perspectives and tools, as well as self-regulation tools for parents, the focus shifts to connection and co-regulation.
And with connection and co-regulation, the alarm of separation can soften.
Mentioned in this episode:
Gordon Neufeld: “Speak but not too much. Be close but not too close” www.neufeldinstitute.com
Kim Barthell: Be a behaviorual detective. www.kimbarthel.ca
Parent Self-Care Toolkit https://heatherboyd.vipmembervault.com/products/units/view/1239883/?lesson=1601156
What you can do next:
Subscribe to this podcast and share it with a friend!
Credits:
🎵 Music: Jordan Wood
In Part 2 of Sleep Emergencies, Heather Boyd, occupational therapist and sleep coach, explores a shift she has seen in her private practice away from “preventing” sleep challenges towards more sleep emergencies, and increased parent stress.
The impact on mental health is significant, and getting the appropriate supports is crucial.
At a time when stress and information overwhelm are high, parents who are struggling with their child’s sleep are also experiencing feelings of guilt and shame. This only adds to the burden parents are carrying.
Listen in to explore:
How Bad advice can be worse than no advice at all.
How social media and information overwhelm are making parents feel like they are not measuring up
How to shift to more preventative measures when sleep or parenting are getting challenging
How creating a sleep emergency plan may actually lead to options you have not considered that actually help your baby sleep.
Why getting support can make all the difference
What you can do next:
Subscribe to this podcast and share it with a friend!
Download the Baby Sleep Connection Podcast Listener Guide at www.familysleep.ca/links
Work with Heather inside the Confident & Connected Baby Sleep group program or one-on-one.
Find previous episodes of the podcast at familysleep.ca/podcast
Credits:
🎵 Music: Jordan Wood
What is a sleep emergency?
How is it different than difficult sleep that needs coaching.
And when is it a mental health emergency requiring medical attention?
Heather Boyd, occupational therapist and certified infant and family sleep specialist, explores these questions and offers strategies for getting support and managing a sleep emergency including:
Additional Resources:
If you are struggling, call for support without delay: your doctor, your midwife, your therapist or when it is a crisis, 911 or your local crisis line.
Call your local crisis line -in Niagara Ontario it's COAST (Crisis Outreach And Support Team, available 24/7). In the U.S. call the Maternal Mental Health Line (https://mchb.hrsa.gov/programs-impact/national-maternal-mental-health-hotline). Internationally, reach out through Postpartum Support International at https://postpartum.net/ . Go to the Emergency Department or call 911 if you worry that you or your partner or spouse is at risk of harming themselves or their baby.
Getting the support you need matters.
Mentioned in this episode:
The concept of sleep emergencies is from Lyndsey Hookway in a talk a number of years ago. Lyndsey Hookway is an IBCLC and founder of the Holistic Sleep Coach training in the United Kingdom at https://lyndseyhookway.com/hscp/
If you found value in this podcast:
Credits:
🎵 Music: Jordan Wood
Sleep associations often get a “bad wrap”, being labelled crutches or bad habits.
In this episode, Heather breaks down what a sleep association is, what it isn’t, and how to appreciate the role sleep associations have in making bedtimes more pleasant.
Sharing parallels with routines and habits we have during the day, as well as sleep associations that we as adults use, Heather makes a case for judgement-free sleep associations and why doing what works, and changing what doesn’t, is a helpful approach at any age.
What you can do next:
Subscribe to this podcast and share it with a friend!
Download the Baby Sleep Connection Podcast Listener Guide at www.familysleep.ca/links
Work with Heather inside the Confident & Connected Baby Sleep group program or one-on-one.
Find previous episodes of the podcast at infantsleep.ca/podcast
Credits:
🎵 Music: Jordan Wood
Laila, mom of two and host of the popular Learning To Mom Podcast, shares her personal story about discovering what prenatal depression is and why she has come to understand that prenatal depression may have been part of what made her unexpected pregnancy at age 24 so challenging.
This is a heartfelt conversation that runs the gamut from laughter to vulnerability.
Although the circumstances of Laila’s journey are unique to her, and where she found support may be different than for you, her message is important: when you understand your experience, and you know what may be happening to you, it becomes easier to get the support you need to survive and thrive at a very challenging time. It can also reduce the guilt and shame you may be feeling around how you are navigating pregnancy and motherhood.
In this episode:
Laila talks openly about her personal struggles and what helped her.
She outlines the common symptoms of prenatal depression, what the risk factors are, and 8 tips she has for families based on her experience.
If you are struggling with depression (prenatally, postnatally, or outside of pregnancy altogether), talk with your doctor or mental health professional today, be honest with what you are feeling, and get the support you deserve.
If you are the spouse, partner, or loving family member or friend who sees your loved one struggling, do not hesitate to help them get help.
Mentioned in this episode:
Brianna Wiest, on Self-Care https://thoughtcatalog.com/brianna-wiest/2024/04/this-is-what-self-care-really-means-because-its-not-all-salt-baths-and-chocolate-cake-2/
Additional Resources:
Prenatal Depression Resources. If you are struggling, call for support without delay: your doctor, midwife your therapist. Call your local COAST (Crisis Outreach And Support Team, available 24/7), or local Mental Health Association (CMHA.ca in Canada). Call 911 if you or your partner or spouse is having a mental health crisis.
Canada’s new (2024) resource for prescription drugs during pregnancy https://www.healthypregnancyhub.ca/ based on research from the https://motherchildcohort.ca/
You can find Laila at:
What you can do next:
Subscribe to this podcast and share it with a friend!
Download the Baby Sleep Connection Podcast Listener Guide at www.familysleep.ca/links
Work with Heather inside the Confident & Connected Baby Sleep group program or one-on-one.
Find previous episodes of the podcast at familysleep.ca/podcast
And do ONE THING right this moment that helps you feel grounded –take a deep belly breath, wiggle your toes, make some tea, look up at the stars, or anything else you can do easily that feels good.
Credits:
🎵 Music: Jordan Wood
What if your baby’s sleep was a language you just haven’t become fluent in yet?
It can be frustrating to try to figure out what interrupted sleep, resistant naps, or frequent waking are telling us. But if we start looking at this as a language we can learn, the cues become like words, and patterns begin to form sentences that help us understand what our baby needs.
Mentioned in this episode:
What you can do next:
Credits:
🎵 Music: Jordan Wood
Have you been doing “everything right” with your baby’s schedule, following a rigid instructions of a nap and bedtime schedule you found in a book or online and still feel like sleep isn’t working?
Listen to 3 key perspectives that will have you rethinking your relationship to your baby’s sleep schedule.
Ultimately:
What you can do next:
Credits:
🎵 Music: Jordan Wood
Whether you are a first-time mom or have multiple kids, there are a few things Heather would want to share with you over a cup of tea (or decaf Americano) to make sleep development easier to navigate.
Listen in as she reassures listeners that:
Your baby is not broken (and you did NOT break their sleep)
Your approach is going to be unique and doesn’t have to follow the rules of any one approach.
There’s no “good enough parent club” you have to tick boxes in to be a member in good standing.
You deserve support and you aren’t supposed to do this all on your own.
Worth exploring after this episode:
What you can do next:
Credits:
🎵 Music: Jordan Wood
Angela Sacco talks with Heather about how to give birth through the perspective of yoga.
In the interview we talk about:
How sounds during labour support opening of your cervix (and what sounds to make)
Breath, and its role in birthing your baby
How the vagus nerve supports you in staying in a regulated parasympathetic state and staying out of sympathetic fight or flight
The connection between fear and pain
Visualizing (and how it’s ok if it’s not a strategy that you lean on)
How much a sense of community is underestimated in supporting pregnancy and motherhood
The number one question parents ask Angela
Trusting your instincts
What you really need when you have your baby (spoiler: it’s not as much as you think)
Angela’s roles, past and present, as doula, yoga instructor, and owner of Between Mothers in St. Catharines Ontario
And much more
We also get interrupted by a phone ringing and a cat meowing (#reallife)
To learn more about Angela, go to betweenmothers.ca, facebook.com/betweenmothers
What you can do next:
Subscribe to this podcast and share it with a friend!
Don’t miss the next episode of The Baby Sleep Connection: Sign up for weekly baby sleep emails (which includes a heads up when a new podcast episode is released
Work with Heather inside the Confident & Connected Baby Sleep group program or one-on-one.
Find previous episodes of the podcast at infantsleep.ca/podcast
Credits:
🎵 Music: Jordan Wood
You Ask, I Answer!
Join Heather as she answers questions about how to bridge to the next connection without interrupting the bedtime routine, and how to problem solve 2 hour bedtimes.
She covers:
What is bridging to the next connection?
How to use the Boomerang method of leaving your child at bedtime, but returning before they call out to you (or chase you out of the room!)
Ways to reconnect and build trust that you’re coming back
How to use connection, play, and song to allow sleep to happen.
Why 2 hour bedtimes are usually a timing issue
How to change naps, gaps (between last nap and bedtime), and bedtiming to solve 2 hour bedtimes
How total sleep in a 24 hour period can impact bedtimes and bedtiming
How to use temporarily late bedtimes to eliminate long bedtimes
How to role back bedtime to a reasonable hour!
Mentioned in this episode:
Episode 49 Bridging to the Next Connection https://open.spotify.com/episode/2Js2U8TkS53CdsnBpi1J5d?si=42a7b4021a894f55
What you can do next:
Subscribe to this podcast and share it with a friend!
Download the Baby Sleep Connection Podcast Listener Guide at www.familysleep.ca/links
Work with Heather inside the Confident & Connected Baby Sleep group program or one-on-one.
Ask your sleep question! Email Heather at heather@heatherboyd.ca (use the subject line You Ask I Answer Podcast)
Find previous episodes of the podcast at infantsleep.ca/podcast
Credits:
🎵 Music: Jordan Wood
Join Heather Boyd as she talks to Carrie Bennett, a health educator in the emerging field of quantum biology, about using light to optimize health and sleep. Carrie has a background in biology, nutrition and body work. Her work is focused on supporting clients by translating and applying research and knowledge about using light and water for promoting optimal health.
In this episode, Heather and Carrie talk about:
Quantum Biology: what is it?
How to use natural light exposure to improve sleep and health
The value of true darkness at night
The biology of ultraviolet light
What times of day to consider light exposure
Carrie’s simple recommendations for increasing light exposure safely
UVA’s link to serotonin, melatonin, and tryptophan
Sunlight’s link to serotonin and healthy bowel movements
How where you place your lighting impacts your circadian rhythm
Red light blue light: what colour and kind of bulbs are best?
Why you can still get the benefits of light sitting on the grass in the shade of a tree
Mentioned in this episode:
My Circadian App
Hooga lights
The Carnegie Curve
Published Research about concepts covered in this episode:
Red blood cells have a negative charge; zeta potential; Rouleaux Formation https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3415751/
Earthing restores negative charge on red blood cells https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3576907/
Environmental light exposure and melatonin https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9855654/
Where you can find Carrie:
What you can do next:
Subscribe to this podcast and share it with a friend!
Download the Baby Sleep Connection Podcast Listener Guide at www.familysleep.ca/links
Work with Heather inside the Confident & Connected Baby Sleep group program or one-on-one.
Find previous episodes of the podcast at infantsleep.ca/podcast
Credits:🎵 Music: Jordan Wood
In this episode, Heather answers real questions from tired parents looking for solutions.
We cover two questions about independent sleep:
How do I stop holding my 15 month old’s hand for her to fall asleep?
How do I help my 3 and 5 year old fall asleep independently?
To answer these questions, Heather describes sleep support strategies that respect your baby’s need for safety and security, stage of development, and temperament.
Listen in to hear how the Loved to Sleep method can help you change how a 15 month old falls asleep, and what the Boomerang Method and Bridging to the Next Connection can do to support your preschooler’s sleep.
Mentioned in this episode:
Andrea Strang and Jen Verela's Loved to Sleep https://lovedtosleep.com/
Gordon Neufeld’s Roots of Attachment neufeldinstitute.org
Lyndsay Hookway's Holistic Sleep Coach lyndsayhookway.com
Do you have a question you want answered on the podcast?
Leave a text or voice note for Heather in Whatsapp at 905-749-8254 and I may use your question on a future episode.
What you can do next:
Subscribe to this podcast and share it with a friend!
Download the Baby Sleep Connection Podcast Listener Guide at www.familysleep.ca/links
Work with Heather inside the Confident & Connected Baby Sleep group program or one-on-one.
Find links to the podcast at familysleep.ca/podcast
Credits:
Credits:🎵 Music: Jordan Wood
Let’s talk about the 4-month sleep regression: what it is, what it’s not, and how to manage it.
In this episode, Heather Boyd, occupational therapist and sleep coach, explores what’s happening at the 4-month mark and how to move past the worry and fear about this stage of your baby’s development.
You’ll learn:
An alternative perspective on the entire idea of a 4-month sleep “regression
What’s happening in your baby’s brain and body at 4 months
Why sleep is sensitive at this stage
What makes this stage difficult for some babies
4 strategies for supporting your 4 month old baby
That if sleep is difficult, it doesn’t mean you’re doing it wrong
Mentioned in this episode:
Parent Self-Care resource https://heatherboyd.vipmembervault.com/products/courses/view/1090681
Baby Sleep Mini Course (50% off in June 2025 with the code JUNEBUG): https://familysleep.ca/baby-sleep-course
What you can do next:
Subscribe to this podcast and share it with a friend!
Download the Baby Sleep Connection Podcast Listener Guide at www.familysleep.ca/links
Work with Heather inside the Confident & Connected Baby Sleep group program or one-on-one.
Find previous episodes of the podcast at infantsleep.ca/podcast
Credits:🎵 Music: Jordan Wood
If there was one theme in my practice in the past year, it was night weaning and how to do it with respect, reason, and responsiveness. So today’s episode is right on the mark.
My colleague and friend, Kim Hawley, IBCLC and Holistic Sleep Coach, shares perspectives and guidance on night feeding and weaning, and its relationship to sleep.
Kim Hawley, MA, MPH, IBCLC is a Holistic Sleep Coach, Lactation Consultant, Peaceful Parenting Educator, mom, and the host of The Responsive Family Sleep Podcast. She helps tired parents bring together developmental knowledge, sleep science, and their intuition to improve family sleep. Her specialty is holistic, responsive sleep support for babies, toddlers, and nursing families. Kim lives in Capitol Hill, Washington DC with her husband, 2 kids, guide dog, and cat. She loves running, listening to audio books, coffee, chocolate, and wine.
Listen for:
2 questions Kim wants parents to ask themselves when considering night weaning
What age may be easier to night wean (you might be surprised!)
What age tends not to be easy!
Feeding is more than calories
How the sensory system, nervous system regulation, and temperament play roles in night weaning
Perspectives on how much of a gamble to put on night weaning helping sleep
The fear Kim and I are seeing from parents about big feelings from your toddler
Setting loving limits
Kim’s favourite picture books about night weaning
Strategies for setting the stage for night weaning
Mentioned in this episode:
Research on the parent experience of weaning a toddler (covered in Heather’s blog, https://familysleep.ca/blog/nightweaning)
Where you can find Kim:
Website: https://intuitiveparentingdc.com/
The Responsive Family Sleep Podcast: https://intuitiveparentingdc.com/podcast
What you can do next:
Subscribe to this podcast and share it with a friend!
Download the Baby Sleep Connection Podcast Listener Guide at www.familysleep.ca/podcast
Work with Heather inside the Confident & Connected Baby Sleep group program or one-on-one.
Find previous episodes of the podcast at familysleep.ca/podcast
Stay tuned for a collaborative project Kim and I are working on!
Credits:🎵 Music: Jordan Wood
Wondering if your newborn’s sleep is normal?
In this episode, Heather Boyd, occupational therapist and sleep coach, breaks down what to expect in the first few months of sleep development.
Listen in to hear:
What sleep looks like in the first few months
What movements, sounds, and behaviours you’ll see in your newborn when they are sleeping
What reflexes, breathing patterns, and movement patterns you’ll see from your newborn
When sleep cycles and consolidated night time sleep start to develop, and what you can do to help
The role that routines play in supporting your baby’s sleep
Your role in supporting newborn sleep
Mentioned in this episode:
Baby Tired Cues resource (and resources from other episodes) https://heatherboyd.vipmembervault.com/products/units/view/1654580/?lesson=2922858
What you can do next:
Subscribe to this podcast and share it with a friend!
Download the Baby Sleep Connection Podcast Listener Guide at www.familysleep.ca/links
Work with Heather inside the Confident & Connected Baby Sleep group program or one-on-one.
Find previous episodes of the podcast at infantsleep.ca/podcast
Credits:🎵 Music: Jordan Wood