Nap Trapped

Sally Woods and Bec Maher
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Nap Trapped, hosted by expert sleep consultants Sally Woods (The Sleep Concierge) and Bec Maher (The Sleep Centre), transforms baby sleep challenges into practical solutions. Whether you're currently trapped under a napping baby or seeking better sleep, each episode combines evidence-based advice with real parenting experience. No judgment, just expert insights with a side of solidarity - because understanding the 'why' behind sleep behaviors is the key to confident parenting. We're here to help sleep make sense from nap transitions to early rising.

  1. The Early Rising Protocol: Fix 4-7am Wake-Ups (Step-by-Step)

    1 DAY AGO

    The Early Rising Protocol: Fix 4-7am Wake-Ups (Step-by-Step)

    Want to subscribe to every ep and enjoy FREE sleep tools? 👉 www.naptrappedpodcast.com You've been up since 5am for three weeks straight. Your baby's early wakes feel impossible to fix, and everyone keeps saying "that's just babies." But what if it doesn't have to be? In this episode, Sally and Bec walk you through their proven Early Rising Protocol—the exact steps they use with clients to shift those brutal 4-7am wake-ups later. They break down what actually counts as an early rise (spoiler: 5:30am after a 6pm bedtime isn't one), why less is more at this hour, and how to retrain your baby's internal clock without losing your mind. What You'll Learn: • The difference between an early rise and a "dicky schedule" • Why food, light, and stimulation are sabotaging your mornings • Exactly what to do (and not do) when baby wakes at 5am • How to use minimal intervention to avoid overstimulation • Why you must delay getting up until 7am—even if baby falls back asleep at 6:55 • The critical connection between early rising and your first nap timing • Why pushing to a 9:30am first nap is non-negotiable • Realistic timelines: why this takes 7-14 days (like jet lag) Chapters: 00:00 Intro 00:43 What We Do & Why We Love Baby Sleep 04:00 Defining Early Rising vs. Dicky Schedule 06:04 The Early Rising Protocol Begins 08:34 Food, Light & Stimulation: The 3 Alarm Triggers 11:12 Treating 5am Like an Overnight Wake 14:02 Sleep Training Works for Early Rising Too 16:19 Less Is More: Minimal Intervention Strategy 19:33 Retraining the Internal Clock (Not Just Getting Back to Sleep) 22:05 The Jet Lag Analogy: Give It Time 23:24 The First Nap Connection: Push to 9:30am 26:30 Why Parents Avoid This (And Why You Should Start) 28:44 Sleep Detectives: Four-Hourly Feeds After Age One 32:59 Sleep Detectives: Transitional Sleep Sacks for Rolling 39:25 Fast Three: Dr. Sujay Kansagra Fangirling 🎙️ ABOUT NAP TRAPPED Join sleep experts Sally Woods and Bec Maher as they tackle real parent sleep struggles with warmth, science, and zero BS. Nap Trapped makes baby sleep less mysterious and way more manageable. Links 📩 Get updates + exclusive tools: Subscribe www.naptrappedpodcast.com 📸 Follow Sally & Bec on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesleepconcierge/ https://www.instagram.com/_thesleepcentre/ 🎧 Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts

    49 min

  2. 19 FEB

    Why feeding to sleep has a time limit (and what to do instead)

    Want to subscribe to every ep and enjoy FREE sleep tools? 👉 www.naptrappedpodcast.com Here's the thing about feeding to sleep: it works brilliantly—until suddenly it doesn't. Your baby's waking every 45 minutes, you're the only one who can resettle, and you're trapped in a cycle of snack feeds and broken sleep. Sound familiar? In this episode, Sally and Bec break down exactly why moving away from feeding to sleep is the game-changer most families need—and how to actually do it without losing your mind. They're tackling the science behind anchored feeds, why your baby's not broken (just hungry at the wrong times), and the step-by-step protocol that gets babies sleeping through the night before you've even started sleep training. What You'll Learn: • Why 75% of baby sleep work happens during the day (and what that actually means) • How to space feeds to four-hourly without tanking your supply or starving your baby • The 30-minute pre-bed feed rule that changes everything • Why feeding to sleep creates overnight wakings (even when baby's not genuinely hungry) • How to handle illness without undoing all your progress • What to do when your high-energy baby needs the boob just to wind down • The exact bedtime routine sequence that sets baby up for self-settling success • How one family went from 8 night feeds to 2 just by consolidating daytime calories Chapters: 00:00 Intro 00:16 New Nap Trapped format announcement 00:57 Highlight & lowlight of the week 11:27 Sleep Detectives: Hydration & feeding questions 24:22 Sleep Detectives: Managing sleep during illness 35:37 Main topic: Moving away from feeding to sleep 47:52 How to anchor feeds and create new patterns 56:03 The pre-bed feed protocol 1:05:06 Camp Snooze success stories 🎙️ ABOUT NAP TRAPPED Nap Trapped is your weekly dose of sleep sanity from consultants Sally Woods and Bec Maher. They take the toughest baby sleep questions and turn them into practical, evidence-based solutions—no shame, just support (and Aldi chocolate). Links 📩 Get updates + exclusive tools: Subscribe www.naptrappedpodcast.com 📸 Follow Sally & Bec on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesleepconcierge/ https://www.instagram.com/_thesleepcentre/ 🎧 Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts

    1h 17m

  3. 2 FEB

    Why We Hold Off Breakfast During Sleep Training

    Wondering why your sleep consultant is asking you to skip breakfast while working on night sleep? It sounds backwards, but there's solid science behind it. In this episode, Sally and Bec explain why breakfast is often the last meal they reintroduce during sleep work, and why temporarily holding it off helps babies take better milk feeds, drop night wakings organically, and actually sleep longer stretches. If your baby's been reverse cycling (tanking up overnight, picking at day feeds), this strategy might be the missing piece. What You'll Learn: • Why breakfast impacts your 11am milk feed more than you think • How overnight feeds directly affect your baby's appetite all day long • The connection between solids timing and night wakings • How to redistribute calories across 24 hours (not just the day) • When to bring breakfast back in, and why babies sometimes aren't even interested • Why focusing on lunch and dinner helps more with overnight sleep • How rhythm and routine create calmer, more relaxed babies • The difference between genuine hunger and habitual night feeds Chapters: 00:00 Intro 01:07 Why breakfast interferes with milk feeds 04:50 Looking at feeds across 24 hours 08:27 Creating appetite with strategic gaps 11:19 When baby drops night feeds but doesn't want breakfast 13:03 How routine takes the guesswork out of parenting 15:53 The method to the madness 🎙️ ABOUT NAP TRAPPED Hosted by sleep consultants Sally Woods (The Sleep Concierge) and Bec Maher (The Sleep Centre), Nap Trapped helps tired parents solve baby sleep challenges with warmth, evidence, and no judgement. Every week we turn your questions into practical solutions, with a side of Aldi chocolate. Links 📩 Get updates + exclusive tools: Subscribe www.naptrappedpodcast.com 📸 Follow Sally & Bec on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesleepconcierge/ https://www.instagram.com/_thesleepcentre/ 🎧 Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts

    18 min

  4. 29 JAN

    Sleep Detectives: Disaster Naps Edition

    Want to subscribe to every ep and enjoy FREE sleep tools? 👉 www.naptrappedpodcast.com Everyone says consistency is key. But what happens when your baby's 15-minute daycare nap throws your whole schedule into chaos? This week, Sally and Bec tackle the messy reality of disaster naps—those micro car snoozes during school pickup, the refused childcare naps, and the dreaded 3pm wake-up that leaves you with hours until bedtime. They're breaking down real parent questions with practical (and sometimes hilariously creative) solutions. What You'll Learn: • How to handle the 6-minute school run nap that ruins your afternoon schedule • Whether to push through or pull bedtime early after a disaster daycare nap • Why a 30-minute nap at 2:45pm might mean a 10pm bedtime—and how to fix it • The truth about short-long schedules for 8-month-olds (spoiler: it's harder than it sounds) • When to bring back that second nap instead of forcing the transition • Real troubleshooting strategies for the 2-to-1 nap transition gone wrong • How to tell if bedtime resistance is a nap problem or a boundaries problem • The distraction protocol: windows down, music up, and strategic snack deployment Chapters: 00:00 Intro: Disaster Naps Edition 02:27 What Actually Counts as a Disaster Nap? 04:43 The 6-Minute School Run Nightmare 10:17 15-Minute Daycare Nap at 3pm: Now What? 18:56 The 11am Daycare Nap After Skipping 10am 24:39 2-Year-Old's 30-Minute Nap Pushing Bedtime to 10pm 31:42 15-Month-Old Waking 2-3 Hours at Night After Nap Transition 34:42 Short-Long Schedule for 8-Month-Olds: The Reality Check 🎙️ ABOUT NAP TRAPPED Join sleep experts Sally Woods and Bec Maher as they tackle real parent sleep struggles with warmth, science, and zero BS. Nap Trapped makes baby sleep less mysterious and way more manageable. Links 📩 Get updates + exclusive tools: Subscribe www.naptrappedpodcast.com 📸 Follow Sally & Bec on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesleepconcierge/ https://www.instagram.com/_thesleepcentre/ 🎧 Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts

    43 min

  5. 27 JAN

    Top 4 Expert Tips For The 4 Month Sleep Regression

    Want to subscribe to every ep and enjoy FREE sleep tools? 👉 www.naptrappedpodcast.com This week, Sally and Bec tackle the four month sleep regression head-on. If you're in the thick of 45-minute wake-ups or watching your once-great sleeper unravel, this episode is your survival guide. The four month sleep regression isn't actually a regression—it's a permanent developmental shift in how your baby's sleep cycles work. Sally and Bec break down exactly what's happening and why your baby suddenly needs help between every sleep cycle. More importantly, they share the four practical strategies they'd use if they were living through it right now: from reshaping overnight feeds to keeping baby swaddled longer than you think, taking pressure off naps, and starting gentle sleep training when you're ready. What You'll Learn: • Why the four month sleep regression is a permanent change (not a phase to wait out) • How to structure four-hourly feeds day and night to reduce overnight wake-ups • When to drop the dream feed and mirror daytime feeding patterns overnight • Why keeping baby swaddled can make settling easier and naps longer • How to take the pressure off naps and why four 45-minute naps is a win • When and how to start gentle sleep training at four months • Why four month olds are actually easier to work with than older babies • How to know if your baby needs less help, not more, to fall asleep Chapters: 00:00 Intro: Four things for the four month regression 04:05 Tip #1: Structure feeds to four-hourly day and night 09:08 Tip #2: Keep baby swaddled for better sleep 13:16 Tip #3: Take the pressure off naps 15:33 Tip #4: Start gentle sleep training if you're ready 🎙️ ABOUT NAP TRAPPED Nap Trapped is your weekly dose of sleep sanity from consultants Sally Woods and Bec Maher. They take the toughest baby sleep questions and turn them into practical, evidence-based solutions—no shame, just support (and Aldi chocolate). Links 📩 Get updates + exclusive tools: Subscribe www.naptrappedpodcast.com 📸 Follow Sally & Bec on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesleepconcierge/ https://www.instagram.com/_thesleepcentre/ 🎧 Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts

    23 min

  6. 22 JAN

    Sleep Detectives: When to Start “Awake but Drowsy”, Separation Anxiety & Holiday Sleep

    Want to subscribe to every ep and enjoy FREE sleep tools? 👉 www.naptrappedpodcast.com This week’s Sleep Detectives is a proper grab-bag of the questions you’re Googling at 2am, and we didn’t even need a question box because we had leftovers from last week 😅 We cover everything from “should I start putting my 10-week-old down awake?” to toddler bedtime battles that look like separation anxiety, plus the practical, real-world way to protect sleep while you’re away on holiday (without being nap-trapped in your accommodation all day). What you’ll learn: When to start putting your baby down awake (yes, even at 10 weeks) The “moment of curiosity” that builds self-settling without pressure Why a pitch-black room matters for cot naps, even for little babies Why most schedules start around 7am, and how to shift it later if you want Separation anxiety vs bedtime resistance (and how not to feed the drama) A simple, calm approach to toddler check-ins that doesn’t escalate bedtime Transitional schedule tweaks at 13–15 months before you drop to one nap 3-to-2 nap transition truth bombs (and why we fight for nap 3) What to do when a 9-month-old suddenly struggles with nap one Holiday sleep at 18 months, realistic expectations, routine, naps, and night one Chapters: 00:00 Welcome to Sleep Detectives (questions galore) 00:45 10-week-old, when to start putting down awake 02:20 The “moment of curiosity” + how to rescue without pressure 03:40 Set the scene, pitch black rooms and newborn cot naps 04:40 Why we work to 7am, and how to shift your whole day later 08:10 Toddler separation anxiety at bedtime, what to do (and not do) 13:50 A tool for emotional reassurance, “The Invisible String” 15:10 13 months on a transitional schedule, is this a “12 month regression”? 19:10 7 months, nap 3 is messy, keep it or drop it? 24:20 9 months, medium-medium routine, struggling with nap one 31:30 14–15 month routine, transitional schedule before 2-to-1 32:40 Holiday sleep at 18 months, routine, naps, and night one 🎙️ ABOUT NAP TRAPPED Hosted by sleep consultants Sally Woods (The Sleep Concierge) and Bec Maher (The Sleep Centre), Nap Trapped helps tired parents solve baby sleep challenges with warmth, evidence, and no judgement. Every week we turn your questions into practical solutions, with a side of Aldi chocolate. Links 📩 Get updates + exclusive tools: Subscribe www.naptrappedpodcast.com 📸 Follow Sally & Bec on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesleepconcierge/ https://www.instagram.com/_thesleepcentre/ 🎧 Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts

    44 min

  7. 20 JAN

    The Unspoken Benefits of Sleep Training

    Want to subscribe to every episode and get FREE sleep tools? 👉 www.naptrappedpodcast.com Sleep training is usually talked about in terms of wake windows, self-settling, and fewer night wakings. But what parents don’t hear enough about are the unexpected, life-changing benefits that come after sleep improves. In this episode, Sally and Bec record fresh off a Camp Snooze morning check-in, and they’re still riding the high. On Day 5 of a small-group sleep training program with three 10–11-month-olds, every baby is sleeping beautifully, but that’s not the part that gave them chills. It’s what changed for the parents. From couples sharing a bed again for the first time in a year, to mums having long showers, drinking hot coffee, opening the curtains, and finally feeling confident in their baby’s ability to sleep, this episode dives into the ripple effects of better sleep across the whole family. If you need reassurance that sleep work is about more than just nights in the cot, this one’s for you. What you’ll learn: The emotional and mental health shifts parents don’t expect after sleep trainingWhy confidence, not just consistency, is the real turning pointHow better sleep changes relationships, routines, and daily lifeThe impact of sleep on breastfeeding, appetite, and feed spacingWhy sleep training supports the whole family, not just the babyHow feeling equipped changes how parents handle regressions, illness, and early wakesThe small moments, showers, hot meals, mornings alone, that actually matter most Chapters: 00:00 Welcome back + why we recorded this episode in real time 01:30 Camp Snooze results, and why today felt different 03:10 When baby sleep improves but parents light up 05:00 The unexpected wins no one puts on their intake forms 06:45 Confidence, empowerment, and trusting your baby 08:15 Why sleep training prepares you for regressions and real life 10:00 The ripple effect on feeding, siblings, and family dynamics 12:40 The real reason sleep work is life-changing 14:40 Final pep talk for parents on the fence 🎙️ ABOUT NAP TRAPPED Hosted by sleep consultants Sally Woods (The Sleep Concierge) and Bec Maher (The Sleep Centre), Nap Trapped helps tired parents solve baby sleep challenges with warmth, evidence, and zero judgement. Every week, we turn real struggles into practical solutions, with a side of coffee and honesty. Links 📩 Get updates + exclusive tools: Subscribe at www.naptrappedpodcast.com 📸 Follow Sally & Bec on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesleepconcierge/ https://www.instagram.com/_thesleepcentre/ 🎧 Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts

    16 min

  8. 16 JAN

    Sleep Detectives: 4am Starts at 7 Months, What’s Really Going On?

    Want to subscribe to every ep and enjoy FREE sleep tools? 👉 www.naptrappedpodcast.com It’s our Sleep Detectives episode, where we answer your real-life baby sleep questions (and somehow turn each one into a mini consult). This week we cover the messy middle of the 2–1 nap transition, toddlers waking to birds even with white noise, a newborn bedtime reset, bedtime whinging at 17 months, feeding struggles at 6 months, and those brutal 4am starts at 7 months. What You’ll Learn: How to approach the 2–1 nap transition if you’re stuck on a “long-long” two nap day Why we often move to a short-long transition schedule before dropping to one nap What to do when birds (curlews, crows, kookaburras) are triggering wake-ups, even with white noise When to bring bedtime earlier for a 7 week old, and why anchoring your morning matters When 10–20 minutes of bedtime whinging is normal at 17 months, and when to pull bedtime earlier Whether you can work on sleep routines when milk feeds are a struggle at 6 months, and what to check first The red flags vs the common “simple tweaks” behind feeding issues (teat flow, spacing, solids timing) Persistent 4am wakes at 7 months, the checklist we run, and why 4am is still a night waking Chapters: 00:06 Sleep Detectives is back, what these Q&A eps are 01:07 2–1 nap transition when you’re on a long-long nap schedule 07:53 Toddler waking from birds, white noise and sound buffering 12:15 Newborn bedtime, when and how to bring bedtime earlier (7 weeks) 18:49 Subscribe, free resources, and searching the episode library 23:58 Feeding struggles at 6 months, can you still work on sleep routines? 29:18 When feeding issues might be more serious, what we look for in logs and growth 36:45 Persistent 4am starts at 7 months while following the schedule 41:51 Dinner timing before bed, how much gap you actually need 46:32 Wrap up (and we record the next episode right now) 🎙️ ABOUT NAP TRAPPED Nap Trapped is a baby sleep podcast hosted by Sally Woods (The Sleep Concierge) and Bec Maher (The Sleep Centre). Each week we help tired parents solve sleep challenges with warmth, evidence, and no judgement, with practical steps you can use immediately.

    47 min
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About

Nap Trapped, hosted by expert sleep consultants Sally Woods (The Sleep Concierge) and Bec Maher (The Sleep Centre), transforms baby sleep challenges into practical solutions. Whether you're currently trapped under a napping baby or seeking better sleep, each episode combines evidence-based advice with real parenting experience. No judgment, just expert insights with a side of solidarity - because understanding the 'why' behind sleep behaviors is the key to confident parenting. We're here to help sleep make sense from nap transitions to early rising.

Information

  • Creator
    Sally Woods and Bec Maher
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    76
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Sally Woods and Bec Maher
  • Show Website
    Nap Trapped

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