The Responsive Family Sleep Podcast

Kimberly Hawley
  • 5.0 (13)
  • Parenting
  • Updated Weekly

If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by conflicting sleep information; frustrated by sleep advice that felt wrong; or searched for a truly gentle, responsive alternative to sleep training, then you are in the right place. In each episode I’ll be answering your most pressing baby and toddler sleep questions, dispelling common sleep myths, deepening your understanding of biologically normal sleep, and encouraging you to trust your intuition. And because sleep is rarely just about sleep, you may just find some responsive parenting, lactation, or self-care tips sprinkled in along the way.I’m your host, Kim Hawley, MA, MPH, IBCLC Holistic Sleep Coach, Lactation Consultant, Peaceful Parenting Educator, and mom. My specialty is truly holistic, developmental, attachment focused sleep support – no hidden sleep training here!

  1. 6d ago

    7 Questions to Ask When a Sleep Change With Your Baby or Toddler Feels Hard

    Everyone tells you to be consistent, but how do you know if it’s time to call quits on a change or strategy? Sometimes we jump from strategy to strategy too quickly and other times we feel pressure to push through, even when we know it feels like too much. In this episode, I’m talking you through 7 questions to ask yourself when you are deciding to  push through or make a change in approach. The questions are: What do I mean by hard?Is the timing right?How long have I tried this?Does it feel out of my child’s cope?Does it feel out of my ability to support my child through it?What is my motivation for this change? Is it aligned with my parenting valuesI hope these give you some clarity to be more intentional if you feel like a change is hard. There isn’t always a clear right or wrong answer when it comes to supporting sleep changes.  Connect with Kim  Grab the free guide busting common sleep myths and learn more about working with Kim: https://intuitiveparentingdc.com/ Instagram: instagram.com/intuitive_parenting_dc Facebook:  facebook.com/intuitiveparentingdc

    7 Questions to Ask When a Sleep Change With Your Baby or Toddler Feels Hard

  2. Jul 23

    What Is Crib Play?

    Getting a baby or toddler used to a new sleep space can be tricky, especially for more sensitive littles. Whether it’s the transition from bassinet to crib, crib to toddler bed or floor bed, or any other shift in sleep set up, crib play is a strategy I often recommend. In this episode, I’m talking you through the key points of crib play.  What is crib play?When should I use crib play?How do I do crib play?I hope this episode gives you some practical tips to support your next sleep set up transition.  Connect with Kim  Grab the free guide busting common sleep myths and learn more about working with Kim: https://intuitiveparentingdc.com/ Instagram: instagram.com/intuitive_parenting_dc Facebook:  facebook.com/intuitiveparentingdc

    What Is Crib Play?

  3. Jul 16

    The Why Beneath Your Baby’s Behavior With Kaili Ets

    So many babies who struggle with sleep also struggle with transitions, with feeding, with going from zero to a million in a second. In this episode I’m exploring a different way of looking at sleep, feeding, and fussiness concerns with Kaili Ets, a colleague, sleep coach, and OT. Our conversation focuses on looking beneath the behavior at the nervous system.  We talk about temperament, nervous system regulation, and capacity. Kaili shares tips for how to spot body tension in your baby and for supporting increased capacity. We talk through finding the why – why your baby is struggling; why are they so sensitive; why is their system working so hard . It’s about digging into the why beneath the behavior you are seeing and connecting the dots. About Kaili Kaili Ets is a pediatric occupational therapist, infant craniosacral therapist, author, speaker, and host of the Mothering From Within podcast. With more than 18 years of experience supporting infants, children, and families, she is passionate about helping parents uncover the root causes behind challenges such as sleep struggles, reflux, feeding difficulties, sensory processing differences, developmental concerns, and nervous system dysregulation. Lovingly known as the Holistic Baby Guru, Kaili combines evidence-informed practice with a holistic understanding of the body, nervous system, and parent-child connection. Her work empowers parents to move beyond conflicting advice, trust their instincts, and better understand what their baby's body may be communicating. Through her clinical work, speaking engagements, writing, and podcast, Kaili is on a mission to reduce the overwhelm of motherhood, one family at a time. Connect with Kaili  website: https://www.kailiets.com IG: https://www.instagram.com/theholisticbabyguru/ Calm Baby Blueprint (free guide re: baby body tension) - https://freebie.kailiets.com/calm-baby Baby Bodywork At Home Course ($47) - https://courses.kailiets.com/baby-bodywork Connect with Kim  Grab a free sleep myth busting guide and learn more about working with Kim: https://intuitiveparentingdc.com/ Instagram: instagram.com/intuitive_parenting_dc Facebook:  facebook.com/intuitiveparentingdc

    The Why Beneath Your Baby’s Behavior With Kaili Ets

  4. Jul 9

    3 Things to Do in a Sleep Crisis With Your Baby

    Have you hit a wall of exhaustion? Are you spinning in circles wondering what to do first? IN this episode, I’m talking you through 3 key things to do when you are beyond tired. Our brains tend to jump to big changes and drastic measures, but that’s often a bad idea because you don’t have the reserves to do it thoughtfully, assuming you even actually want to make that change. I talk you through prioritizing your sleep, being curious about what’s going on with your child (development, life busyness/being out of routine, sleep timings, etc. , and focusing on regulation, both yours and baby’s. These three areas are often a better and easier starting point than a drastic change.  Connect with Kim  Grab a free sleep myth busting guide and learn more about working with Kim: https://intuitiveparentingdc.com/ Instagram: instagram.com/intuitive_parenting_dc Facebook:  facebook.com/intuitiveparentingdc

    3 Things to Do in a Sleep Crisis With Your Baby

  5. Jul 2

    Is Sleep a Skill I Need to Teach My Baby?

    You need to teach your baby how to sleep. Give them the gift of good sleep skills. Do comments like this sound familiar? In this episode I’m unpacking the idea that we need to teach our babies to sleep. Hint, we don’t and can’t. I talk about sleep being an involuntary state that you don’t have conscious control over. I share some of the things you can influence to support falling asleep: sleep feeling safe, regulation at bedtime, and sometimes supporting through shifting routines and ways of falling asleep to maintain that safety and regulation.   Connect with Kim  Grab a free sleep myth busting guide and learn more about working with Kim: https://intuitiveparentingdc.com/ Instagram: instagram.com/intuitive_parenting_dc Facebook:  facebook.com/intuitiveparentingdc

    Is Sleep a Skill I Need to Teach My Baby?

  6. Jun 25

    Are Children Getting Enough Sleep? Results of the National Sleep Foundation Poll With Dr. Dzierzewski

    Is my child getting enough sleep? How much sleep does my baby need? These are common questions I get from parents, and they can create a lot of stress. The evidence I use to answer these types of questions always includes the National Sleep Foundation recommendations. So I was very excited to have Dr. Dzierzewski From the National Sleep Foundation on the podcast to talk about their latest annual poll focusing on sleep in the pediatric population, ages 0-13. I’ll be honest, some of these results really surprised me while others felt very in line with what I see in my practice. our discussion focuses on the poll results, but with lots of stories, examples, and times where I share how the families I see do and do not fit into this more representative data.  We talk through the role of naps, importance of bedtime routines, and the reasons many littles may not be getting enough sleep (shown by the survey results) along side the pressure for high sleep totals coming from some popular sleep apps and sites. This was a varied, data focused, and really wonderful conversation that I hope you find as fascinating as I did.  About Dr. Dzierzewski Dr. Joseph Dzierzewski is a nationally recognized sleep scientist, clinician, and public health leader who directs the scientific mission of the National Sleep Foundation. As Senior Vice President of Research & Scientific Affairs, he oversees the Foundation’s evidence-based sleep health guidelines, shapes its research agenda, and serves as a primary scientific voice for media, industry, and policy partners across the country. A former tenured Associate Professor at Virginia Commonwealth University, Dr. Dzierzewski built a prolific research program at the intersection of sleep, aging, and behavioral medicine. He is a well-funded investigator with more than $11 million in total research support and over 400 scholarly works, including 170 peer-reviewed publications, multiple edited volumes and chapters, and more than 250 scientific presentations. Independent analyses have identified him as the most published author in the field of sleep in older adults, underscoring his leadership in this critical area of population health. Dr. Dzierzewski has served on scientific review committees for the National Institutes of Health and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, and as Associate Editor for several academic journals. His editorial and conceptual expertise have made him a trusted arbiter of scientific rigor and a leader in shaping the direction of sleep research. A committed science communicator, he works to translate complex sleep science for the public, healthcare professionals, and policymakers. His insights have been featured across national and regional media, in podcasts, and presentations to legislative bodies. His work reflects a core belief: that advancing sleep health requires not only generating high-quality science, but ensuring that science is accessible, actionable, and impactful. Trained as a Clinical Health Psychologist with specialization in behavioral sleep medicine, Dr. Dzierzewski maintains an active clinical license, grounding his scientific leadership in real-world patient care and ensuring that his work remains connected to the lived experiences of individuals and families. Connect with The National Sleep Foundation  National Sleep Foundation website:  https://www.thensf.org Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sleepfoundation/  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/NatlSleepFoundation/ Resources related to this episode See the poll write up here: https://www.thensf.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/NSF-2026-Sleep-in-America-Poll-Report.pdf And more on the Sleep Awareness Week here: https://www.thensf.org/sleep-awareness-week/ Connect with Kim  Grab a free sleep myth busting guide and learn more about working with Kim: https://intuitiveparentingdc.com/ Instagram: instagram.com/intuitive_parenting_dc Facebook:  facebook.com/intuitiveparentingdc

    Are Children Getting Enough Sleep? Results of the National Sleep Foundation Poll With Dr. Dzierzewski

  7. Jun 18

    Tips for Unlatching During Nighttime Nursing

    Nursing to sleep and back to sleep is normal and healthy, but what happens when your baby or toddler just won’t unlatch! It’s one of the patterns I see push so many parents over the edge into not coping. In this episode I’m talking you through some tips for unlatching from night feeds. I share some specific tips for the moment of unlatching and also some bigger picture tips for how to manage over the course of the night.  Connect with Kim  Grab the free guide busting common sleep myths and learn more about working with Kim: https://intuitiveparentingdc.com/ Instagram: instagram.com/intuitive_parenting_dc Facebook:  facebook.com/intuitiveparentingdc

    Tips for Unlatching During Nighttime Nursing

  8. Jun 11

    Is Logging Baby Sleep Helpful?

    Over the years I’ve worked as a sleep coach, I’ve seen long-term logging sleep become more and more common. But have you paused to reflect if logging sleep is helpful or harmful to your sleep or mental health? Is all that data actually useful? In this episode I’m talking you through the pros and cons of logging sleep. I hope this episode encourages you to be more intentional with logging, or even to stop all together if you notice some of the potential negative impacts.  Connect with Kim  Grab a free sleep myth busting guide and learn more about working with Kim: https://intuitiveparentingdc.com/ Instagram: instagram.com/intuitive_parenting_dc Facebook:  facebook.com/intuitiveparentingdc

    Is Logging Baby Sleep Helpful?
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About

If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by conflicting sleep information; frustrated by sleep advice that felt wrong; or searched for a truly gentle, responsive alternative to sleep training, then you are in the right place. In each episode I’ll be answering your most pressing baby and toddler sleep questions, dispelling common sleep myths, deepening your understanding of biologically normal sleep, and encouraging you to trust your intuition. And because sleep is rarely just about sleep, you may just find some responsive parenting, lactation, or self-care tips sprinkled in along the way.I’m your host, Kim Hawley, MA, MPH, IBCLC Holistic Sleep Coach, Lactation Consultant, Peaceful Parenting Educator, and mom. My specialty is truly holistic, developmental, attachment focused sleep support – no hidden sleep training here!

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