Nap Trapped

Sally Woods and Bec Maher

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. FEB 2

    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
  2. JAN 29

    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
  3. JAN 27

    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
  4. JAN 22

    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
  5. JAN 20

    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
  6. JAN 16

    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
  7. Why Up Time ≠ Awake Time

    JAN 12

    Why Up Time ≠ Awake Time

    Want to subscribe to every ep and enjoy FREE sleep tools? 👉 www.naptrappedpodcast.com If you’re aiming for a 7–7 schedule and your baby wakes at 6:15am, what time do you start the day? From the moment they open their eyes? From when you hear them on the monitor? Or from when you actually go in, turn the lights on, and start the morning? If you picked option one or two, you might be unknowingly pulling your whole schedule earlier. And that tiny shift, repeated over days, is often why early mornings keep creeping earlier, and naps start feeling harder than they should. This week Sally and Bec tackle one of the most common (and sanity-saving) distinctions in scheduling: awake time vs UP time. They sound like the same thing. They’re not. Awake time is simply when your baby wakes. UP time is when you start the day, and on a 7–7 schedule, that’s the anchor that protects your body clock and stops the early rising spiral. Your baby can wake at 6:20am and still be “on” a 7am schedule, because 7am is go time, lights, milk, noise, and the day officially begins. Then we get practical with naps. You can keep the first nap anchored to the clock to protect the structure of the day, but when a nap ends early, wake windows matter. You count the next wake window from when your baby actually woke, not the time you hoped they’d sleep until. Otherwise you can stack too much awake time, tip into overtired territory, and suddenly bedtime is chaos. You’ll learn: * How to use UP time to keep a 7–7 schedule steady, even with early wakes * Why nap one often stays anchored to the clock * When to switch to wake windows based on the time your baby actually wakes * How to handle early nap wake ups without wrecking the rest of the day * The simple flexibility rule that keeps schedules working in real life Listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts HERE Or, watch below: Chapters: 00:00 Happy New Year! 05:12 Listener question: counting wake windows correctly 07:45 Awake time vs up time explained 11:20 When long settling throws off your schedule 15:33 Should you count from eyes open or out of crib? 19:08 Happy wake-ups where baby stays in crib 23:41 Why rigid wake windows can create problems 28:15 The flexibility principle for schedules 32:50 Wrap-up and dinner plans 🎙️ ABOUT NAP TRAPPED Sally Woods and Bec Maher are baby sleep consultants who believe exhausted parents deserve real answers, not judgment. Each episode of Nap Trapped breaks down one sleep challenge with evidence-based advice and a healthy dose of humor. 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

    37 min

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.

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