The Sleep Nanny Podcast

In 2011, Sammy qualified as a midwife and have since worked within the NHS. After experiencing tongue-tie with all three of their children, with the youngest requiring a division, they developed a strong interest and passion for supporting families in overcoming the challenges that tongue-tie can bring. They studied a postgraduate specialist course, ‘Advanced Clinical Skills in Tongue-Tie (Ankyloglossia) Management,’ at the University of Wolverhampton, and completed their practical training under the supervision of a consultant neonatologist and an experienced registered midwife/frenulotomist. Medications or milk thickeners do not cure reflux! While they can help alleviate symptoms, they do not address the underlying cause. Having been through this as a parent, it's important to recognize that although reflux is common, it is not normal. Consider this: if an adult or toddler went to the GP and reported severe pain or physical sickness every time they ate, would the GP simply prescribe medication or suggest adding a thickener to drinks? Absolutely not! They would investigate the root cause to understand what is happening. You wouldn’t be satisfied with the response, “You’re still gaining weight” or “You’ll grow out of it.” So why is this acceptable for babies? Babies need support to identify the source of their discomfort, and as parents, we also need help to address these causes, both mentally and physically. Finding the cause isn’t always easy—many factors can contribute to reflux. Specialists often highlight that a major overlooked cause is tongue-tie or oral dysfunction. Poor oral function can increase air intake, which worsens reflux. Additionally, other conditions such as CMPA (Cow's Milk Protein Allergy) or dysphagia may play a role. So don't settle for just treating the symptoms—seek the right support to find the cause!   Find Sammy here - https://www.instagram.com/tonguetiespecialist

Poppy Owen is a Business Mentor, Coach & Worldwide Speaker helping high-achieving females create impact online with their knowledge. She's all about aligning business structure & lifestyle to become the best version of themselves. She is a busy mum of two young daughters. She is also passionate about health, wellness and SLEEP - making it a priority for herself and family. She moved to Dubai in 2023 with her family where her and her husband both run their own business from.   Find poppy here - @poppyowen

Rebecca has been an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teacher for nearly 20 years. Her online business helps non-native speakers improve their English skills and prepare for exams to study at British universities.   Outside her home office, she spends time with her family, experiencing life from the other side. As a language graduate, she lived and worked abroad after university. Now, she speaks Russian at home with her husband and two children, whom they are raising to (hopefully!) be bilingual.   Find her here - insta - @englishclubonline

Sarah Almond Bushell is an international award-winning Registered Dietitian & Feeding Therapist with 25 years of expertise in paediatrics. She is an author, speaker, and ex-NHS Consultant Paediatric Dietitian and founder of The Children’s Nutritionist Limited. Sarah's aim with The Children’s Nutritionist™ is to help parents fix their child’s fussy eating by tapping into sensory and the psychology of feeding, so that mealtimes become stress free happy family times. She also has an extensive blog that reaches 150,000 people every single month. Sarah is a mum of two teenagers, who were both fussy eaters when they were young, who inspired her to specialise in this area.   Find Sarah Here - @thechildrensnutritionist

Dr Williams has practiced chiropractic and had a significant interest in chiropractic paediatrics for the past thirty years. He lectures extensively to chiropractic, medical and dental groups throughout Europe, the United States and Australia, primarily on the subjects of chiropractic paediatrics and SOT, Dr Williams is a former vice president of the British Chiropractic Association and he has previously served on the UK regulatory body for chiropractic the General Chiropractic Council 2003-2001. He is also a past president of both SOTO (Sacro Occipital Technique Organisation) Europe and SOTO International and was a founding board member of the College of Chiropractors Faculty of Paediatrics   Find out more here - https://www.stjameschiro.co.uk/dr-steve-williams/

I’ve faced sleep struggles with my own daughter, which has given me firsthand experience in dealing with the challenges many parents encounter. Balancing these demands with returning to work as a teacher added another layer of complexity. The demands of teaching, coupled with the sleepless nights, were incredibly challenging. I know many people go through similar experiences, making this a highly relatable issue. My journey has shown me the importance of empathy and understanding when navigating these struggles, and I believe sharing my story can resonate with and support others facing the same difficulties.   Find Emily here - Insta - @sleepnannyemilyadams

Cara is an entrepreneur and the inventor of SnoozeShade, the world’s bestselling range of baby sun and sleep shades. In 2009, Cara found herself in need of a solution to help her baby daughter sleep in the pushchair. She couldn’t find anything already on the market, so she decided to create that solution herself! Despite having no previous experience in retail or manufacturing, Cara has since turned SnoozeShade into a global brand that has helped hundreds of thousands of parents, won more than 80 awards and is recommended by the world’s leading baby-sleep experts. Cara is passionate about teaching other small-business owners what she has learned, sharing the real ups and downs of running and growing a business in her signature straight-talking style. Find Cara and Snoozeshade here - @snoozeshade

Combining her role as a mother of four with her position as the Founder of BabySensor, a High Tech Company focused on parental safety, she brings a wealth of relevant experience to the table. With a background in child welfare, she has honed her expertise in parenting and leadership, making her uniquely qualified to address the challenges of modern parenting. Her commitment to improving sleep and rest for parents aligns perfectly with the podcast's themes, making her an ideal guest. Her ability to juggle entrepreneurship, leadership, and motherhood gives her a comprehensive understanding of the struggles parents face daily. Her personal journey adds depth and authenticity to any conversation on the topic. Believing in the value of sharing insights and passion, she sees her participation in the podcast as a way to offer guidance and support to listeners navigating the often tumultuous journey of parenthood. Furthermore, her professional speaking career as a parental advisor underscores her dedication to helping parents thrive in their roles. Find Anita here - https://no.linkedin.com/in/anitafevang/en

As a Psychotherapist, Ashley has worked in a number of different arenas, from the corporate world training  to education; being a therapist for 1800 students in an International school in Abu Dhabi, to setting up her own Psychotherapy and Consultancy practice. Ashley gave a TEDx talk in 2019 that gave birth to The Resilient Kid. Last year she released her book A Parents Guide to Raising a Resilient Kid. Join Ashley for a down to earth practical approach to reconnect to our kids and build their resilience.   Links Free resources - https://www.theresilientacademy.co.uk/ Website - https://theresilientkid.co.uk/ Insta - theresilientkid/ FB - resilientkiduk

Karena Rathbone Ariel is a passionate Aromatherapy Emotions Coach helping people feel empowered with natural solutions and utilise essential oils for both emotional and physical wellbeing. Karena is a certified Aromatherapist, Swedish and stone massage therapist, internationally accredited Emotional Aromatherapy Advisor. Qualified in the AromaTouch Technique since 2017 and a certified doTERRA essential oil specialist, Karena runs classes, workshops, online and live events on how to use essential oils safely for all the family, in yoga, with meditation and managing wellness. As a doTERRA Gold team leader Karena has wellness teams based in the UK & Europe and coaches people across the globe.   Please follow Karena's Facebook and IG page @essentialwellbeinghub for further event listings and customer group Essential Oil Hub for aromatherapy support. For massage treatments Karena can be found at The Wellbeing Studio Bexhill for treatments.

In this episode, we catch up with Beaux Raymond, a fresh mother who gained prominence as a reality TV star and influencer following her victorious stint on Netflix's popular dating series, Too Hot to Handle. With over 465,000 followers on her official Instagram, Beaux collaborates with various fashion labels. During our conversation, she delves into her challenging birth experience, navigating single parenthood following her recent breakup, and shares insights into her daughter Lillia's sleeping habits   Find her here -  @_beauxraymond

In this episode we speak to twin mum Emily Simpson Emily is a mum to 3 beautiful boys, including twins. She has a degree in Early Childhood Studies and experience working in various early years settings. She became a sleep consultant after her own experience of sleep deprivation when her twins were first born. Being someone who loves their sleep, she really struggled with this which set her off on a road of researching infant sleep which she has found fascinating. She now loves helping other families address their sleep challenges so that they can enjoy family life with an understanding of sleep so that they are confident in navigating sleep going forward.   Find her here - www.sleepnanny.co.uk/c/emilysimpson/ @sleepnannyemilysimpson

Vicky is a certified sleep consultant who established a successful business helping families find the right sleep solutions that gain amazing results. Vicky works with children from newborn to 17 years old and is also a specialist in Anxiety & Autism / ADHD sleep methods. Her unique and bespoke sleep methods have helped families from all over the world, overcome sleep problems that have affected their whole lives. Vicky is passionate about getting the right advice for each individual family in order to get the results they want. Vicky also spends time running workshops & seminars on Autism, Anxiety and Sleep for many of the top Autism Charities & Societies both in the UK and USA and is the lead speaker and trainer on these specialist sleep methods. Vicky has over 16 years of professional training, qualifications and knowledge in these bespoke sleep methods, she also has personal experience with her own children who both have additional needs. Through her own experiences, she has combined this knowledge with science and research to create bespoke and successful sleep methods that help all families, with or without additional needs https://sleepnanny.co.uk/c/vickycooksley/

In today's episode, we're thrilled to welcome Janine McGee Nutrition, who will be sharing a treasure trove of tips aimed at helping you achieve optimal nutrition to deeply nourish your body at a cellular level. Whether you're in the delicate post-birth recovery phase or simply find yourself leading a hectic lifestyle with minimal time for culinary endeavors, Janine will expertly break down simple yet effective strategies to meet your nutritional needs. Join us as Janine delves into the intricacies of dietary choices, offering guidance on what to incorporate into your meals and what to steer clear of. By understanding the importance of these dietary decisions, you'll gain valuable insight into how they can positively impact not only your current state of well-being but also your future health. So, tune in to discover the keys to unlocking a nourished body and a thriving life.   You can find out more about Janine and how she can help here: Instagram - @janine.mcgee.nutrition www.janinemcgee.co.uk

Dr Clair Burley is a Clinical Psychologist specialising in attachment trauma After a successful 13 years in the NHS, Dr Clair now works from her private practice in Dorset. Dr Clair helps individuals, couples and parents/families with their relationship challenges and needs. This includes the relationship we have with ourselves (e.g., a harsh inner critic, difficulty managing emotions, attachment trauma) as well as with significant others such as a romantic partner, a child, or other family members such as siblings or parents. Dr Clair has a nurturing nature, which is paired with her in-depth knowledge and experience of helping people transform their relationships. She draws upon psychological theories and models to make sense of your difficulties and guide you from where you are now, to where you want to be. The key to true happiness is in the harmony and connection within these relationships   Instagram @drclairburley Website https://drclair.com

Vern Hill is an ante and post-natal fitness expert, Founder of Carifit and father of 2, passionate about the benefits that baby wearing can bring to parents and their child. Supported by a team of industry professionals, as well as doctors, midwives, physiotherapists and baby wearing experts, they create fun, safe and effective workouts supported by thoughtfully made sports tech. Carifit started out as an exercise method and soon developed into a wellbeing platform for all new parents at every stage of their parenting journey. With expert advice and support on nutrition, babywearing, sleep and postnatal physiotherapy, the Carifit app is the only 360° babywearing, parenting, fitness and wellbeing platform. Vern Hill is the Founder of Carifit: https://www.getcarifit.com/ | @cari_fit on instagram

In this conversation we talk to the wonderful Lucy Piper who is the presenter at the Baby Show   Lucy trained as a professional dancer and enjoyed a career around the world until she was 25 before making her break into television presenting on a breakfast show in Chicago, USA She is a mum of two and the world of Baby and Maternity is one of Lucy's greatest passions. When she was pregnant with her first child, she presented The Baby Channel on Sky, a fabulous daytime show interviewing various experts on the sofa with her big bump! Lucy has been hosting The Baby Show stage since 2004 making this her 18th year. Over the years she has shared the stage with hundreds of experts and celebrity mums, talking about labour, breastfeeding, sleep and weaning. Lucy loves to explore and talk about the latest baby products and is always on the lookout for the latest innovation. With her empathy and admiration for new parents, she loves to empower and support expectant and new parents on their exciting parenting journey.  In this podcast we talk all things 'Baby' and how motherhood can take it's toll.   Take our free sleep assessment and tailor your own plan of action on our Sleep App, it's free to download on the Apple and Google Play stores https://sleepnanny.co.uk/app/

In this episode I talk to the wonderful Senior Sleep Nanny Consultant and wonderful human Becky Brightman. Becky found Sleep Nanny as a sleep-deprived parent, just like you, who was at her limit. At 18 months old, her daughter was taking upwards of two hours to fall asleep (day or night) and was feeding at least three times a night. Mum guilt over her child's sleep deprivation was ever all  consuming. Whether it stemmed from feelings of responsibility for her child's disrupted sleep patterns or from societal pressures to ensure perfect parenting, it often weighed heavy on her heart. The relentless cycle of sleepless nights exacerbated this guilt, as she started to question her ability to provide adequate care and support for her child's well-being. Despite her best efforts, the inability to "fix" her child's sleep issues amplified these feelings of inadequacy. Sleep Nanny transformed her life in two short weeks and it was from that point she knew she wanted to help other families experience the same. In this conversation we talk about mum guilt, sleep experiences, societal pressure and the knock on effect this can have on the whole family. Find Becky on Instagram - @sleepnannybeckybrightman https://beckybrightman.sleepnanny.co   Take our free sleep assessment and tailor your own plan of action on our Sleep App, it's free to download on the Apple and Google Play stores https://sleepnanny.co.uk/app/

In this blog, we are going to be addressing the fact that you’ve recognized that your baby doesn’t sleep enough, or your little one doesn’t sleep enough. So we’re going to find out why. Where is it in 24 hours that the lack of sleep is coming from? Because understanding this is key.  In the previous blog we started talking about overtiredness and what that does, and the effect of overtiredness. So today, we are going to fully understand where the overtiredness could be coming from.  First of all, could it be lack of daytime sleep? That’s the first one I want you to think about. Is your child under three? If they are, then they probably do still need some daytime sleep. And don’t get me wrong, sometimes they need daytime sleep beyond age three as well. But if they are under three, then it’s pretty much a sure thing that they do need some. And if that’s the case, how much should that be, at this current age and stage that they are? How much daytime sleep would be beneficial for them? And in what sections? How many? How many naps and how long would they be, if they’re going to be doing the best sleep they can do? So if we can understand that we can then understand whether they’re getting enough or not. That immediately gives us a fixing point like, “Ah, okay, my two-year-old, let’s say, is having a half an hour nap in the day.” Okay brilliant, we’ve identified a problem. It’s not enough sleep for a two-year-old, we need to be aiming more towards the two-hour mark. So we already go, “Oh right, okay. That’s what I need to do to help to fix things.” It could be the amount, but it could also be the quality. So you might think, “Oh no, my child gets loads of sleep. They get the exact amount that they need for their age and stage.” But if the quality of that sleep isn’t great that could be the problem. It could be the timing as well. So what if they’re getting the quantity overall, but the quality is poor and it’s in little snatched naps of light sleep. And perhaps, in their case, it’s not restorative enough, and the quality of sleep is down. Also, motion sleep, so the sleep that you have on the go, in the pushchair, or the car, or on the move, motion sleep often won’t give the same quality of sleep as a proper sleep space and ideal sleep environment. It can, but often it doesn’t. So that could be the key and the thing that is causing your little one to be overtired. So these are all things that you can look at and explore to spot it with your little one where’s that overtiredness coming from.  The other thing with timing to look at is if they’re awake for too long between sleeps. So sometimes people will tell me, “Yep, they’re getting enough sleep.” And they are, they’re getting enough. Let’s go back to our two-year-old, perhaps they’re getting nearly two hours every day and it’s brilliant, but they’re taking that a bit late in the day. So actually, from their morning wake-up time until the start of that nap time, if that window of awakeness is too long, even if they’re getting the ideal amount of nap after that, the very fact that wake window is too long could be the reason for their overtiredness, even if they are getting enough naptime. So timing does play a part in this as well.  Timing is something that can easily be overlooked or ignored because you think, “They get the sleep eventually.” Yeah, but that extended wakeful period may have already done the harm and cause the overtiredness. When you look at bedtime itself. Is bedtime late, a bit too late or irregular? Does it move around a lot? That could be another reason for overtiredness, a bedtime that isn’t consistent, or that is too late for a little one.  Most 0 to 6 year olds, some seven-year-olds, will do best with a bedtime around 7:00 PM. That’s if you operate a kind of a day in the life of where you want to wake up between 6:00 AM and 7:00 AM, maybe you have school or preschool, or you are working, and then wind down, your evening meal or whatever, and then to sleep around 7:00 PM, somewhere between 6:00 PM and 8:00 PM, for sure. Absolutely, somewhere between 6:00 PM and 8:00 PM, for anyone, I would say, 0 to 10 years. You may get a few on the older side that can cope with a slightly later bedtime, but generally speaking, from 0 to 10 years, I would say somewhere between 6:00 PM and 8:00 PM, it’s going to fit really, really well. 7:00 PM’s great, right down the middle. The last one that you could look at in terms, if you’re trying to figure out, where is this overtiredness coming from? I know my child’s overtired, I figured that out in the last episode, but where is it coming from? Could it be disturbed nights? Do you have lots of wake ups going on in the night, lots of disruption? Are they up and down? Are they having wakeful periods in the night?  That, in itself, is going to cause overtiredness because not only do they lose those bits of sleep when they wake up, but the very fact that they’re having them means that the sleep cycles are not thorough and they’re not nourishing. We cycle through our sleep like this. And if they’re spending a lot of time up here, they’re not getting their deep, nourishing sleep and having that restorative effect. So it could be the disturbed nights, okay? So have a think about those, see which it could be for you. If this has helped you go, “Ah yes, it’s that,” then brilliant, because you can then move on into my blog, where I’m going to be sharing with you how to actually fix that, how to get them to sleep more. Take our Quiz and get your free custom sleep plan today!

https://youtu.be/lx4Kmk1UcVk To conclude my little series on traveling with your little ones and maintaining the best sleep possible, this post is all about the return home. These tips are going to help you to get your little one’s sleep back on track and get them sleeping really nicely at home when you’ve returned from travel or being away, or on a holiday, or something like that. Number one, the journey home itself. So when you’re coming home a bit like the journey out, you have this random day, it’s a transitional day. It’s going to be a day where you may find you or your child might get more sleep than usual, you might get less sleep than usual. It doesn’t matter, it’s a transition. It’s when you get back, that really makes the difference in getting back into your routine. When you come back, try if possible, it’s not always possible, but try if you can to factor in a recovery day. That’s the day after the travel day. So you’ve got your travel day and then a recovery day. If you can, if your timetable allows. That’s going to give you the opportunity to just play with timing, whatever time we start, the day is fine. Wake up when your body clock’s ready. And then, look at, where are we now? What time is it? Right, based on this wake-up time we need to have, or not have naps. Based on what happens there, we need to do what we need to do in order for bedtime to happen at that time, which is your time at home. So having that recovery day, it’s like having a buffer zone to really sort it all back out. The second thing is home routine right away. Get into your home routine right away. Once you’ve got back and you’ve done that, you’re going to be starting to think, right it’s breakfast time at this time, this is our dinner time, this is when bedtime is. Just get back into that routine and rhythm. And particularly when it comes to your bedtime routine for little ones and the environment that they’re in. If they are in their own room, if they spent a week sleeping in a room with a sibling, but normally at home, they’re on their own, it’s hard and fast rules back to normal. That’s where you sleep, your bed, your room. If they are usually in their own cot, but they’ve been sleeping in a bed or a different sleep setting or in with parents on a holiday, back to normal, back to their own sleep space. Whatever the rules are at home, they need to come back right away. The third thing to remind you of is jet lag. If you have changed time zones, especially big ones, jet lag can last a week. It can take a week to really get back to normal. But you’re going to encourage that along and you’re going to help that along faster by getting into your local time and your routine based on the time zone you’re back in. And by getting into those cues, the environments, the meal times, all those things that make up the home routine. Catch-ups as well. If you are, or your little one is tired, more than usual, have little catch-ups. It’s okay. Don’t think you’ve got to keep your little one awake to maintain the perfect bedtime if they’re tired, just because perhaps they don’t usually nap or they’ve had their usual amount of naps. If there’s additional tiredness there, a little catch-up sleep, really won’t hurt. And then still go ahead with your normal bedtime, so you can get that back onto the normal path. Take care and I hope that this helps you and your little one if you are travelling soon. Take our Quiz and get your free custom sleep plan today!