Here’s the truth about holiday travel and sleep: most of what you’re worrying about doesn’t matter. I get it. You’ve worked hard on your child’s sleep schedule. Maybe you just finished sleep training. Maybe you finally got consistent bedtimes working. And now you’re about to spend 3 days at Grandma’s house sharing a queen sized bed with a dog, a toddler, and a 14 month old who demands to exit the Pack N Play at 3am. You’re expecting disaster. But here’s what I’ve learned after 15 years of...
10 days ago • 3 min read
Hi everyone, Nap transitions are one of the most confusing parts of early childhood sleep. One week your baby is taking three predictable naps… and the next week everything is chaos. Naps get shorter, bedtimes get later, and suddenly you’re Googling “is my child dropping a nap??” at 3 AM. This week on The Sleep Edit, Arielle and I break down the messy reality of nap transitions — from 3→2 naps, 2→1 nap, and eventually the big one: dropping naps entirely. Using real cases, practical sleep...
13 days ago • 1 min read
Hi everyone, Why do some toddlers nap like champs while others fight every rest? And how can parents tell when it’s time to drop a nap—or hang on to one a little longer? In this week’s episode of The Sleep Edit, Arielle and I kick off our Napping Spectacular (Part 1) by digging into the science of naps: How much total sleep kids really need at each age (AAP–AASM consensus) Why naps matter for mood, memory, and learning What brain development has to do with nap transitions When most children...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
I hope you having a great summer, and perhaps have a cool vacation ahead of you. However, summer can be a tricky time for parents and kids in terms of sleep. Arielle and I just recorded a whole episode of The Sleep Edit podcast on Summer and Back to School Sleep issues. You can find the podcast here or in your local pod catcher Or, if you prefer video, here is the YouTube link for the podcast episode. I also want to share a few articles I wrote on this topic, with the first being the most...
4 months ago • 1 min read
Are magnesium sprays the next miracle sleep cure—or just marketing? You may have seen it on TikTok or in the parenting forums: magnesium sprays and lotions being hyped as the natural fix for kids who struggle with sleep. As a pediatric sleep doctor, I get asked about these products all the time. So I did what I do best—dug into the science. 📉 Spoiler alert: There’s no solid evidence that these products actually help kids sleep better. And they may not even be absorbed through the skin. In my...
7 months ago • 1 min read
Daylight savings time begins on Sunday, March 9th. This was a bummer before I had kids, as it meant losing an hour of sleep. I would feel pretty cruddy for about a week afterwards. Then, my kids were early risers, so I liked it. Why? The beginning of DST shifts their apparent wake time a bit earlier. So a kid who was waking up at 5:30 AM was getting up at 6:30 AM literally overnight. (A "later" bedtime was the cost of this but I'm not a morning lark, so it was a fair trade-off). However, it...
9 months ago • 1 min read
Arielle and I are back with our first Sleep Edit podcast episode of 2025, diving into the thorny topics of melatonin and magnesium for kids’ sleep. 🎧 Listen here Lately, it feels like sleep gummies, supplements, lotions, and other quick fixes are everywhere, marketed to exhausted parents looking for answers. In the U.S., even melatonin—a hormone—is regulated as a dietary supplement, not a medication. The truth? Melatonin has good evidence for kids with certain conditions (like autism and...
9 months ago • 1 min read
A few years ago, almost every parent in my Sleep Clinic had already tried melatonin for their child’s sleep struggles. Now, there’s a new kid on the block—magnesium supplements. I get it. Magnesium sounds great—it’s a mineral, not a hormone, and it’s easy to find in gummies, powders, and drinks. But does it actually help kids sleep?I dug into the science, and (spoiler alert) the answer isn’t as clear-cut as you might think. Here’s what I found: ✔️ Magnesium plays a big role in sleep and...
9 months ago • 1 min read
Honestly, I can't remember what holidays were like before I was a dad. I vaguely remember them being less stressful, but maybe less meaningful as well. It's really fun experiencing the magic of the holidays through your children's eyes. HOWEVER, if you have a little one, all of the travel, family time, and holiday excitement, can be stressful. REALLY stressful. And, if your kid's sleep is disrupted, it can result in tantrums, chaos, and conflict. In the latest episode of The Sleep Edit...
12 months ago • 1 min read