Part 1 is the "is this normal?" half.
Before any tips or techniques, sleep consultant Lucy Bagwell goes back to the question underneath almost every sleep worry: is my baby actually sleeping badly, or is this just what babies are like? She covers the waking, the regressions, the "sleeping through the night" comparisons and the pressure to fix it all by six months, and she is clear about one thing: how your baby sleeps is not a measure of how well you are doing.
In this episode:
✔️ What "holistic" sleep support really means, and why how your baby falls asleep isn't the priority
✔️ What normal sleep looks like in the first year: up and down, changeable, and that's okay
✔️ 80% of six- to 18-month-olds wake up to three times a night
✔️ Why babies wake so much, and why needing comfort is a valid need
✔️ Sleep regressions reframed: a heightened need, not a step backwards
✔️ "You give support because they need it, not they need it because you gave it"
✔️ What "sleeping through the night" actually means in the studies
✔️ High and low sleep needs, and why the wake window chart might not fit your baby
✔️ Sleepy or just bored? The "one new thing" test
✔️ Listener question: a baby who wakes every one to three hours
✔️ Sensory seekers, sensitive sleepers and the bedtime chase that changed everything
✔️ Listener question: do naps matter if nights are good?
✔️ Overtiredness, undertiredness, and why we can stop being frightened of a tired baby
✔️ Listener question: what to actually be intentional about in the early months
No fear, no pressure. Options to consider, not the way you have to do it.
About our guest: Lucy Bagwell is a certified gentle and holistic infant sleep consultant (Level 6 OCN), mum of two, and founder of Second Star to the Right Sleep. Her fascination with sleep began with her own son, and today she supports families all over the world with no cry-it-out, ever. Her approach looks at the whole child: red flags, feeding, temperament, development and what each family actually wants.
Coming in Part 2: what you can actually do. Bedtime routines, day and night, nap transitions, settling and feeding to sleep, and whether "bad habits" even exist.
The Tiny Big Joys: Pregnancy & Birth — Questions from Parents Like You is out now on Amazon. Created by founder Paula, it brings together real experiences, expert guidance and some of the most loved conversations from the original podcast series — honest support without pressure, fear or overwhelming advice.
Join our newsletter community for a direct line to our team: share comments, suggest topics, and send questions for future guests. https://thetinybigjoys.kit.com/profile
If you found value in today's episode, the greatest compliment you can give us is a share. Send it to a friend who needs it, or post about it — your word-of-mouth is what allows us to keep creating content like this. Thank you!
www.thetinybigjoys.com | Instagram @thetinybigjoys
","author_name":"Paula Jurvanen"}