What is the one question that every person you meet - old friend, beloved aunt, pediatrician, mailman - I mean EVERY person will ask you about your new baby?

Is your baby a good sleeper?

The quest to have a good sleeper dominates the minds of expectant parents, new parents, parents of older babies, toddler parents and even "veteran" parents like me who have done this kiddo sleep thing a few times.

There are a wide range of different sleep approaches and philosophies out there and sleep can be a hot button topic on the battlefield of the Mommy Wars. If you've read here long you know I'm a Mommy Wars pacifist ... there will be no sanctimomming at CanDo Kiddo.

Instead one of the 5 core beliefs here at CanDo Kiddo is that parenting is a balance of heart and science. Baby sleep has always felt so, so personal - there just isn't one right way that's going to work for every baby, every parent, every family.

You have sleep questions. Let's get sleep answers.

So there isn't one right way to get your kiddo to sleep. Just a lot of different ways that work for different people, babies and situations. But in my own mama quest to have a good sleeper I've learned that supporting your baby's best sleep involves SO MUCH MORE than what you do when baby wakes up crying.

There are important habits and routines that can impact how well your baby sleeps so whether you're comfortable letting your baby cry for long stretches or whether you respond to the first whimper or whether you're somewhere in between, there are steps we can ALL take to up our chances of having a good (or at least better) sleeper.

Meet Casey Mayo, Sleep Expert

Because sleep is so important to CanDo Kiddo readers and because it's not something that I'm an expert in, I was excited when sleep expert Casey Mayo, SSAC of Sleep Wise Consulting offered to answer some reader questions related to healthy sleep habits and routines and to help us all catch a few more zzzzz's.

You can watch our hour-long interview HERE (or click the image below). If you're new to the Crowdcast platform you'll complete a quick sign-up before accessing the video. And if you'd rather skip the interview and jump right onto a free 15 minute consultation call with Casey, click here to schedule that.

And I apologize in advance for the fuzzy video quality, the sometimes awkward voice delay (promise I'm not speaking over Casey as much as it seems) and also my miserable post-partum hair loss regrowth :)

Sleep Questions Casey Tackles In The Interview:

How do I drop the _____ (paci, swaddle, room sharing, sleeping in a Rock 'n Play, rocking baby to sleep)?
The "Drowsy but Awake" conundrum
When should my baby drop naps (and what are signs my kiddo is ready)?
What does a healthy sleep schedule look like at different ages?
How can I fix my toddler sleep problems?

Just chatting with Casey has opened my eyes to a lot of small, do-able tweaks we can make in our home to improve the odds that we'll get a good night's sleep (no small feat with 3 kids 4 and under!). And while we focused on babies and toddlers in this interview, Casey works with families of kids up to 10 years old. If you have questions about your kiddo's sleep, Casey is available for a 15 minute free consultation call - click here to schedule with her.