Often our kids have trouble sleeping at night when fears and anxiety are playing a role. Today’s guest speaks joins Sleep Expert Alanna McGinn to discuss how to combat anxiety for our kids at bedtime. Tania DaSilva is a Child, Youth and Family Therapist. She is a graduate of the University of Toronto and is certified in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Solution-Focused Therapy. Additionally, she holds an Honours Advanced Child and Youth Care Diploma from Humber College, specializing in counsell...
Aug 20, 2019•41 min
Ready for some big revelations when it comes to teens and their sleep? In this episode Sleep Expert Alanna McGinn breaks down the top six factors affecting teen sleep and what you can do about it. First of all, we want to start by saying that parents should approach teen sleep just as you may have approached sleep when your kid was a baby or a toddler. Even as a teen, there are biological factors at play influencing sleep, and yes, your teen may need help learning how to self soothe before bed a...
Aug 13, 2019•25 min
Sleep Expert Alanna breaks down all ages down and provides some solid sleep tips from child to teen that you can use year round. Whether starting Kindergarten, heading off to college, or a parent getting back into routine after the holidays we all need a little help to get back on ‘sleep track’ and Alanna McGinn helps your family function as the best family unit they can be and sleep soundly throughout the night. 20 open ended questions - https://goodnightsleepsite.com/blog/2016/09/13/20-open-en...
Aug 06, 2019•25 min
When you’ve got a toddler and bedtime rolls around, it can feel like a nightmare. Night in and night out, putting your toddler to bed can become more and more difficult. While your little one is developing their own personality, sleep and bedtime suddenly becomes a battle you’re losing miserably. It’s time to fire the boss at bedtime and Sleep Expert Alanna McGinn shares some sleep tools that can help make bedtime more peaceful for both you and your child. Keep the Conversation Going: Join the c...
Jul 30, 2019•25 min
In this episode of Mom Stories Sleep Expert Alanna McGinn chats with two ladies who have been keeping it real for moms for years. Their #momtruths help to make us laugh at the complete chaos of motherhood with no matter what struggle we are experiencing that day. Cat and Nat have become an online staple in the homes of families worldwide with their honest and hilarious #momtruths, daily Facebook Lives, Live tours, and soon to be released book. Cat and Nat share how they are taking motherhood by ...
Jul 23, 2019•41 min
Whitney Port is the first guest in our Mom’s Stories series, and has not only been a wonderful client to work with but also such an amazing supporter of Good Night Sleep Site. Whitney Port is sitting down with Sleep Expert Alanna McGinn today and talking all things motherhood in the first year with her little boy Sonny. They discuss how she has changed now that she’s a mom, they even tackle some of Sonny’s sleep issues, and yes, Alanna asks her what she can share about The Hills reboot that we a...
Jul 16, 2019•38 min
To self-soothe or not to self-soothe? You’ve read all about it, everyone is telling you to teach your baby to do it but is teaching your child to self-soothe what you really want to be doing? Family sleep expert Alanna McGinn shares her thoughts on the term self-soothing and tells you to forget trying to teach your child to self-soothe. Instead teach them this. Keep the Conversation Going: Join the conversations and submit your own sleep questions to Alanna on Instagram and Twitter : @GNSleepSit...
Jul 10, 2019•16 min
If you are ready to help your baby sleep independently and through the night it’s important to understand your baby’s sleep needs and know when is right time to start. Sleep Expert Alanna McGinn, breaks it all down to make sure you start off your sleep training journey right. Keep the Conversation Going: Join the conversations and submit your own sleep questions to Alanna on Instagram and Twitter : @GNSleepSite. She may answer them during a future This Girl Loves Sleep segment! Website: https://...
Jul 01, 2019•26 min
It’s that time of year where your child may be headed off to camp. Whether big or small your child may be having mixed emotions about the experience, heck you may have mixed emotions about the experience. Heading off to their first year of sleep away camp is a big deal and sometimes a little preparation can help both parent and child transition to this scary yet totally fun and amazing experience! Sleep Expert Alanna McGinn answers: What is the right age to start? How do you know your child is r...
Jun 25, 2019•25 min
Sleep Expert Alanna McGinn sits down with Potty Training Expert and author of Oh Crap Potty Training and Oh Crap I have a Toddler, Jamie Glowacki. Jamie is a trusted resource on all things potty training and now toddlerhood! Her two former careers as social worker and circus performer make her uniquely qualified to deal with toddlers and poop. Jamie joins Alanna and talks about: When is the right time to start potty training? How can you tell that you are headed in the right direction? Is there ...
Jun 18, 2019•56 min
On today’s sleep clinic Alanna is joined by four of her Good Night Sleep Site team members and together they answer your sleep questions that were submitted to @GNSleepSite through Instagram and Twitter. Join sleep experts Jamie Contarini, Emily O’Gorman, Laura Armstrong, and Heather Young and together with Alanna they tackle: How to handle inconsistent night wakings for your 5 month old? Should you change your baby when they have a night feed? At what age should you start a bedtime routine? How...
Jun 11, 2019•30 min
It’s a common issue that we hear from our parents. You are ready to start sleep training your baby and start a routine, stay consistent, and stay strong but you’re worried that your baby will wake up your toddler. Also how is it possible to remain consistent in your day-to-day routine of sleep training when you have other children home as well? How do you work your toddler’s schedule into your baby’s new one? How do you sleep train your baby when you have a toddler at home? Sleep Expert Alanna M...
Jun 04, 2019•24 min
Sarah Remmer is the founder and owner of The Centre for Family Nutrition, a Calgary-based nutrition counselling practice that specializes in pre-natal, infant and child nutrition. She has a powerful passion for good food, and for teaching parents how to healthfully (and realistically!) feed their families. In addition to family nutrition, she and her team also use nutrition to support clients with fertility, healthy pregnancy, introducing solids, teen nutrition and healthy weight loss. Sarah spe...
May 28, 2019•26 min
Good Night Sleep Site helps many new parents help their children sleep better but what about mama’s-to-be who are having so much difficulty sleeping while pregnant? Frequent wakings, tossing and turning, difficulty getting comfortable, all coupled with various aches and pains. Throw in insomnia and some heartburn, carpal tunnel and basically the chance of getting a good night’s rest can seem impossible. Sleepless nights can be common practice for new parents, but most pregnant women also struggl...
May 21, 2019•20 min
Family Doctor Dr. Stephanie Liu joins Sleep Expert Alanna McGinn today to answer your top child medical questions. Stephanie completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Calgary in Health Sciences and a Masters of Science in Clinical Nutrition at Columbia University in New York City. Her medical school and residency in Family Medicine were completed at the University of Alberta. And currently, she practices community family medicine and acute care at the University of Alberta Hospital...
May 14, 2019•31 min
Our 4th sleep tool is choosing the method - the way we can finally break any final sleep associations, and wean out and final night feeds. You may be asking yourself, why are we only including this sleep tool now and it’s important to understand that while it’s often the first or only thing we think about when deciding to sleep train, the method is actually the smallest piece of the sleep training puzzle therefore we spend less time talking about it. It’s important to understand that we need to ...
May 07, 2019•27 min
The struggle between parents, providers, and a child’s sleep is an ongoing one. One that Sleep Expert Alanna McGinn hear’s from both sides and one that doesn’t need to happen. To help keep your baby or toddler on a regular sleep routine everyone needs to be on board, and that doesn’t just mean mom and dad. Childcare providers must also be aware of your usual routine, and attempt to maintain it as much as possible. This can be a struggle for both the parent and the provider and communication arou...
Apr 02, 2019•25 min
Sleep Expert Alanna McGinn interviews Joseph Tito from The Dad Diaries as her first official Dad Stories segment! Keeping with the twin theme over the past few weeks Joseph and Alanna discuss his journey on becoming a dad of beautiful twin girls, he provides some tips and shared his experience on being a single dad, and offers advice to all twin parents out there because multiple families need to stick together! If you are thinking of starting the journey of becoming a single mom or dad this is ...
Mar 26, 2019•39 min
Jessi Cruickshank joins Sleep Expert, Alanna McGinn where they share their experiences as twin moms and Jessi’s journey with sleep training. On this episode of Mom Stories Jessi opens up about motherhood and her life with her twin boys. Alanna helps her with her twins current sleep issues, and how Jessi and her husband, Evan, chose a path of parenthood that worked for her family. The ladies discuss the ‘super mom’ badge neither wants to wear and if it’s possible to obtain this ‘balance’ they kee...
Mar 19, 2019•59 min
The evenings are getting lighter and that can only mean one thing. Spring Daylight Savings Time is just around the corner. Sunday, March 10th, clocks are turned forward 1 hour. I know, just when you have your baby on a great sleep schedule, right? Sleep Expert, Alanna McGinn, shares how the Spring Time change is the tough one as we are all losing an hour of sleep and this loss of sleep on an already sleep deprived society can have a negative effect on your health and well-being. She provides a p...
Mar 05, 2019•24 min
If you are a parent of multiples and you are listening to this episode you are done. You are ready to get everyone on a better routine, and implement the right sleep plan so that everyone in your family sleep better. The good news is that whether you are dealing with one baby or multiples the fundamentals of healthy sleep are the same. The difference is in your organization and how you execute your plan. There are a few steps you want to make sure you cover. Sleep Expert, Alanna McGinn shares he...
Feb 26, 2019•29 min
The two to one nap transition. For some it means being able to be more active with baby and suddenly you have a whole morning to book more playdates and activities. For others the day can feel pretty long with each of you counting down to nap time so that you can get some work done, fold some laundry, or just sit and do nothing. You may even be feeling a mixture of the two. Sleep Expert, Alanna McGinn explains how the two to one nap transition can be a big transition for you and your baby and it...
Feb 19, 2019•18 min
Sleep Expert Alanna McGinn dedicates this entire episode to her popular sleep clinic, where she chooses sleep questions submitted by you and answers them. On today’s episode she answers ~ when can my baby sleep through the night without a feed? ~ how can I help my 6-month old to sleep through the night and stop waking up 2 to 3 times a night? ~ when should my 11-month old wake up in the morning? ~ how do I get my 18-month old back to sleeping all night after being sick? ~ how can I get my 8-mont...
Feb 12, 2019•22 min
In episode 6 and 9 we broke down the first and second sleep tools in the Good Night Sleep tool kit – sleep environment and consolidated naps. Today Sleep Expert, Alanna McGinn introduces our third sleep tool, which is a bit of a combo. Today she discusses the bedtime routine followed by an age appropriate bedtime. Get ready for your jaws to drop, folks! This is the easiest sleep tool to implement, but also one of the toughest for you all to do. But spoiler – sometimes just by applying this sleep...
Feb 05, 2019•22 min
Wondering if it’s time to hire a sleep consultant? If you have been looking at sleep information on the internet, in books, or in speaking to others, you know that there is a lot of conflicting advice out there on how to sleep train. A good sleep consultant helps families sift through information about the biology of sleep and sleep hygiene to find what will work best for them and their family. What could be better when you are sleep deprived and confused than to have your own personal sleep edu...
Jan 29, 2019•45 min
It’s the start of the new year and all we see are posts on social media on the new diets that will be tried, the best cleanse to start, or how you all joined a gym, that you’ll likely never go to. We never see the posts about – I’m going to go to bed earlier, or I’m really going to aim on getting regular 7-8 hours of sleep each night. We spend one third of our lives sleeping yet many of us take the need to sleep for granted, and in today’s 24/7 society we are becoming a chronically sleep deprive...
Jan 22, 2019•37 min
Now that things are starting to settle, and your normal routine is starting to fall back into place, something still seems slightly off...that something is your toddler. It’s a tale Good Night Sleep Site hears far too often after this busy merry season. Gatherings were had and new toys were played with, and your child’s normal structure and routine was pretty inconsistent. What’s happened is a sleep debt has slowly accrued over the last few weeks and now we’re left with an overtired, cranky, and...
Jan 15, 2019•10 min
Sleep Expert Alanna McGinn, founder of Good Night Sleep Site shared some great sleep tips, had fantastic expert interviews, and shared fun mom stories in season 1! In season 2 she’s taking it up a notch and sharing even more sleep help! Check out the season 2 trailer to see! You are going to have a blast this season on This Girl Loves Sleep where Alanna promise’s the information she shares will help your whole family sleep better and function as the healthiest family unit you can be with loads o...
Jan 08, 2019•5 min
You have been letting Sleep Expert Alanna McGinn into your homes for years on your sleep training journey, whether it be through hiring her personally to help your family sleep better through consultations, or you’ve attended one of her speaking events, or now following this podcast, you’ve allowed her to be part of your family and have included her in a very personal time in your life so it’s time to get to know her a bit better. Alanna is joined by her friend Amanda Muse and they are going to ...
Nov 27, 2018•46 min
With the holiday’s just around the corner you may be wondering if the gift of sleep will be wrapped up with a big bow this season. The festive season can be busy with family gatherings, late holiday dinners, and one too many gifts under the tree. Your child’s sleep needs can get lost in the shuffle and when you have a cranky overtired child no one is feeling any holiday joy. Sleep Expert Alanna McGinn wants to give you all the gift of sleep this Christmas and in today’s episode she list’s her Do...
Nov 20, 2018•18 min
