Nap Trapped

Want to subscribe to every ep and enjoy FREE sleep tools? 👉 www.naptrappedpodcast.comIf you’re aiming for a 7–7 schedule and your baby wakes at 6:15am, what time do you start the day?From the moment they open their eyes? From when you hear them on the monitor? Or from when you actually go in, turn the lights on, and start the morning?If you picked option one or two, you might be unknowingly pulling your whole schedule earlier. And that tiny shift, repeated over days, is often why early mornings keep creeping earlier, and naps start feeling harder than they should.This week Sally and Bec tackle one of the most common (and sanity-saving) distinctions in scheduling: awake time vs UP time. They sound like the same thing. They’re not.Awake time is simply when your baby wakes. UP time is when you start the day, and on a 7–7 schedule, that’s the anchor that protects your body clock and stops the early rising spiral. Your baby can wake at 6:20am and still be “on” a 7am schedule, because 7am is go time, lights, milk, noise, and the day officially begins.Then we get practical with naps. You can keep the first nap anchored to the clock to protect the structure of the day, but when a nap ends early, wake windows matter. You count the next wake window from when your baby actually woke, not the time you hoped they’d sleep until. Otherwise you can stack too much awake time, tip into overtired territory, and suddenly bedtime is chaos.You’ll learn:* How to use UP time to keep a 7–7 schedule steady, even with early wakes* Why nap one often stays anchored to the clock* When to switch to wake windows based on the time your baby actually wakes* How to handle early nap wake ups without wrecking the rest of the day* The simple flexibility rule that keeps schedules working in real lifeListen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts HEREOr, watch below:Chapters:00:00 Happy New Year!05:12 Listener question: counting wake windows correctly07:45 Awake time vs up time explained11:20 When long settling throws off your schedule15:33 Should you count from eyes open or out of crib?19:08 Happy wake-ups where baby stays in crib23:41 Why rigid wake windows can create problems28:15 The flexibility principle for schedules32:50 Wrap-up and dinner plans🎙️ ABOUT NAP TRAPPEDSally Woods and Bec Maher are baby sleep consultants who believe exhausted parents deserve real answers, not judgment. Each episode of Nap Trapped breaks down one sleep challenge with evidence-based advice and a healthy dose of humor.Links📩 Get updates + exclusive tools: Subscribe www.naptrappedpodcast.com📸 Follow Sally & Bec on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/thesleepconcierge/https://www.instagram.com/_thesleepcentre/🎧 Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts

A quick note from Sally and Bec to wish you a Merry Christmas and happy holidays. Whether today's big or quiet, they hope you get a moment to breathe.They know the season can be exciting and messy, especially when you're juggling little ones and their sleep routines. They're taking a short break to spend time with their families and will be back in your ears in two weeks with fresh episodes.Thank you for being part of the Nap Trapped community. Sally and Bec adore sharing these conversations with you.🎙️ ABOUT NAP TRAPPEDHosted by sleep consultants Sally Woods (The Sleep Concierge) and Bec Maher (The Sleep Centre), Nap Trapped helps tired parents solve baby sleep challenges with warmth, evidence, and no judgement. Every week we turn your questions into practical solutions—with a side of Aldi chocolate.Links📩 Get updates + exclusive tools: Subscribe www.naptrappedpodcast.com📸 Follow Sally & Bec on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/thesleepconcierge/https://www.instagram.com/_thesleepcentre/🎧 Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts

Want to subscribe to every ep and enjoy FREE sleep tools? 👉 naptrappedpodcast.comYou know that moment when your baby wakes at 10pm but you're trying to hold the feed until midnight? Sally and Bec finally explain what 'just resettle' actually means in practice - because they've been saying it for 64 episodes without breaking down the how.This week they answer a listener question that gets to the heart of overnight feed weaning: what do you actually do during those lengthy middle-of-the-night resettles? How long is too long? And when is in-arms resettling helpful versus becoming the new sleep crutch?What You'll Learn:• What resettling looks like when baby wakes before their anchored feed time• Why bringing the feed earlier undermines the whole plan (even when it feels hard)• The difference between 'testing the waters' and actively sleep training• When in-arms resettling helps vs when it becomes the new prop• Why resettles can take an hour or more the first night (and why that's normal)• How to know if you should use a hands-on technique or less intervention• Why you never see the benefit in the moment - it comes the next night• The extinction burst pattern: great nights, then one brutal resettle, then smooth sailingChapters:00:00 Intro - today's listener question02:00 Liz's question: how long do I resettle before feeding?03:00 What 'resettle' actually means in practice04:41 Testing waters vs actively sleep training05:50 Using your bedtime technique for overnight resettles07:21 Why first resettles can be lengthy (and that's expected)08:38 Don't bring the feed earlier just because it feels hard10:04 How the internal clock rewires with consistent responses11:00 Why we say 'just resettle' (we see what happens next)13:21 Defining sleep training vs making gentle changes14:37 When in-arms resettling is appropriate vs problematic16:05 Creating opportunities to strengthen self-settling skills19:41 When baby has already shown sleep consolidation skills20:37 Why everything you do through the day makes resettling easier22:30 Why we don't put time caps on resettles24:27 Sally's story: two-hour extinction burst, then smooth nights26:26 Wrap up and sleep detectives questions🎙️ ABOUT NAP TRAPPEDSally Woods and Bec Maher are baby sleep consultants who believe exhausted parents deserve real answers, not judgment. Each episode of Nap Trapped breaks down one sleep challenge with evidence-based advice and a healthy dose of humor.Links📩 Get updates + exclusive tools: Subscribe http://www.naptrappedpodcast.com📸 Follow Sally & Bec on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/thesleepconcierge/https://www.instagram.com/_thesleepcentre/🎧 Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts

Want to subscribe to every ep and enjoy FREE sleep tools? 👉 www.naptrappedpodcast.comThis week's Sleep Detectives tackles six parent questions spanning the full baby sleep spectrum. From nap schedule basics to stubborn early rising, Sally and Bec walk you through the specific fixes that actually work when you're juggling childcare, short naps, and wake times that feel like they're conspiring against you.They cover everything from the six month nap schedule everyone should master to why your toddler suddenly hates the pram at nap time. Plus the tricky stuff: whether to bring back that 5am feed, how to break out of the early-to-bed-early-to-rise trap, and when to actually drop from four naps to three.What You'll Learn: • The exact nap schedule for a six month old sleeping 7:30-7:00 • Why the third nap is only 30 minutes (and the two hour wake window to bed) • How to get an 11 month old to nap in the pram without a fight • The 9:30 nap rule that fixes childcare early rising patterns • When to drop the 5am feed versus when to bring breakfast in • Whether four month olds should transition to three naps yet • How to shift early rising on a two nap schedule without chaosChapters:00:10 Intro and Christmas sleep priorities02:10 Q1: Six month old nap schedule for 7:30-7:00 sleeper06:37 Why the third nap is 30 minutes with two hour wake window11:25 Q2: 11 month old resisting pram naps15:08 Q3: Eight month old early rising with childcare naps19:14 Q4: Should we give a 5am feed to reset at seven months?25:51 Q5: Four and a half month old - drop to three naps?31:32 Q6: Eight month old on two naps with 5:00-5:30 wake 37:27 Wrap up and see you next episode🎙️ ABOUT NAP TRAPPED Sally Woods and Bec Maher are baby sleep consultants who believe exhausted parents deserve real answers, not judgment. Each episode of Nap Trapped breaks down one sleep challenge with evidence-based advice and a healthy dose of humor.Links 📩 Get updates + exclusive tools: Subscribe www.naptrappedpodcast.com📸 Follow Sally & Bec on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesleepconcierge/ https://www.instagram.com/_thesleepcentre/🎧 Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts

Sign up to Nap Trapped and enjoy 20% off the all-new baby sleep platform 'Snooze' featuring Sally and Bec as your personal baby sleep coaches 👉 ⁠www.naptrappedpodcast.com⁠You can feel them closing in. The relatives. The outstretched arms. The chorus of "just one more cuddle" and "they don't look tired" and "pop them in the spare room, they'll be fine." You're holding your baby a little tighter, watching the clock, doing the mental maths on wake windows while someone offers you another glass of wine and asks why you're leaving so early.This episode is for you.Sally and Bec know that protective instinct. They've felt the pressure of being the one who "makes it difficult" by prioritising sleep. And they're here to tell you: you're not dramatic. You're not controlling. You're the one up at 3am if this goes sideways, and that means you get to make the call.They share the strategies that actually work: hosting so you control the nap setup, wearing your baby in a carrier to manage who gets access, pre-setting departure times with no room for negotiation. Plus personal stories including Bec's infamous Fiji wedding incident involving her mother-in-law and two ice creams.Say it with us now...• Prioritising naps doesn't ruin the magic (it protects it)• Step up and set expectations with family before the day• Have a carrier strategy for managing who holds baby and when• Know what to say when someone insists they don't look tired• Handle feelings when they get hurt by your boundary• Embrace the 80/20 approach: when to flex and when to hold firm• You're not neurotic for prioritising sleep• You're not neurotic for prioritising sleep• You're not neurotic for prioritising sleep• You can leaving on time without guiltChapters:00:00 Intro: your holiday boundary pep talk04:37 The 80/20 lifestyle and when to flex06:51 Strategy 1: hosting so you control the nap setup08:48 Strategy 2: wearing baby in a carrier11:07 Managing family expectations and comments12:41 What to do when the plan goes sideways14:43 Why someone else's disappointment isn't your problem16:59 The payoff: well-rested kids everyone enjoys19:51 When naps fail in front of an audience21:07 Bec's Fiji wedding double ice cream disaster25:51 The mental load behind every nap decision28:37 Other boundaries: solids, kisses, and choking hazards30:05 Scripts for setting expectations ahead of time31:07 Wrap-up: Boxing Day rot and recovery🎙️ ABOUT NAP TRAPPEDNap Trapped is your weekly dose of sleep sanity from consultants Sally Woods and Bec Maher. They take the toughest baby sleep questions and turn them into practical, evidence-based solutions—no shame, just support (and Aldi chocolate).Links:📩 Get updates + exclusive tools:Subscribe ⁠www.naptrappedpodcast.com⁠📸 Follow Sally & Bec on Instagram:⁠https://www.instagram.com/thesleepconcierge/⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/_thesleepcentre/⁠🎧 Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts