The Sleep Edit

Can you keep breastfeeding and still work toward better sleep? Craig and Arielle talk with pediatrician and lactation consultant Dr. Lauren Hughes about newborn feeding, bottles, milk supply, and the difference between sleep training and night weaning. They also get into the advice that leaves parents feeling trapped: stretch every feed, never offer a bottle, assume every night waking means hunger.
Key Takeaways
Sleep training and night weaning are two separate decisions. Lauren sleep trained her twins at eight months and did not night wean them until eighteen — a baby can learn to fall asleep without help and still get every overnight feed they need.
Six hours counts as sleeping through the night. It may not be the six hours you wanted — 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. qualifies — and reframing the target is sometimes the entire intervention.
Milk storage capacity runs from roughly two to twelve ounces per breast and has nothing to do with breast size, which is why dropping a night feed is a non-event for one parent and tanks supply for another. How long you can go before engorgement is roughly your own ceiling, since engorgement is what tells the body to make less.
"Normal" is far wider than parents are told: in the newborn weeks three hours is a maximum, not a minimum — babies can eat sooner, and three hours is when you wake them. Breastfed babies average about 24 ounces in 24 hours, range 19 to 32.
It isn't nipple confusion, it's flow preference — babies take the path of least resistance, so a fast bottle beats the work of the breast, and paced feeding is the fix. Offering a bottle once a week from about a month old heads off the refusal that surfaces the week daycare starts.
The research on feeding method and sleep genuinely conflicts, and neither host picks a side. Under six months exclusively breastfed babies wake more often, though most studies find no difference in total sleep; after six months most find breastfed infants sleeping less — and much of the older literature simply asked parents, whereas Rudzik's actigraphy study found no difference in measured sleep even as formula-feeding mothers reported more.
Links
Studies, articles & posts
Infant sleep reports versus actigraphy by feeding method — Rudzik, Robinson-Smith & Ball, 2018
Milk feeding, complementary foods, and infant sleep: a systematic review — Fu et al., 2021
Sleep-related infant deaths: updated recommendations — American Academy of Pediatrics, 2022
How to keep your sleeping baby safe — AAP parent guide
Bedsharing and breastfeeding: Protocol #6, 2019 revision — Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine, published 2020; a different professional position from the AAP
People & books mentioned
Dr. Lauren Hughes — pediatrician and International Board Certified Lactation Consultant
Dr. Hughes' newsletter
Bloom Pediatrics and Lactation — practice founded by Dr. Hughes
Get in touch & next steps
Craig's free sleep training starter kit
Arielle's free 24-hour sleep guide
Full medical disclaimer
Submit Listener Feedback and Questions Here

(00:00) - Intro

(00:23) - Meet Dr. Lauren Hughes

(01:47) - Why a pediatrician became a lactation consultant

(06:20) - When breastfeeding is harder than expected

(06:58) - Crying, sleep training, and parents' goals

(12:23) - What normal newborn feeding looks like

(16:18) - The pressure to follow a strict feeding schedule

(20:25) - Finding a rhythm with older infants

(24:03) - How partners can support breastfeeding

(25:58) - Taking shifts overnight

(27:46) - Pacifiers, bottles, and flow preference

(30:44) - Bottle refusal and going back to work

(31:41) - Whether formula-fed babies really sleep longer

(35:05) - What dropping a night feed does to supply

(38:48) - Under six months versus over six months

(40:18) - How many ounces a baby actually needs

(44:22) - Can breastfeeding and sleep training coexist

(46:37) - Six hours counts as sleeping through the night

(48:23) - Room-sharing, bedsharing, and the AAP

(50:43) - Why parents hide bedsharing from their pediatrician

(55:14) - What the AAP actually recommends

(56:31) - Rapid-fire feeding and sleep myths

(57:59) - Lauren's sleep hack and confession

(59:02) - You're not doing it wrong

(59:43) - Where to find Dr. Lauren Hughes

Tips for Infants, Toddlers, and Teens
In this episode of the Sleep Edit podcast, hosts Dr. Craig Canapari and Arielle Greenleaf provide evidence-based tips and strategies to help parents manage their children's sleep during the summer and back-to-school transitions. They discuss common issues such as later bedtimes, disrupted routines, increased screen time, and the impact of travel on sleep patterns.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Disclaimer
01:09 Meet the Hosts
01:24 Summer Sleep Challenges
03:55 Pandemic Sleep Patterns
05:08 Structured Days Hypothesis
07:57 Managing Heat and Sleep
09:58 Travel and Sleep Tips for Infants and Toddlers
16:06 Vacation Sleep Realities
19:47 School-Age Sleep Strategies
20:50 Replicating Schedules for Special Needs Children
21:47 Bedtime Recommendations for Different Age Groups
23:07 Managing Screen Time During Summer
24:01 The Benefits of Summer Camps and Jobs
24:49 Camping as a Sleep Reset Tool
26:41 Traveling to Adjust Sleep Schedules
27:25 General Summer Sleep Tips for Parents
32:23 Adjusting Teen Sleep Schedules Before School Starts
37:38 Final Thoughts and Contact Information
Links
The Structured Days hypothesis
Study of 9-15 year olds showed that later shift was associated with poorer dietary choices
Resources (slides and references) from Dr. Canapari's talk on Covid-19 and sleep
The Forbidden Zone and what it means for putting your kid down
Vacation "sleep": How to get shuteye when on the move
Dr. Canapari's article on summer sleep and back to school
Camping as a way to reset sleep schedules
Get in touch & next steps
Craig's sleep training starter kit
Arielle's free 24-hour sleep guide
Full medical disclaimer 
Submit Listener Feedback and Questions Here

(00:00) - Intro

(01:09) - Meet the hosts

(01:24) - Summer sleep challenges

(03:55) - Pandemic sleep patterns

(05:08) - Structured days hypothesis

(07:57) - Managing heat and sleep

(09:58) - Travel and sleep tips for infants and toddlers

(16:06) - Vacation sleep realities

(19:47) - School-age sleep strategies

(20:50) - Replicating schedules for special needs children

(21:47) - Bedtime recommendations for different age groups

(23:07) - Managing screen time during summer

(24:01) - The benefits of summer camps and jobs

(24:49) - Camping as a sleep reset tool

(26:41) - Traveling to adjust sleep schedules

(27:25) - General summer sleep tips for parents

(32:23) - Adjusting teen sleep schedules before school starts

(37:38) - Final thoughts and contact information

Your child's cortisol is not a problem you need to manage — and most of the scary sleep advice that says otherwise is built on a misreading of the science. Craig and Arielle take on the claims that spread fastest online and hold up worst: the "overtired baby floods with cortisol" story, rigid wake windows, the 3-6-9 rule and the Wonder Weeks, magnesium lotions, melatonin as a quick fix, and the "biologically correct" 7 p.m. bedtime. It's an episode about why simple, absolute rules go viral while real answers — nuanced, and dependent on your actual child — do not. They close on the hardest question a tired parent faces: in an unregulated field full of confident strangers, how do you tell a trustworthy sleep expert from a good marketer?

Key Takeaways
The "overtired child floods with cortisol and can't sleep" claim gets the science backwards. Poor sleep can nudge cortisol up, but cortisol is a marker of inadequate sleep, not its cause — and it is not something parents need to manage at home.
The Middlemiss (2012) study used to argue that sleep training is harmful had no control group and studied infants in an unfamiliar inpatient setting, nothing like sleep training at home. Better-controlled work, including Gradisar's randomized trial, found infant cortisol did not rise after sleep training. A few hard nights are brief, harmless stress — not the chronic toxic stress that genuinely affects development.
Wake windows describe something real — sleep drive builds the longer a child is awake — but the rigid, age-based formulas online are not research-based. Watch the child in front of you and their 24-hour sleep totals, not a chart. "Average" sleep needs span wide ranges and were never meant as individual targets.
Magnesium lotions have no evidence they do anything; melatonin is a hormone, not a routine fix for healthy children, and should follow behavioral changes and a conversation with your pediatrician. Melatonin is now the most common substance U.S. children accidentally ingest — store it like medication.
For most children before puberty, a bedtime roughly between 7:30 and 8:30 works well; an artificially early bedtime mostly manufactures bedtime battles. And the pediatrician is the first stop for sleep questions — "evidence-based" has become a marketing phrase, so ask any consultant how they actually make decisions.

Links
Studies & research
Middlemiss et al. (2012), Early Human Development — the cortisol/extinction study commonly cited against sleep training. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2011.08.010
Gradisar et al. (2016), Pediatrics — randomized controlled trial; infant cortisol did not rise after graduated extinction or bedtime fading. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2015-1486
Tuladhar et al. (2021), Journal of Sleep Research — infant diurnal cortisol and sleep. https://doi.org/10.1111/jsr.13357
Earlier bedtimes and child sleep — systematic review of 45 studies, JAMA Pediatrics. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/2795862
Pediatric Melatonin Ingestions, United States, 2012–2021 — CDC MMWR. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/71/wr/mm7122a1.htm
Iglowstein I, Jenni OG, Molinari L, Largo RH. Sleep duration from infancy to adolescence: reference values and generational trends. Pediatrics. 2003 Feb;111(2):302-7. doi: 10.1542/peds.111.2.302. PMID: 12563055.
Further reading on cortisol, sleep training, attachment, and online misinformation:
Bilgin & Wolke (2020), Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry — "cry it out" and attachment/behavioral development at 18 months. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.13223
Davis & Kramer (2021), Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry — commentary on Bilgin & Wolke (2020). https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.13390
Spangler & Grossmann (1993), Child Development — biobehavioral organization in securely and insecurely attached infants. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.1993.tb02962.x
Ramos et al. (2025), Scientific Reports — mother-infant cortisol levels and maternal childhood adversity. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-28548-8
Immeli, Douglas & Kolho (2026), Acta Paediatrica — misinformation and the medicalisation of infant health care in the social media era. https://doi.org/10.1111/apa.70468
"Guided by Routine and Nurturance: How Parent Characteristics Shape Online Infant Health Information Seeking" — PubMed. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41622498/
Craig's articles
Should My Child Take Melatonin? A Guide for Parents — https://drcraigcanapari.com/should-my-child-take-melatonin-a-guide-for-parents/
Melatonin Overdoses Are on the Rise: Why Parents Should Worry — https://drcraigcanapari.com/melatonin-overdoses-are-on-the-rise-why-parents-should-worry/
Should You Give Your Child L-Theanine for Sleep? — https://drcraigcanapari.com/should-you-give-your-child-l-theanine-for-sleep/
Resources & past episodes mentioned
The Sleep Edit, Episode 12: Melatonin and Magnesium, Oh My — https://sleepedit.show/episodes/episode-12-melatonin-and-magnesium-oh-my
BBC News — undercover investigation into dangerous baby sleep advice (2026) — https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ce84e1vn1l2o
Huckleberry — sleep-tracking app; provides 7-, 14-, 30-, and 90-day sleep averages

Get in touch & next steps
Craig's free sleep training starter kit: https://drcraigcanapari.com/sleep-training-starter-kit/
Arielle's free 24-hour sleep guide: https://expect-to-sleep.kit.com/24hrsleep
Full medical disclaimer: https://sleepedit.show/disclaimer
Submit Listener Feedback and Questions Here

(00:00) - Intro

(00:27) - What counts as bad online sleep advice

(00:56) - Why simple advice beats nuance online

(03:24) - Cortisol and overtiredness: what cortisol actually is

(05:43) - Sleep training and the Middlemiss cortisol study

(11:52) - Is "overtired" even a medical term?

(14:42) - Overtired is a nuisance, not a danger

(16:24) - When wake-window fear takes over

(19:01) - Cortisol is a symptom, not a cause

(20:23) - Why you can stop tracking your child's cortisol

(23:53) - Abs...

We opened the mailbag. Craig and Arielle grouped dozens of listener questions by theme and worked through them — covering infant sleep and the SNOO, night wakings that seem to defy logic, 4 AM toddler wake-ups, bedtime resistance, a 5-year-old with "bad dreams" that aren't actually scary, daycare nap chaos, and a rapid-fire round on floor beds, crib-to-bed transitions, and whether you have to sleep train at all. Some of it is practical, some is reassuring, and a few answers hinge on the difference between a behavior problem and a medical one.
Key Takeaways
Safe sleep comes first. In the first six months especially: flat, firm surface; room-share without bed-share; no soft bedding. If an infant genuinely can't tolerate lying flat, that's a pediatrician conversation, not a sleep-training one.
When night wakings look random on the "same" schedule, average total sleep over seven days. Clock-time schedules can hide big variation in actual sleep amounts — and total sleep is what the child's body is optimizing against.
A pattern of 4–5 hours of solid sleep followed by wakings every 2–3 hours almost always points to a sleep-onset association. If your child falls asleep with you present, they tend to need you present to transition between each subsequent sleep cycle.
The right order for night weaning, room transition, and sleep training: get the baby into their own sleep space first, then address feeding, then sleep train. Don't layer sleep training on an unresolved feeding problem, and don't put an infant on a floor bed.
A toddler whose sleep is consistently wrecked by mild congestion deserves a look for obstructive sleep apnea — especially if they snore when well. Benadryl only "works" because it sedates; it doesn't dry up viral secretions, and OTC cough/cold products aren't recommended under 6.
You don't have to sleep train. If your child and household are sleeping well enough, there's nothing to fix. Sleep training is a tool for when someone in the house is suffering — not a milestone to hit.
Links
Studies, articles & posts
Is Room Sharing in Infancy Necessary for Safe Sleep in 2024? – Dr. Canapari
Co-Sleeping in Infancy: Bed-Sharing Is Not Safe – Dr. Canapari
Sleep-onset associations: toddler night wakings and how to fix them – Dr. Canapari
Why does my toddler wake up at night? – Dr. Canapari
Toddler early morning awakenings: what to do about them – Dr. Canapari
Is your toddler screaming at bedtime? A concrete plan for bedtime resistance – Dr. Canapari
Napping problems in toddlers and preschoolers – Dr. Canapari
What to do about nap strikes – Dr. Canapari
The bedtime pass: a great technique for older kids – Dr. Canapari
Huggy Puppy: my favorite treatment for nighttime fears – Dr. Canapari
How to stop co-sleeping so you and your child can sleep better – Dr. Canapari
Sleep training in a coughing child – Dr. Canapari
Obstructive sleep apnea in children – Dr. Canapari
AAP safe sleep recommendations (2022 update) — room sharing without bed sharing, flat firm surface, no soft bedding, ideally through the first 6–12 months
Study showing benefits of outdoor play for sleep in Japanese Toddlers Murata E, Yoshizaki A, Fujisawa TX, Tachibana M, Taniike M, Mohri I. What daily factors affect the sleep habits of Japanese toddlers? J Clin Sleep Med. 2023 Jun 1;19(6):1089-1101. doi: 10.5664/jcsm.10508. PMID: 36789883; PMCID: PMC10235708.
People & books mentioned
Become Your Child's Sleep Coach: The Bedtime Doctor's 5-Step Guide, Ages 3-10 – Lynelle Schneeberg PsyD
The Happiest Baby on the Block – Harvey Karp MD
Get in touch & next steps
Arielle's free 24-hour sleep guide: https://expect-to-sleep.kit.com/24hrsleep
Submit Listener Feedback and Questions Here

(00:00) - Intro

(01:23) - Safe sleep and the 5-month-old who "can't" lie flat

(05:10) - Julie — SNOO weaning and feeding-to-sleep

(08:27) - Kira — 4-month-old bassinet refusal

(10:41) - Hannah — can you skip the schedule and just follow sleep cues?

(13:15) - Michaela — one good night, three bad, same schedule

(15:55) - BD — 4–5 hours of sleep, then wakings every 2–3 hours

(17:56) - Megan — 8-month-old nursing to soothe, no solids

(21:31) - Simona — night weaning, room transition, sleep training — what order?

(24:26) - Tyler — 2.5-year-old tantruming at 4–5 AM

(26:54) - Arman — 7-month-old, dream feeds, 4–5 AM wakings

(29:16) - Kay — 30-month-old who naps easily but fights bedtime

(33:28) - Jason — 5-year-old's "bad dreams" that don't scare him

(35:24) - Betty — daycare 30-minute naps and the 8:30 PM bedtime

(38:43) - Anna — co-sleeping a 9-month-old with frequent illness

(41:47) - Lauren — snow globe as a "calm toy" at bedtime

(43:41) - Karen — toddler sleep with a cold, nasal sprays, and ENT

(45:45) - Sonia's rapid fire begins

(46:18) - Crib-to-bed transition and floor beds

(47:31) - Pros and cons of not sleep training

(48:34) - SNOO vs. a traditional bassinet

(51:15) - The 2-year-old who won't stay in his own bed

(54:43) - Outdoor naps at Patagonia HQ daycare

(56:10) - Wrap-up

Episode 17 – Show Notes
Our Sleep Routines in 2026 | The Sleep Edit
Craig and Arielle take a turn in the hot seat this week — sharing their own sleep habits, gear, and personal struggles. From frigid bedrooms and weighted blankets to trazodone, magnesium, and light therapy glasses, this episode is part confessional, part practical guide.
They also dig into CBT-I for insomnia, the phenomenon of orthosomnia (when sleep tracking makes your sleep worse), what melatonin actually does at a low dose, and how to think about supplements when the evidence is thin but the risk is low.
Timestamps
4:23 — Our personal sleep histories
6:36 — Restless leg syndrome & childhood sleep anxiety
8:50 — Psychophysiologic insomnia & CBT-I explained
11:00 — Bedtime boxes & stimulus control for kids
12:50 — Sleep tracking: Oura Ring vs. Apple Watch
16:20 — Orthosomnia — when tracking makes sleep worse
18:32 — How your tracker score affects how you feel the next day
19:00 — Sleep environment: cold rooms, darkness, white noise
22:52 — Sleep masks, weighted blankets (Bearaby), and pillows
27:00 — Light-up alarm clocks (Philips, Hatch)
29:00 — AYO light therapy glasses & circadian entrainment
32:00 — Nighttime routines: DND, showers, reading
34:40 — Why a hot shower helps you sleep (the science)
36:00 — Craig's meditation practice & pre-bed habits
39:20 — Arielle's history with insomnia & trazodone
41:10 — What sleep medications actually do (and don't do)
44:17 — Magnesium glycinate — the evidence
47:35 — L-theanine — even less evidence, still worth trying?
48:11 — Melatonin: Craig's 1mg dose & the heart failure study
52:00 — How we're actually sleeping in 2026
Key Takeaways
Both hosts have struggled with sleep throughout their lives — and that's part of why they do this work.
Sleep anxiety in children (and adults) responds well to CBT-I; the behavioral components are often more important than the cognitive ones.
Sleep trackers are best used to observe trends, not to optimize nightly metrics. Fixating on scores can cause orthosomnia — anxiety that worsens the very sleep it's supposed to measure.
A cold bedroom (ideally 60–67°F), darkness, and quiet are the most evidence-based environmental changes you can make.
A warm shower or bath before bed works by triggering a drop in core body temperature — the direction of change matters, not just the temperature itself.
Magnesium glycinate and L-theanine have limited but plausible supporting data; more importantly, they're safe at typical doses. Use third-party tested brands.
Melatonin is a hormone — more is not better. Craig uses 1mg. A 2024 conference abstract linking long-term melatonin use to heart failure has significant methodological limitations, was not peer-reviewed, and is not cause for alarm at low doses in otherwise healthy adults.
Trazodone is a reasonable long-term option for some people with chronic insomnia. It's not habit-forming, increases slow-wave sleep, and has a stable side-effect profile — but it's still a tool, not a substitute for good sleep habits. Note: AYO glasses recommend a 20-minute morning session (not 10 minutes as mentioned in the episode).
Links
Craig's gear & supplements
AYO Light Therapy Glasses
Bearaby Weighted Blanket
Oura Ring
Magnesium Glycinate 500mg
Nature's Trove L-Theanine
Melatonin 1mg
ConsumerLab.com — third-party supplement testing (subscription ~$60/yr)
Craig's posts & calculators
Magnesium for Kids' Sleep – Dr. Canapari
Melatonin & Heart Failure Study – Dr. Canapari
Melatonin Dosing Calculator for Children – Dr. Canapari
Clinicians & resources mentioned
Dr. Shelby Harris – CBT-I specialist
Dr. Lynelle Schneeberg – Become Your Child's Sleep Coach: The Bedtime Doctor's 5-Step Guide, Ages 3–10Book on Amazon

Orthosomnia – original paper by Dr. Kelly Baron (J Clin Sleep Med, 2017)
CBT-I Coach App (VA) — free, useful for teens 12+ and adults
Arielle's website & resources
Expect to Sleep
Free 24-Hour Sleep Guide (Arielle)
Contact Listener questions: sleepeditpod@gmail.com