The Sleep Edit

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

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

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

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

Holidays can be a time of joy, family, and fun—but they can also throw a wrench into your child’s sleep routine. Whether it’s late-night celebrations, travel to visit relatives, or adjusting to time zone changes, holiday sleep disruptions are a challenge for many parents. But don’t worry—we’ve got you covered.

In this episode of The Sleep Edit, we cover practical strategies for navigating holiday sleep challenges for children of all ages. From tips for maintaining flexibility while traveling, to handling sugar-fueled energy spikes and keeping routines intact, this conversation is packed with actionable advice to help your family enjoy the season while staying (relatively) well-rested. They’ll even share some pro tips, like the ultimate New Year’s Eve bedtime trick you won’t want to miss.

Remember: holiday sleep doesn’t have to be perfect—it just has to work for you and your family. So, give yourself some grace, enjoy the cookies, and focus on the quality of your time together.

Links

Dr. Canapari's guide to Vacation "Sleep"

Canapari's guide "Holiday Travel Sleep Guide: Real Parents, Real Questions, Real Solutions"

Arielle's guide: "How to enjoy your holidays and protect your child's sleep"

Studies on sugar consumption and sleep

Study of 287 children ages 8-12 showing no association between sugar and sleep or behavioral change

Study of 2600 children aged 6-12 showing that more sugar consumption was associated with decreased sleep duration

Metanalysis of studies of young children 0-5 showing worse diet and higher sugar intake were associated with lower sleep quality

Timestamps

00:00 Introduction and Disclaimer

01:13 Navigating Holiday Sleep Challenges

03:18 Travel Tips for Parents

06:04 Managing Sleep in Different Environments

13:30 Handling Naps and Bedtime During Holidays

22:19 Dealing with Food and Sugar

28:50 Final Tips and Holiday Wishes

30:53 Conclusion and Resources

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