Airway health is one of those invisible pieces of the parenting puzzle that can quietly shape everything, from feeding and sleep to behaviour, development, and long-term health. In this episode of Thriving Parenting, Jen dives into what many parents are never told to look for early on: the spectrum of airway dysfunction that often starts long before a child would ever be diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnoea.

Jen is joined by Dr Shereen Lim, a pioneer in dental sleep medicine and author of Breathe Sleep Thrive, whose work centres on early intervention and helping families understand how breathing, feeding, tongue function, and jaw development are all deeply connected.

If you’ve ever wondered why your baby mouth breathes, snores, struggles to feed, seems restless at night, or avoids chewing, this conversation will help you connect the dots in a way that finally makes sense.

1. Why obstructive sleep apnoea is often the tip of the iceberg, and what can show up years earlier
2. The early signs of airway dysfunction that can be easily missed, especially in infancy
3. Why mouth breathing is never “normal”, and how early awareness can change a child’s long-term health trajectory
4. The powerful “rapid growth window” in the first year, and why jaw and facial development matters for the airway
5. How modern feeding patterns (purees, pouches, processed foods) can keep kids stuck in the “suck phase” and reduce jaw strength
6. What parents can do if breastfeeding didn’t work out (without guilt), including practical ways to support oral function and chewing from six months
7. What to look for if your baby is snoring, noisy breathing, or sleeping with an open mouth
8. A grounded, individualised take on tongue ties, why release isn’t a magic fix, and why support matters before and after
9. Red flags beyond sleep, including feeding struggles, “reflux-like” symptoms caused by air intake, picky eating, gagging, speech delays, and teeth grinding
10. Why airway issues aren’t only an ENT problem, and how adenoids and tonsils can be a symptom, not the root cause
11. What “good sleep” should actually look like: silent, still, mouth closed, and truly restorative

Book: Discover How Airway Health Can Unlock Your Child’s Greater Health, Learning, and Potential

Would like to access tailored 1:1 sleep support but don’t know where to start? Jump on a FREE sleep clarity session with Jen here https://sleepthrivegrow.com/

For more information on this topic, head to the show notes: Episode 93 Show Notes

And I’d love to hear your thoughts on this episode! Come and connect with me on Instagram at...

Welcome back, Thrivers, to another baby bite-sized episode. This short and gentle conversation is for the parents who don’t often feel seen in baby sleep spaces. The ones whose babies settle well with space, sleep independently, and don’t always need to be held to drift off, yet somehow feel guilt or quiet shame because of it.

In this episode, we explore why it’s not only possible, but completely healthy, for some babies to feel safe and secure outside of arms. We unpack the many reasons this can happen, from early exposure to multiple safe sleep spaces, emerging self-soothing skills, and temperament, to regulation, responsiveness, and the emotional tools parents bring into the relationship.

This episode gently challenges the belief that secure attachment is measured by exhaustion, constant proximity, or how much a baby needs you at night. Instead, it reframes attachment as responsiveness, trust, emotional availability, and meeting needs when they arise, not forcing closeness when it isn’t needed.

If you’ve ever felt triggered by online conversations about baby sleep, questioned yourself because your experience looks different, or wondered whether you’re doing it wrong because things are actually going well, this episode is for you.

You’re not doing something wrong. You’re responding to your baby.

And that matters more than the noise.

Inside this episode:

• Why some babies genuinely sleep better with space
• How temperament and regulation influence sleep
• The hidden identity shifts that come with easier sleep
• Why secure attachment isn’t about where or how your baby sleeps
• Letting go of guilt and trusting your baby as your guide

Would like to access tailored 1:1 sleep support but don’t know where to start? Jump on a FREE sleep clarity session with Jen here https://sleepthrivegrow.com/

For more information on this topic, head to the show notes: Episode 93 Show Notes

And I’d love to hear your thoughts on this episode! Come and connect with me on Instagram at @sleep_thrive_grow.

And click the +Follow button to never miss an episode. New episodes are released every Tuesday!

To find out more about how I can support you, visit my website here.

Until next time, Thrivers

In this grounding and deeply validating episode, Jen unpacks one of the most misunderstood parts of modern parenting: the difference between co-regulating and controlling. On the surface, our responses can look the same, but underneath, the energy is completely different — and it’s often our own nervous system, not our child’s emotions, driving the moment.

Jen walks you through why young children cannot regulate on their own in the early years, what true co-regulation looks like, and the subtle ways we may accidentally slip into control when our own triggers, childhood patterns, or overwhelm take over.

Inside the episode, you’ll learn:

• Why co-regulation was never meant to burn you out
• How generational patterns shape the way you respond to crying
• Why trying to “fix” emotions actually makes things harder
• What your child really needs during big feelings (hint: not perfection)
• Five simple, practical ways to support emotional regulation without losing yourself

Jen also explores how our instinct to stop tears — in children and adults — often interrupts the emotional release our bodies are designed for. She shares how shifting from fixing to anchoring can change the entire experience for both you and your child.

This episode is full of compassion, clarity, and real-world tools to help you respond with presence rather than pressure, attunement rather than anxiety, and confidence rather than exhaustion.

Would like to access tailored 1:1 sleep support but don’t know where to start? Jump on a FREE sleep clarity session with Jen here https://sleepthrivegrow.com/

For more information on this topic, head to the show notes: Episode 92 Show Notes

And I’d love to hear your thoughts on this episode! Come and connect with me on Instagram at @sleep_thrive_grow.

And click the +Follow button to never miss an episode. New episodes are released every Tuesday!

To find out more about how I can support you, visit my website here.

Until next time, Thrivers