If you've ever wondered why your child snores, breathes through their mouth, or struggles with crowded teeth, this episode is going to be a game-changer.

Jen sits down with Mel Van Schelven — Oral Health Therapist, Orofacial Myofunctional Therapist, and founder of The Face Place to unpack the often-overlooked connection between how our kids chew, breathe, and sleep. Mel shares why the mouth is truly the foundation of so much of our children's health, how our increasingly soft, processed diets are robbing kids of the jaw and airway development they need, and what parents can do right now — starting at the dinner table — to set their little ones up for a lifetime of better health.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why the bones of the mouth are literally the bones of the airway — and why oral function and sleep cannot be separated
• How our ancestors chewed up to four and a half hours a day compared to our modern average of just half an hour, and what that means for our kids' facial development
• The difference between crunchy and chewy foods, and why crackers and pouches aren't cutting it for jaw development
• Why "food before one is just for fun" could be doing more harm than we realise when it comes to chewing development and iron intake
• What Mel actually sees in clinic — from crowded baby teeth and open bites to mouth breathing and fussy eating — and how it all connects back to oral function
• How dummy and thumb sucking habits affect dental development, and the three key factors (intensity, frequency, and duration) that determine how much impact they'll have
• Why taking away a dummy or thumb isn't always the right first step, and when it's actually better to leave the habit alone for now
• The gentle, age-appropriate approach Mel used with her own daughter to navigate thumb sucking — without shame or pressure
• When to seek an assessment and who to see (hint: it's not always your GP or paediatrician)
• Why tongue ties and tonsils are the two most confusing topics Mel sees parents struggling with online — and how to cut through the noise
• The simple audit you can do of your child's diet today to understand whether they're actually getting the chewing practice their developing mouth needs
• Why the dinner table is one of the most powerful tools you have as a parent — for connection, modelling, and oral development

Connect with Mel:

📱 Instagram: @thefaceplace_oht

🌐 Website: thefaceplaceofm.com.au

🎓 Foundations for Growing Faces Masterclass: thefaceplaceofm.com.au/foundations-for-growing-faces-masterclass

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 111 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

If your baby wakes up crying after every sleep, it can feel confusing, exhausting, and even like you’re doing something wrong—but the truth is, this behaviour is often completely normal.

In this Baby Bitesize episode, we unpack what’s actually happening beneath those tears, from sleep cycles and body clock misalignment to the powerful role of your response as a parent. You’ll learn why your baby’s reaction isn’t something you need to “fix,” but how small, intentional shifts in your approach—especially around calm, non-urgent responses—can significantly change how your baby experiences waking.

This episode reframes crying not as a problem, but as communication, and empowers you to focus on what you can control: your presence, your energy, and the message of safety you send.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why babies commonly wake up crying and what’s happening biologically
• How sleep cycles and overtiredness can affect your baby’s mood on waking
• The hidden impact of rushing in immediately when your baby wakes
• How your body language and tone shape your baby’s sense of safety
• A simple “pause and respond” approach to reduce waking tears
• What co-regulation looks like during wake-ups (without instantly picking them up)
• How to reinforce the cot as a safe and secure space
• The role of comforters and familiar cues in easing transitions
• Why you can’t control your baby’s reactions—but you can transform your response
• How small changes in your behaviour can lead to big emotional shifts for your baby

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 110 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

Even when you’ve slowed down, changed your approach, and feel like you’re doing everything “right,” your baby may still resist sleep—and it’s not because you’ve failed.

In this episode, Jen unpack the powerful role of your baby’s brain and how it predicts sleep based on past experiences, not just what’s happening in the moment. Drawing on insights from neuroscience, this conversation helps you understand why your baby reacts before anything even happens at bedtime, and how both your nervous systems are influencing each other. Most importantly, it reframes sleep struggles not as a behaviour problem, but as a pattern that can gently shift with consistency, safety, and new experiences over time.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why your baby reacts to sleep before anything actually happens
• How the brain uses past experiences to predict and prepare for bedtime
• What “miscuing” looks like and why it’s completely normal
• How your baby’s nervous system responds to previous sleep struggles
• The role your own nervous system plays in bedtime resistance
• Why consistency in how you show up matters more than strict routines
• How to create new, positive sleep associations over time
• Why change doesn’t happen instantly and what to expect instead
• How to shift your mindset from “fixing sleep” to creating safety
• Practical ways to help your baby feel calm, secure, and supported at bedtime

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 109 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 episode of Thriving Parent-ing, we explore why connection must come before correction, especially when parenting children with different neurological wiring. Joined by psychologist and parenting educator Leanne Tran, the conversation dives into how behaviour is often just a signal of deeper needs, not something to simply fix.

Instead of relying solely on rewards and consequences, this episode highlights the power of building trust, understanding, and emotional safety first. You’ll learn how connection strengthens cooperation, supports long-term mental wellbeing, and becomes even more essential when raising neurodivergent children.

This episode is a reminder that parenting isn’t about controlling behaviour—it’s about nurturing relationships that last a lifetime.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why connection is the foundation for effective parenting, not correction
• The hidden reasons behind your child’s behaviour (and what they’re really communicating)
• How connection builds cooperation, trust, and emotional safety
• The limitations of traditional behaviour-based parenting models
• Practical ways to connect with your child in everyday moments
• How to parent neurodivergent children with understanding and flexibility
• Why unmet needs—not defiance—often drive challenging behaviours
• The long-term impact of connection on your child’s mental health and relationships
• How to repair disconnection and rebuild trust after difficult moments
• Why supporting yourself as a parent is essential to supporting your child

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 108 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

When your baby suddenly becomes overwhelmed, crying harder than usual and unable to settle, it can feel confusing and even distressing as a parent. In this baby bite-sized episode, we unpack what’s really happening in those moments of dysregulation, breaking it down in a simple, relatable way. You’ll learn how your baby’s nervous system is still developing, why even small triggers like tiredness or overstimulation can tip them out of balance, and how they rely on you to co-regulate and feel safe again. More importantly, this episode reframes dysregulation not as something to “fix,” but as a normal, essential part of your child’s development and a powerful opportunity for connection, growth, and emotional learning for both you and your baby.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

1. What dysregulation actually means in everyday parenting
2. Why babies get overwhelmed so easily
3. The concept of the window of tolerance explained simply
4. The difference between hyper-arousal and hypo-arousal
5. Why your baby can’t self-regulate yet and needs co-regulation
6. How your calm nervous system helps your baby feel safe
7. Why dysregulation is normal, not a sign of failure
8. How your own triggers show up in parenting
9. The difference between a knowledge gap vs a tool gap
10. Why parenting is an opportunity for your own emotional growth

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 107 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 episode of the Thriving Parenting Podcast, Jen explores one of the most common and emotionally loaded questions parents ask: Do I need to co-sleep? Rather than offering a simple yes or no answer, Jen unpacks why sleep choices are far more nuanced than the internet often suggests. She explains that the real issue isn’t where your baby sleeps, but how connection and safety are maintained within the parent–child relationship. Through a compassionate and practical lens, Jen encourages parents to step away from rigid sleep rules and instead consider their unique family circumstances, their baby’s developmental stage, and their own capacity.

Ultimately, this episode reminds parents that there is no single “right” sleep method, only the approach that supports both connection and sustainability for your family.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

1. Why the co-sleeping vs. sleep training debate is often oversimplified
2. The deeper question parents are really asking when they worry about co-sleeping
3. Why connection and relationship matter more than the specific sleep method
4. How babies maintain a sense of connection even when sleeping separately
5. Why sleep is a developmental process rather than a skill to train
6. How your baby’s developmental stages influence their sleep needs
7. Why every family’s sleep setup will look different
8. How to create flexible sleep approaches that prioritise both connection and sustainability
9. Why patience and responsiveness play a key role in healthy sleep development
10. How to find a middle ground that works for both your baby and your family life

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 106 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 thoughtful and reassuring conversation, the host sits down with perinatal clinical psychologist Dr. Bianca Mastromanno to unpack the pressure many mums quietly carry, the belief that they must be perfect. Together they explore the “perfect mother myth,” where it comes from, why high-achieving and people-pleasing women often struggle with it most, and how striving to meet every need perfectly can actually fuel anxiety and burnout. Through research, clinical insights, and honest personal stories, this episode reframes what healthy parenting truly looks like. Instead of perfection, Dr. Bianca highlights the power of “good enough” parenting, where mistakes, repair, and self-compassion become essential parts of raising resilient and secure children.

1. What the “perfect mother myth” is and why it still shapes modern motherhood
2. Why high achievers and “good girl” personalities are especially vulnerable to parenting perfectionism
3. How cultural expectations, social narratives, and generational beliefs fuel unrealistic standards
4. What research actually says about secure attachment and “good enough” parenting
5. Why rupture and repair moments are essential for children’s emotional development
6. How perfectionism can quietly steal joy from everyday parenting moments
7. Practical ways to challenge perfectionist thinking and reconnect with your values as a parent
8. A powerful self-compassion exercise to help you speak to yourself with the same kindness you give your child

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 105 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 Baby Bitesize gold nugget episode, we gently unpack one of the biggest sources of anxiety in early parenting: sleep habits and attachment. If you’ve ever worried that feeding to sleep, rocking, co-sleeping, or lying beside your baby is creating bad habits or damaging secure attachment, this conversation is for you. You’ll hear a powerful mindset shift inspired by attachment expert Eli Harwood: secure attachment is not built on where or how your baby sleeps, but on consistent responsiveness, warmth, and emotional availability.

This episode invites you to release the pressure to control your child’s sleep and instead focus on what you can control, your responses, your mindset, and the connection you model. Because you are not the pilot of your child’s plane, you are the mechanic helping make it flight worthy.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

1. Why sleep associations are neutral, not good or bad
2. What actually builds secure attachment in early childhood
3. The difference between responsiveness and control
4. A secure attachment mindset shift to reduce sleep anxiety
5. How to know when a sleep habit is still serving your family
6. The three essentials needed to shift sleep patterns in a connected way: knowledge, skill, and desire
7. Why shame and blame keep you stuck, and what to focus on instead
8. How connection and safety create the foundation for healthy sleep

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 104 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