Do you normally breathe with your mouth open or closed? What about when you sleep? Did you know that for optimal health, we are all supposed to breathe with our mouths closed, both during the day and overnight?

Sometimes, however, we can't (or don't!) breathe through our noses, due to habit or another physical restriction. Sometimes that restriction is a high palate! Oral myofunctional therapists are one type of provider who can help retrain your jaw and tongue to work together to achieve optimal breathing.

In this episode, we're interviewing Erica Cavaluzzi, an oral myofunctional therapist of Facial Fitness & Well-Being. She is helping us understand:

• What myofunctional therapy is
• Why mouth breathing is an issue
• How to stop mouth breathing (it's a loaded question!)
• How high palates can be connected to mouth breathing
• How orthodontics can both help and hurt

And so much more!

Have you ever heard of craniosacral therapy? I hadn't until our lactation consultant recommended we see one after our daughter's lip and tongue tie was released and it opened my eyes to a world that is so helpful and important!

In this episode, I'm interviewing our favorite craniosacral therapist, Keri Smith, who owns Nurturing Touch and Wellness in Northern Virginia.

In this episode, Keri shares:

• What craniosacral therapy is
• What craniosacral therapy can help with
• How craniosacral therapy can help when babies have tongue, lip, or cheek ties
• How craniosacral therapy can help when babies have a high palate
• How to find a trusted craniosacral therapist for your baby

And so much more!

If you're not local to Northern Virginia and you're looking for a trusted craniosacral provider, Keri recommends going to this website and searching for local therapists with the following qualifications:

• CS1 and CS2 (must-haves!)
• SER is ideal, as it teaches more inside-the-mouth work
• PED1 and CPBB, specific to pediatrics

Many of us have heard of tongue ties and lip ties, but without personal experience with those oral restrictions, it can be hard to really understand. It's important, however, for new and expecting parents to understand what oral restrictions are, as well as the signs and symptoms a baby might have those restrictions, so they can be the best advocates for their little ones, if necessary.

In this episode, Candy Baracat-Donovan, a Lactation Counselor with Like a Sister, is sharing both her personal and professional experience with lip and tongue ties so we can better understand the signs and symptoms, as well as the next steps to take if oral ties are suspected.

More Resources from Like a Sister:

• Postpartum Planning Toolkit
• New Parent Prep Class
• Feeding Basics Course
• Membership
• Follow on Instagram

This episode recounts the early days and weeks of my daughter's life as we saw signs and symptoms of her having a tongue and lip tie. Little did we know, she also had a high palate, and all of it was connected.

I am sharing those signs that pointed to her oral restrictions, as well as the care team we surrounded ourselves with to get the frenectomy and handle the after care to the best of our ability.

To read our week-by-week notes of the first 16 weeks of our newborn's life (including sleeping, nursing, personality, her frenectomy, etc.), check out this blog post.

Make sure you follow us on Instagram to regularly learn more sleep tips and tricks, as well real life moments as parents!

If you're listening to this, you've very likely heard of pediatric sleep coaching, but you might not know that adult sleep coaching exists, too.

We're excited to announce that there is now officially an adult sleep coach, Kathryn Weber, on the Via Graces team!

In this episode, Kathryn shares her own journey with insomnia and how she finally got to sleep again, and she shares her motivation behind becoming an adult sleep consultant.

To learn more about what an adult sleep coach is and how she can help you finally get sleep, check this out.

And if you'd like to chat more with Kathryn to see if she'd be a good fit for you, or to learn if your sleep challenges are even "solvable" with her help, book a FREE 30-minute discovery call with her to learn more.

There's no such thing as a "perfect product" to solve all of your baby's sleep challenges. Yes, certain types of products certainly help (i.e. blackout shades and sound machines!), but there's not a "best" or "only."

There are, however, some popular baby sleep products that we do not recommend. Those include:

• DockATots (and Snuggle Mes!)
• Crib Bumpers
• Magic Merlin Sleepsuit
• Nest Bean Sleep Sacks
• Dreamland Weighted Sleep Sacks

I also give my honest opinion about the SNOO!

FAVORITE PRODUCTS

• Favorite sleep sacks
• Bjorn Bouncer
• Halo Bassinet
• Other favorite baby and toddler sleep products

And finally, if you're looking for more help with your little one's sleep - if you're looking for more than the "perfect product" - we'd love to help you! Learn more about what that could look like here.

We took our girls to Disney this last winter, for my daughter's Make-a-Wish trip, and it was magical! And also exhausting.

In this episode, I share how we balanced making amazing memories at Disney, while also still keeping sleep in mind. I talk about how we balanced naps on the go with an early bedtime, and the overall mindset we had toward sleep on this trip.

To learn more about how to travel with kids, check out our comprehensive Travel Sleep Guide so you can feel confident in both making memories and still getting some sleep while you're away!

And if you're looking for more personalized, one-on-one help with your little one's sleep, check out our services here.

Traveling with our kids is such a gift, and it can also be overwhelming. And thinking about how our babies, toddlers, and young kids are going to sleep while we're traveling certainly contributes to the overwhelm!

So in this episode, we're sharing our top tips for traveling with kids, so everyone can continue to get the best sleep possible.

FAVORITE TRAVEL BLACKOUT SOLUTIONS

• SlumberPod (discount code: VIAGRACES)
• Gro-Anywhere Blinds

RESOURCES FOR YOU

• FREE Travel Packing List
• Travel Sleep Guide