Normalizing breastfeeding is an ongoing battle in some Western cultures. Even when someone starts out breastfeeding, many report not being able to meet their goals or face various obstacles in trying to nurse their children. One part of the e

Ep. 63: How do we reconcile early intervention for Autism with neurodiversity?

Dec 21st, 2022 52m 18s

Our understanding and acceptance of Autism has evolved over the years towards a greater awareness of what we call neurodiversity - broadly, the idea that each brain is unique and what used to be considered "disorders" are not at all, but rather

Ep. 62: What do we really know about Crying It Out?

Dec 1st, 2022 1h 7m

As we know, sleep is one of the most talked-about topics for new parents. None of them are getting enough, and everyone is worried about it. In Western cultures, parents are often made to feel that the only way to get sleep is to leave their

Ep. 61: How does parental presence and contact affect children's stress and sleep?

Oct 14th, 2022 56m 32s

Bedtime. It's one of the biggest struggles parents face. Everyone is tired, we just want our kids to calm and go to sleep. But how does our bedtime affect their sleep? Often we hear that we need our kids to be independent at bedtime, do thi

Ep. 60: How can we raise anti-racist children?

Aug 20th, 2022 1h 9m

Raising good humans is hard. We all worry about if we're doing best and we don't always know how to do it. This is especially true when we start touching on topics we may not have experience with, like racism. Many of us may think that we ca

Ep. 59: Does the Sleep Training Research Apply To All?

Jul 25th, 2022 1h 13m

External validity. It's a topic that many of us don't really talk about. It's the idea that certain research findings only apply to certain groups. In sleep training, most people assume the research is applicable to all families, but is this

Ep. 58: How can we support LGBTQ+ parents?

Jun 30th, 2022 1h 7m

When it comes to parenting, there are thousands of books with myriad bits of advice for soon-to-be-parents and those who are already parents and facing some kind of struggle. Sometimes it can feel overwhelming when we think of all the bits of

Ep. 57: What happens to the couple when they become parents?

Jun 23rd, 2022 1h 16m

Welcome back after our break and I hope you enjoyed the last few weeks and maybe even used that time to check out some of our older episodes that always stay relevant for families! This week, we're back and talking about the transition to pare

Ep. 56: What are the long-term outcomes associated with a state-run pre-K program?

May 13th, 2022 1h 21m

For ages, policy makers have been pushing earlier education for children. In many previous studies, these have been found to be very helpful for families that are disadvantaged, but yet the research on them has been short-lived since states of

Ep. 55: What do we know about a child's sensitivity to their environment?

May 6th, 2022 1h 5m

Orchid or dandelion? Highly sensitive or relatively robust? These are some of the ways that we have conceptualized the concept of how sensitive a child is to the environment in which they are raised. Through a combination of nature and nurtu

Ep. 54: How can we assess the effects of prenatal stress on child outcomes?

Apr 29th, 2022 1h 32m

I'll be honest that I don't know of a single pregnancy that didn't involve some level of stress. I think the entire act of carrying a baby and everything that goes along with it is stressful in its own right. But sometimes there are stressors

Ep. 53: Can maternal separation explain postpartum depression?

Apr 21st, 2022 1h 15m

Postpartum depression is associated with a host of negative outcomes for mothers and babies alike, yet we still have very little understanding of the etiology behind it and what may exacerbate or mitigate it. Research on postpartum depression

Ep. 52: How does media use affect our kids and what can we do about it?

Apr 15th, 2022 1h 28m

One of the more difficult topics for many families these days has to do with media use. We are a tech-heavy society and that extends downwards to our kids. It's not uncommon to go out and see parents handing over screens to their kids to get

Ep. 51: What is 'Uspavani' and how can it help us support our children's sleep?

Apr 5th, 2022 1h 15m

When you think about your child's sleep, what are the words that often come to mind? I know in Western cultures, we often hear "independence", "self-soothing", "needy", "manipulative" and so on. The way in which we speak about something has a

Ep. 50: What are the experiences and beliefs of fathers who identify as attachment parents?

Mar 24th, 2022 1h 12m

In the realm of parenting - especially attachment parenting - the focus has been on mothers. In fact, if you go to any attachment parenting group - online or not - you are far more likely to come across a group of moms talking about their beli

Ep. 49: What do we know about sleep and SIDS?

Mar 15th, 2022 1h 14m

As we kick off Season 2 of the podcast, we're going to dive into the research on an area that often brings fear to new parents - rightfully - that of SIDS or Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Most people will be aware of best sleep practices prom

Ep. 48: Fathering Series: From Mountain Gorillas to Humans, What Matters in Fathering?

Dec 3rd, 2021 1h 11m

I would first like to welcome you to the final episode of this season. I am thankful to all of you who listen and give me hope that there are still those people out there who respect and love science as much as I do and who find the work of re

Ep. 47: Fathering Series: What does systemic racism look like when researching families of colour?

Nov 19th, 2021 1h 1m

When we look at research, especially in the realm of development, we tend to focus on things like resilience, struggles families face, and so on. This is particularly true when we look at the research on parenting in families of colour - the f

Ep. 46: Fathering Series: What Makes Good Fathers? (Part 2)

Nov 11th, 2021 59m 57s

This week we continue our conversation with Dr. Lee Gettler, discussing his research which has advanced our knowledge on fathering across cultures and from different lenses. Here is for all the fathers out there. Dr. Lee Gettler: https://an

Ep. 45: Fathering Series Part 1: What Makes Good Fathers?

Nov 4th, 2021 59m 1s

Let's be honest - when we talk about parenting, we're often talking about mothering. Most of the research on raising kids is based on mothers. Mothers in WEIRD cultures (and by weird, I mean the acronym - Western, Educated, Industrial, Rich,

Ep. 44: What have been the effects of COVID on Parents' Mental Well-Being?

Oct 28th, 2021 1h 5m

We are almost two years into a global pandemic and many families have struggled to find a new normal. Some people seem to have found a new normal that exceeds life pre-pandemic, but many face ongoing difficulties. Parents are in a unique posi

Ep. 43: How does our stress response develop in response to early childhood adversity?

Oct 22nd, 2021 1h 25m

Stress is a hot topic today with many people worrying about the degree of stress they face daily. We know stress in our adult lives is a problem, but I often hear people speak about stress as if it's only an adult problem. Sadly children can f

Ep. 42: How can families navigate and overcome a NICU experience?

Oct 15th, 2021 1h 24m

One of the more terrifying events for any parent is seeing their child born and rushed off to the NICU. Though we might talk about how it's so much better compared to losing our children - and there's no doubt that's the case - the typical exp

Ep. 41: How do marginalized parents experience parenting in Western cultures?

Oct 7th, 2021 1h 12m

Too often we look at parenting practices and our judgment of them in absolute terms. I know I myself have been guilty of this. Sometimes it's warranted, but sometimes the judgments and the repercussions become a way that we disenfranchise and

Ep. 40: Can co-sleeping help prevent SIDS? Part 2

Sep 30th, 2021 56m 39s

Welcome back to Week 2 with Dr. James McKenna as we continue our conversation into SIDS, colic, breathing, and how our closeness to our babies can protect them. Please see below for the summary from Part 1:I want to mention some things that