With a life in education and a passion for creating enriching moments for children in nature and the classroom, Shannon is a caretaker and a guide through + through. When she became a mom herself, the world of parenting and infant care opened up and she embraced it with excited and willing arms. Then came the late-night googling…and the thousands of books on babies…and the second guessing if we were doing it right…and the overwhelming options for parenting styles, child rearing methods, and feeding and sleep topics galore! As a life-long learner, she enjoyed discovering the science and personal content available on infant development + needs. It fueled her journey raising her daughter Ruby. But man, it was hard! Why don’t they send you home with a step by step guide and an expert to come live with you? Well then she found said expert- a pediatric sleep consultant!

At 6 months old, Ruby and her parents went though supported sleep training. Mom and Dad kept up with the routines, were ready for the changes to come, and felt a relaxing level of confidence in being able to provide Ruby the valuable skill of quality sleep. Since then, this sweet baby has slept through the night, gone to sleep calm and awake for every nap and bedtime, and takes predictable day sleep while also being adaptive to life and growth. Shannon was so proud to have an independent sleeper and her family was impressed by how simple her sleep routines were. Shannon and her husband had their evenings to themselves and felt like real humans again (no more tired zombies just making it through).

Next came the easy decision to educate and guide again. This time for the parents who were just like her- looking for support and help meeting their babies sleep goals. Along with obtaining her certification from The Institute of Pediatric Sleep and Parenting, Shannon is a trained children’s yoga and mindfulness teacher and has combined the two worlds to bring overall family wellness to others.

Update: Round two of parenting was an experience! In early 2024, Henry was born and began his first few weeks of sleep along side the best (and most expensive!) babysitters at the Barbra Bush Children’s Hospital NICU. He had Fetal Growth Restriction and due to the early and low birthweight, needed to spend some time growing and regulating his glucose. Mom and Dad and big sister spent a ton of time with him, holding close and juggling wires.

Bringing Henry home as tiny and tired dude, everyone took the time needed to adjust and grow. And everyone grew to love him! With the feeding needs, difficult balance of milk production using pumping for NICU supply and nursing as best he could, the goals were focused on growth over skill development. But he got there! Each milestone tended to be a few weeks late, PT support got him to gracefully climb and walk with confidence, and when sleep had time to be to topic, he was a rockstar! A gentle offer for independence with a desire to hold close brought lots of baby wearing and assist to sleep on purpose. But with balance, a plan, and changes made when everyone was ready, he dropped his last night feed around 10 months, slept through the night in his own crib in a shared room with his sister around 3 months, and his naps became reliable and long! At 2 years old, he is finally out of the first percentile for size, skills are all excelling and hilarious to watch blossom, and he sleeps 3 hour naps and 11 hour nights!

And big sister: she still loves sleep! Routines are her reliance and also her place to push for more. Independent and caretaking, silly and creative, she’s proud of her brother and often mother’s him with grace and skills. Rest time is about to be a practice of the past as we agreed together than a midday rest at Pre-k means we do one at home too. But Kindergarten is coming so she is excited to spend the solo time creating and exploring as a big kid. Her favorite quiet time activity she will continue as needed: Yoto player audiobooks! Plus putting her MANY baby dolls down for their sleep requires calming and usually rocking them with a bottle or pretend nursing.