Back by Popular Demand: The neuroscience of sleep training, bed sharing, and baby sleep with Dr. Greer Kirshenbaum

As part of our 5-Year Anniversary Summer Series, we're bringing back one of the most downloaded and talked-about episodes in Securely Attached history.

Few parenting topics generate as much confusion, anxiety, and conflicting advice as sleep. In this conversation, neuroscientist, doula, and author of The Nurture Revolution, Dr. Greer Kirshenbaum, joins me to explore what the science actually tells us about infant sleep, sleep training, bed sharing, contact sleep, and the role responsiveness plays in early brain development.

Together we discuss:

• Whether night waking is a normal and developmentally expected part of infant sleep.

• What neuroscience tells us about how babies learn to feel safe during sleep.

• What sleep training does and does not change about infant sleep.

• The different approaches to sleep training and how they compare.

• The science behind contact sleep, room sharing, and bed sharing.

• How societal expectations around sleep can contribute to parental anxiety and guilt.

• Ways to support your baby's sleep while honoring both your child's needs and your own.

• How to think about sleep decisions without shame, fear, or pressure.

• Why it is never too late to strengthen connection and secure attachment, regardless of the sleep choices you've made in the past.

This conversation offers a compassionate, science-backed perspective on one of parenting's most emotionally charged topics. Rather than telling parents what they should or should not do, Dr. Kirshenbaum empowers families with the information they need to make informed decisions that feel right for their unique child, their mental health, and their family. Most importantly, this episode reminds us that parenting is not about perfection. It is about understanding our children, responding with intention, and building connection one moment at a time.

⭐ Celebrating 5 Years of Securely Attached ⭐

If you've enjoyed the podcast over the years, we'd love your help celebrating this milestone. Our birthday wish is simple: five stars for five years. If these conversations have supported you and your family, please consider leaving a five-star review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen. Your support helps more parents discover the show and allows us to continue bringing these conversations to families around the world.