Show Notes
Want to subscribe to every ep and enjoy FREE sleep tools? 👉 www.naptrappedpodcast.comYou've finally got your baby sleeping through the night, and now you're about to start solids. But suddenly you're lying awake at 3am Googling "signs of choking" and "is gagging normal?" Sound familiar? This week Sally sits down with Eliza Leslie, a practicing paramedic and mother, who's here to build your confidence—not increase your fear.What You'll Learn:• The real difference between gagging (normal, protective) and choking (rare, serious)• Why starting solids around 6-7 months often disrupts sleep—and how to manage it• Practical first aid basics every parent needs (without the overwhelm)• How parental safety anxiety keeps YOU awake at night (and what to do about it)• Why baby-led weaning isn't inherently more dangerous than purees• The 3am hypervigilance spiral and how to break it• What to actually have on hand for solids safety (it's a short list)• Safe sleep position myths: can babies really choke on spit-up?Chapters:00:00 Intro: Meet the Village series continues04:30 Eliza's story: From paramedic to anxious first-time mum08:45 Why starting solids disrupts sleep (for baby AND parents)13:20 Gagging vs choking: What you actually need to recognize18:40 The 3am safety anxiety spiral keeping parents awake23:15 Baby-led weaning vs purees: What's actually safer?27:50 Practical first aid basics you can learn in 5 minutes33:10 Safe sleep and choking fears: What's real vs what's anxiety37:25 Building confidence without adding overwhelm42:00 Where to find Eliza's resources and courses🎙️ ABOUT NAP TRAPPEDSally Woods and Bec Maher are baby sleep consultants who believe exhausted parents deserve real answers, not judgment. Each episode of Nap Trapped breaks down one sleep challenge with evidence-based advice and a healthy dose of humor.SERIES NOTE:This episode is part of "Meet the Village"—a special series where Sally talks with experts whose work intersects with baby sleep in unexpected ways. While Bec is away on school holidays, Sally explores how sensory processing, first aid confidence, medical concerns, and financial stress all affect sleep.Links📩 Get updates + exclusive tools: Subscribe www.naptrappedpodcast.com
📸 Follow Sally & Bec on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/thesleepconcierge/ https://www.instagram.com/_thesleepcentre/
💉 Follow Eliza Leslie on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/babysafebasics/ 🌐 Baby Safe Basics: www.babysafebasics.com.au 🎧 Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts
More from Nap Trapped
Happy Sleep Detectives Day to all who celebrate. Bec held all the power this week. Sally hadn't seen a single question, and we worked through five cases straight from our question box.
A mum on TikTok put it perfectly: maybe mums who sleep train don't want their baby to cry. For us that's not controversial at all. It's the take that needs to be shouted from the rooftops.
Happy Sleep Detectives Day to all who celebrate! We open the Nap Trapped question box and answer your real-life baby sleep questions, from mum versus dad at bedtime to a 23 month old who's started climbing out of the cot. And a mum from our Spotify comments wrote back to tell us her twelve month old has slept through the night two nights straight, one and a half weeks into night weaning and modified Ferber. Case solved. Case closed.
Welcome back to part two of our 100th episode with That Sleep Doc, Dr Sujay Kansagra. He's a child neurologist and sleep medicine doctor at Duke University and the inventor of the Lullabee smart crib mattress. This half is where Bec finally gets to ask about a real bugbear of hers, low sleep needs, and Sally asks Sujay to diagnose her. We get into what actually decides how much sleep our babies need, why six hours of naps won't give you a twelve hour night, whether overtiredness is really a thing and how Sujay copes with the trolls in his comment section. Then it's a very slow fast five, the Lullabee versus the Snoo and the biscuit question we promised you.
We made it to 100 episodes and we couldn't think of a better way to celebrate. Sally's heart was beating the whole time 'cause she's that much of a fangirl.