A1-208 Webinar

Navigating ECE and Family Expectations about Children’s Sleep

Managing realistic sleep expectations between ECE and parents with sleep consultant and early childhood educator Alex Weehuizen.
Presented By Alex Weehuizen - First Five Years
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when you can from any device 

Sleep is one of the most important — and most contested — topics in early childhood education. You know the research. You know safe sleep standards. But parents come to your program with their own routines, recommendations from sleep consultants, and strongly held beliefs. What do you do when those worlds collide?


This webinar equips early childhood educators with evidence-based knowledge about infant and toddler sleep — and the communication skills to have honest, respectful conversations with families when expectations are hard to meet in an ECE setting.

Presented By

Alex Weehuizen

Webinar Duration

Approximately 60 minutes

Skill Level

Suitable for beginners to experienced teachers

What will you learn?

Key themes in this webinar include;

1. Research-based evidence for infant and toddler sleep

What the current evidence tells us about sleep needs, safe sleep environments, and developmental norms — and how to use that knowledge confidently in conversations with families.

2. Common sleep challenges at each stage

A developmental walkthrough of typical sleep patterns and common challenges for young infants, older infants, and toddlers — including what's normal, what's a concern, and what families often misunderstand.

3. When parent expectations are hard to implement in ECE

Some requests from families — whether driven by personal preference, cultural practice, or advice from a sleep consultant — create real tensions in group care settings. We'll explore the most common scenarios educators face, including:

  • Waking children after short sleep periods
  • Requests to prevent daytime sleep entirely
  • Co-sleeping arrangements at home affecting settling at care
  • Rocking or holding children to sleep in arms

4. Having the conversation — and knowing when to hold firm

Practical language and frameworks for discussing sleep with families in a way that is respectful, non-judgmental, and clear about what is and isn't possible in a group care environment — including how to document agreed approaches.

Ideal for infant/toddler teachers, family childcare providers, program directors, and coaches supporting ECE professionals.
Certificate of completion provided for your professional learning records

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About the presenters

Alex Weehuizen

Parenting Mentor + Educator

Alex is an experienced ECE teacher with over two decades of experience working alongside families. After working as a nanny for 5 years, she completed a Bachelor of Education (ECE) in 2008 and began work as a ECE teacher. After discovering a strong passion for supporting parents on their parenting journey, in 2020 she started working as a Parenting Mentor.

Alex is a certified Postpartum Doula and is a registered Circle of Security Parenting and Classroom Approach facilitator. She recently became a certified Motherhood Studies Practitioner and is fully trained as a Holistic Sleep Coach. In 2021, Alex started Precious Beginnings, a 10-week postpartum and parenting program, with over 200 parents completing the course.

Alex believes that nurturing tamariki in their early childhood experiences profoundly shapes the foundational aspects of their growth and development. Whether collaborating with kaiako or engaging with whānau, Alex highlights the significance of offering tamariki attuned, respectful, and responsive care.

What others said about this webinar:

The realistic and easy to understand info. Reminding me to check the environment and check in with the child’s behaviour if not settling into sleep or rest quickly.
— KARA
Thankyou! I really reflected on our current practices and what was said during the webinar made sense. Will use this information that I received and engage with the families further and hopefully get the children's sleep pattern right for both at home and at the service.
— LISA
It was good to know we are following right strategies to support the children's sleep by communicating with ALL stakeholders. We need to understand the background when parents ask us for special sleep routine to seek the best way to help each other.  
— YUKARI
I am currently supporting a family whose two-year-old child has been experiencing difficulties settling to sleep at night. The webinar provided me with valuable knowledge and practical strategies, which enhanced my confidence in discussing sleep-related concerns with the family. It also strengthened my understanding of how sleep practices align with our service policies and the National Quality Framework.

As a result, I was able to develop a consistent sleep support plan for the child across both the centre and home environments. The plan has been highly successful, leading to positive outcomes for both the child and family. The webinar was an excellent professional learning opportunity, and I greatly appreciated the practical and evidence-based information it provided 
— KIM

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