New Parent & Infant Therapy

Virtual support in Washington and Montana for parents, babies, and toddlers navigating crying, feeding, sleep, bonding, birth stress, and early attachment.

Dylan Spradlin, MA, MSW, LCSW, LICSW (they/them)

Little Bodies Hold Big Stories

Your baby or toddler may not have many words yet, but they are communicating all the time — through crying, feeding, sleep, startles, clinginess, arching away, shutting down, melting down, or needing you constantly.

And you may be exhausted.

You love your child. And also, this season may feel nothing like what you expected.

Maybe feeding feels fraught. Maybe sleep has become a full-contact sport. Maybe the crying feels too big, too frequent, or too mysterious. Maybe bonding does not feel easy. Maybe your toddler’s meltdowns seem wildly out of proportion, and you are starting to wonder what you are missing.

You are not failing.

You may just need support understanding what your child’s nervous system is trying to say.

Early Experiences Matter

Pregnancy, birth, medical care, NICU stays, separation, feeding stress, postpartum anxiety, family stress, and moments of fear or overwhelm can all shape the early parent-child relationship.

That does not mean anyone did anything wrong.

It means babies and toddlers are sensitive, relational, embodied little people. Their nervous systems are learning safety, connection, and protection from the very beginning.

Sometimes distress is not “just fussiness” or “bad sleep” or “behavior.”

Sometimes it is a story the body is still trying to tell.

Online Birth Trauma Therapy in Washington and Montana

How I help

I help parents slow down and understand what may be happening underneath the crying, feeding struggles, sleep disruption, bonding concerns, clinginess, withdrawal, or big toddler feelings.

Together, we look at your child’s cues, your nervous system, your birth or early parenting story, and the relationship between you.

This work may include supporting you in reading your baby’s signals, making sense of early experiences, strengthening attachment, finding steadiness inside yourself, and creating simple moments of repair and connection at home.

Because your baby is not the only one who needs attunement, safety, and care.

You get to feel held, too.

This work may help with:

  • Persistent crying or difficulty soothing

  • Feeding stress with breast, bottle, or solid foods

  • Sleep struggles or frequent night waking

  • Bonding or attachment concerns

  • Birth trauma, NICU stress, medical procedures, or early separation

  • A baby who arches away, startles easily, seems withdrawn, or has trouble settling into your body

  • A toddler with intense meltdowns, clinginess, shutdown, or big reactions

  • Parent overwhelm, grief, anxiety, or fear that makes connection harder

What sessions are like:

A young child with curly hair, wearing a gray hoodie, is resting their head on an adult's shoulder, holding a yellow flower in hand.

Because sessions are virtual, you and your child stay in your own home environment. That can actually help, because we are working with real-life rhythms, real-life spaces, and the relationship as it naturally unfolds.

We may observe your baby or toddler’s movement, play, feeding cues, proximity, sleep rhythms, body language, and interactions with you. We may also talk about your experience: what you are sensing, fearing, remembering, grieving, or trying to figure out.

Sessions may be quiet, playful, emotional, practical, or some odd little soup of all of the above.

We slow down.

We follow your child’s lead.

We support your nervous system so your child can borrow your steadiness.

A gentle beginning is still a beginning.

There is nothing wrong with your baby.

There is nothing wrong with you.

You are both doing your best with the story you have lived so far. Sometimes you just need someone who can help translate what is happening so you can meet your child with more confidence, clarity, and presence.

This is not about fixing your child.

It is about understanding them.

And helping you feel more like yourself again.

---> Let’s connect

Ready to begin?

Start with a $25 virtual consultation. If we decide to move forward, the consultation fee will be deducted from the cost of your first session.

We’ll talk about what is happening, what kind of support you are looking for, and whether new parent and infant therapy feels like the right fit for your family.

Book Your Consult

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FAQs

  • Yes. Always. At this age, the relationship between child and caregiver is the center of the work. Because sessions are virtual, parents or caregivers are present and actively involved throughout.

  • We slow down and observe what your child may be communicating through movement, play, crying, feeding, sleep, body language, and connection with you. I help you understand the cues, support your own nervous system, and respond in ways that build safety and attachment.

  • No. Your child’s nervous system is developing in relationship with yours. That means we support both of you — your child’s needs, your stress, your intuition, your grief, and your capacity to feel steady enough to respond.

  • This work may help with persistent crying, feeding stress, sleep struggles, bonding concerns, birth or medical trauma, early separation, withdrawal, intense toddler emotions, and parent overwhelm.

  • t varies. Sometimes families notice shifts in a few sessions, especially when we can identify what the child is communicating and support the parent-child relationship directly. Other times, especially when birth trauma, medical stress, grief, or parent overwhelm are part of the story, the work may take longer.

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