Welcome to my new site!
Long-time readers should mostly notice cosmetic changes for the time being, but there are big changes under the hood. I've switched from Wordpress (for the site) and Kit (for email) to a unified platform called Ghost. You don't need to do anything — your subscription carried over. If you see the following message, just click "Sign in" and put your email address in.
What's new for you
Ghost is built around a simple idea: instead of an anonymous blog with a separate email list bolted on, the website and the subscriber list are the same thing. If you got this email, you're a free member. There's nothing to set up and no password to remember. When you want to read members-only content or access your account, you'll get a one-time sign-in link by email. Everything I publish goes both to the site and to your inbox, the way it always has.
If you signed up recently (or you just want to check it out), take a look at my new Sleep Training Starter Kit . It's an updated and expanded version of my old free sleep training email course. Just enter your email and you'll have access.
How I got here
I've been writing for parents since 2012, a few years after I finished my training. I stayed on Wordpress that whole time and cycled through several email providers along the way.
In 2017 I created an online course called the Sleep Training Toolkit. I was proud of it, but I didn't want to keep updating it indefinitely. So I took the lessons I'd learned and turned them into my book, It's Never Too Late to Sleep Train, which came out in 2019.
In 2022, after writing a guest post for another blog, the owners suggested I sign up for an ad network. Initially it was great — ad density was low, and for the first few years the ads made a fair amount of money. It was the first time my online work had ever broken even.
Then in 2023, my traffic started to fall. I spent a lot of time and money trying to optimize for Google and speed up the site, and traffic kept dropping. I didn't realize at the time that this was largely a result of Google's algorithm changes (the so-called "helpful content update").
I'd gotten so caught up in the mechanics of running a website and an email list — endless theme tweaks, SEO settings, optimization — that I wasn't actually writing very much.
I was also disturbed by how aggressive online ad platforms had become, and worried I was part of the problem — part of what was making the web a worse place. So last year I removed the ads and rejiggered things. But I still felt like Wordpress and Kit were robbing me of joy.
What's different now
In the era of algorithmic social media, there are only a few things you can really own: your own website, a podcast, and an email list. That's where I'm going to put my energy. Ghost lets me run all three from one place, with a fraction of the maintenance overhead. (It's also proudly open source, and was just named a Digital Public Good by the United Nations.)
I also like writing — way more than making videos. And the written word is much easier to reference when you're trying to solve a problem at 2am than, say, a funny Instagram Reel. Although I also do like occasionally dropping a video like this one.
What's coming
I'm looking forward to getting back to writing instead of tweaking site settings. Expect more opinionated pieces alongside the longer reference guides, which I'll keep updating as the research evolves.
Honestly, running a website and a podcast costs money, and long-term this needs to be self-sustaining. I have some ideas about how to do that, and there will be a survey in a month or two — I want to make sure whatever I build actually meets your needs. My core commitment isn't changing: free, high-quality, evidence-based sleep information for parents and providers. Everything I've published so far, and most of what I'm going to make going forward, will remain free.
New content I've been working on
While I've been working on the technical transfer, I've also been creating and updating work for you:
- A new article on the evidence for theanine use in children (TLDR: there isn't much)
- A major update to my melatonin guide, plus the separate guide to melatonin risks and safety.
- Two new podcast episodes:
- Our sleep stacks and routines in 2026 — our own sleep routines, supplements, and technology (or lack thereof)
- Another reader mailbag episode featuring some of your questions.
- The Sleep Training Starter Kit — an updated, expanded version of my old free email course
Thanks, and an ask
If you've read this far, thank you.
Going forward, I'd love to know what you want to see. Hit reply and tell me what you want more of. And if you know someone struggling with sleep, send them my way. (And if there are any major technical issues, also LMK).
Thanks for joining me in this new chapter.
Craig Canapari, MD
Originally published April 2026. Last reviewed/updated by Dr. Craig Canapari, MD in April 2026
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