Stratford sisters launch the Nurture Duo to support connection-centred parenting

Erin Ryan, with her 11-month-old son, Harvey Ryan, and her twin sister, Hayley Chenard, with her one-year-old daughter, Makenna Chenard, are the founders of Stratford-based business the Nurture Duo. The pair work with families through sleep consultations, clarity calls and group nurture circles, focusing on responsive, neuroscience-informed parenting.

After welcoming their sons four years ago, twins Erin Ryan and Hayley Chenard found themselves overwhelmed by the endless stream of sleep-training advice available online.

The conflicting information, coupled with recommendations from some sleep-training experts to let babies "cry it out," left them questioning whether there was a more responsive approach to supporting both infants and their families.

“In our society, we felt pressured to sleep train, and we just didn't feel comfortable with it for some reason,” said Ryan. “Then we stumbled upon a holistic sleep consultant who taught us ways to get better sleep without sleep training, and from there, we found a book called The Nurture Revolution by Dr. Greer Kirshenbaum. We learned the science behind responding to infants and how important that is.”

That experience led them to launch the Nurture Duo, a Stratford-based business focused on connection-centred parenting. Their goal is to provide caregivers with support rooted in neuroscience, child development and responsive parenting practices.

Ryan and Chenard are certified Nurture Neuroscience Practitioners, a designation based on the principles outlined in The Nurture Revolution. The training focuses on early brain development and responsive caregiving for children from birth to age three.

“Traditionally, families slept together; it was a survival thing,” said Chenard. “But now, there is just so much noise online, it’s robbing people of their intuition. It’s making parents second-guess and compare, and we really want to empower parents to understand their babies' unique needs.”

The sisters say their interest in nurturing early brain development is also rooted in their own family experiences. Ryan and Chenard have a family history that includes mental illness, anxiety, depression and homelessness, experiences they say inspired them to learn more about the brain and the impact of early childhood development on long-term well-being.

“We didn’t come from a wealth of high nurture, and we kind of made the decision around the same time to start our journey. Our friends weren’t choosing that route either, so we felt isolated,” said Ryan. “So we did our certifications and moved to Stratford, and about a year ago, we started our nurture circles, and now we have over 40 moms we keep in contact with.”

Ryan and Chenard work with families during the early months and years of parenting, helping them navigate challenges such as newborn sleep, infant development and the day-to-day uncertainties that often accompany raising young children.

“Education is a big part of what we do,” said Chenard. “Babies are just wired to wake up in the night, so we aim to educate moms, dads and caregivers to understand their babies' needs. Their brains are immature between the ages of zero and three. They can't self-soothe, but what they really need is your presence and co-regulation.”

The pair offer services both in person and online, supporting families locally and internationally. 

Their services include clarity calls, which provide parents with an opportunity to discuss concerns and explore support options; sleep consultations that examine a child's sleep patterns and developmental needs; and Nurture Circles, guided group sessions designed to foster connection and support among parents.

New courses are now available for purchase on their website, and will also be included at no additional cost for members inside their paid online community.

“We’ve been working on a mini-course series that will be launching this summer,” said Ryan. “There will be five small, digestible courses designed to help families better understand infant sleep through a biological and developmental lens.”

Their approach is grounded in neuroscience and developmental research, emphasizing responsive, attachment-focused strategies that align with infant development and emotional well-being.

Their work encourages parents to recognize and respond to infant cues, strengthen the parent-child bond, support healthy sleep habits and promote emotional wellness for the entire family.

To find out more, visit www.thenurtureduo.com.