230. Sleep Starts With a Bed: Addressing Furniture Poverty for Families with Lauren Evans

About this episode

Allison Egidi discusses the importance of having a bed for children's sleep with Lauren Evans from Beds for Kids.

What does sleep look like for a child who doesn't have a bed? In honor of National Sleep Awareness Week, Allison is spotlighting a foundational—but often overlooked—piece of healthy sleep: having a bed. In this episode, she's joined by Lauren Evans, mom of two and Executive Director of Beds for Kids, an organization serving more than 1,000 families each year by providing beds and essential furniture to children and parents in need. Lauren shares how becoming a parent shaped her passion for this work, the moment she first realized furniture poverty existed, and how Beds for Kids grew from a small garage operation into a large-scale nonprofit serving families across the Charlotte area. Together, Allison and Lauren explore why sleep is so deeply connected to stability, safety, and emotional well-being and how the absence of something as basic as a bed can ripple into every part of a child's life. The conversation highlights the impact of sleep deprivation on children facing housing instability or trauma, as well as the toll it takes on parents who are already juggling immense stress. Lauren explains how providing beds, cribs, and furniture helps families establish routines, improve…

People in this episode

Host: Allison Egidi

Guest: Lauren Evans

Topics covered

• sleep
• furniture poverty
• child well-being
• parenting
• nonprofit work

Keywords

• sleep
• children
• furniture poverty
• Beds for Kids
• parenting
• emotional well-being
• housing instability

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Beds for Kids

More episodes of How Long 'Til Bedtime? | Sleep and Parenting Podcast

• 237. End of School Year Sleep Regressions: Why Big Kids Fight Bedtime in the Spring · April 28, 2026 · 15 min
• 236. The Rescue Bedtime: What It Is and How to Use It for Overtired Babies and Toddlers · April 21, 2026 · 18 min
• 235. What Time Should My Child Go to Bed? How to Find Their Ideal Bedtime · April 14, 2026 · 29 min
• 234. Does My Child Have Nightmares? What They Are, What to Do, and How to Make Them Stop · April 7, 2026 · 23 min
• 233. Night Terrors in Kids: What They Are, Why They Happen, and How to Stop Them · March 31, 2026 · 21 min
• 232. Toddler Sleep Boundaries: Toys in Bed and Early Morning Play · March 24, 2026 · 14 min