Don't wake the baby!

How different can sisters be as babies or toddlers? The second child is just built differently... This is the one where Emma and Elliot chat about Lilly and Lola's personalities as babies and toddlers. Now we have two children: discussing the similarities and, more often, the differences. Looks as babies. Reaching milestones. Love of walking. Following rules. Making friends. And lots of Lola&...

How has the first year at primary school been for our 4-year-old and for us as parents? A two-part double episode: half on surviving reception, and half on our part-time homeschooling experience... This is the one where Emma and Elliot chat about school admin, making friends, after-school clubs, the challenges and progress, tips for surviving, the mums WhatsApp group, and stories from the first ye...

Parenting "tangents" episode with bonus baby & toddler stories - Join Emma and Elliot for this special compilation of outtakes, full of all the bits and bobs that got cut out, and a peek behind the scenes at all the bloopers and interruptions. Our 5th episode of this type, and usually a fan-favourite! Includes expanded stories about parenthood that we couldn't fit into the main...

Toilet Training from birth? Hear about our current progress with our baby weeing and pooing on the potty... This is the one where Emma and Elliot chat about their second journey with Elimination Communication - the challenges, setbacks, and differences this time around with a second child, from potty training their firstborn! This isn't to show off, but to share a more unusual approach and ex...

A collection of our favourite "Parenting Achievements" from series 1-4 of our parenting podcast! A bonus episode packed full of funny stories and relatable moments for parents with babies and toddlers. Starting from when Lilly was 2, through to the birth of our second child, and up until Lilly turned 4 - take a journey with us through memory lane... Emma and Elliot chat about tantrums, p...

What did we do yesterday with our little ones? This is the one where Emma and Elliot chat about the specifics of an average day juggling small children, toddlers, life and work. A snapshot in time: we describe in detail the mundane aspects of everyday life, currently with two daughters aged 1 and 4 - morning routines, school run, messy eating, weekly rhythms, nursery, pick up, bath time, going to...

Are you the fun parent or the default parent? Roles, routines, and playing favourites with under 5s... This is the one where Emma and Elliot (Mum and Dad to a 1yr old and 4yr old) chat about their parenting styles with babies and toddlers. The classic "good cop, bad cop" dynamic in parenting; if we need it and if we expected to embody those roles. How it shows up when you have little one...

An honest conversation about faith & spirituality as parents of babies & toddlers. This is the one where Emma and Elliot, as a husband and wife partnership, chat about our beliefs, our culture, our values, and how we navigate passing those onto our children. Which parts of our faith & spirituality do we hope to nurture with our kids, and how does it influence our parenting with babies...

Weekends & daytrips with two under 5s? Things to do on a rainy day in Yorkshire... This is the one where Emma and Elliot chat about their experiences of going on little outings with their 1 and 4 year old daughters. Including... The challenges of entertaining toddlers, kid-friendly attractions, packing the endless bags to juggling nap times, cafes, winter activities, and the difference between...

The adorable return of Lilly on the podcast! A very special episode where Emma and Elliot chat with their 4-year-old daughter, interviewing her about current interests and updates since she was last on the podcast 5 months ago. Including: Sisters, School, Disney, Lego, Wicked, a Christmas Panto, K-Pop Demon Hunters and much more... Discover the side story (pretend play happening in the background)...

Development progression in young children? Cognitive, social-emotional, language, and motor skills. This is the one where Emma and Elliot chat about developmental milestones, from smiling, sitting, crawling, waving, babbling, eating, social skills & playing to reading, writing and school academic progress. The influence of social media and the comparison to others. Worry over being behind. The...

Our Christmas Special! What are the challenges at Christmas with a baby or toddler? This is the one where Emma and Elliot discuss everything from nativity songs, presents, Elf on the Shelf, Father Christmas, traditions, Church and more. Updates on life as we approach Christmas with a 1 year old and a 4 year old, and a look back at some extracts from our 2023 and 2024 Christmas episodes: firstly wi...

Another compilation of bloopers, tangents and more parenting stories - Join Emma and Elliot in the editing room of the PodCraft for a special, extra, bonus, silly episode, full of all the bits and bobs that got cut out of the recent batch of conversations. Plus interesting tangents that we physically couldn't fit into the main episodes. A little extra chit chat to tide you over Thank you so m...

Coping with clingy babies, sensory overload, chatty toddlers, and needing a break... This is the one where Emma and Elliot chat about the overstimulation of noise, touch, and emotion when you have two children under 5. How to find a few minutes of peace from incessant crying, from kids being all over you, from toddlers only wanting mum for everything... the guilt of needing some space from the one...

Tips for coping with illness when you have babies or toddlers... This is the one where Emma and Elliot chat (mostly moan) about having colds and the family all coming down with a sickness bug. A surprisingly funny & silly episode, despite the lovely topic! The challenges of parenting through illness, all the extra washing, how it affects our kids, sleep, being off school & work, worrying a...

Baby-Led Weaning when your child has allergies. This is the one where Emma and Elliot chat about their journey with Lola so far with solid foods. Specifically, around a soy allergy and cow's milk protein allergy. Discussing the difference with weaning a second child, top tips for allergies, the challenges, eating out, recommended dairy-free brands, foods, and recipes that worked for us. Shari...

How have the first weeks at school been for our 4-year-old and for us as parents? This is the one where Emma and Elliot chat about adapting to the new routine of school, how it's different from nursery, the challenges and joys, tips and advice for a smooth transition, graduating pre-school, and stories from the first days and weeks of reception. In particular, how we've coped, and how Li...

A super special fun episode with the debut of Lilly on the podcast! This is the one where Emma and Elliot chat with their 4-year-old daughter, and she ends up taking over the conversation and interviewing us about all sorts of things - getting a bit carried away. Lots of laughing as she was in a silly mood! And so we have this conversation recorded, and we thought we'd share it for you to enj...

Have you taken your children to the theatre, to see musicals, a concert, ballet, or a kids' show? This is the one where Emma and Elliot chat about The Wiggles: what we enjoy as parents and taking a baby & toddler to various stage shows, inlcuding conversation about... The Bluey Live Show, Musicals at Disneyland Paris, a performance for children by Northern Ballet, In the Night Garden live...

Welcome back to the blanket fort! It's time to unwind on sleepless nights to a wholesome mix of parenting, humour, and crafting. All new content, same old us, and a few surprises! Make sure you've got notifications turned on to catch new episodes every other Thursday. We can't wait to share it with you all! Here's a taster and a reminder of what we are about. Upcoming topics in...

Returning to work after a baby, our jobs, work-life balance, working from home... This is the one where Emma and Elliot discuss maternity and paternity leave, fitting in work around a baby and toddler, and failing at having a healthy work-life balance. Have things changed from the 90s? Are you a stay-at-home parent? How do you find time for the full-time job that is parenting!? This is part of our...

Multibirth vs only child... sharing childhood stories of being an identical quadruplet! This is the one where Emma and Elliot discuss the differences in experience between being a quadruplet and being an only child - and how it affects our parenting today. What are some of the pros and cons of having a large family? And the pros and cons of not having siblings?  This is part of our summer throwbac...

We had a baby during the pandemic... This is the one where Emma and Elliot discuss getting married, pregnancy, and having a newborn during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as how the UK lockdown affected those with preschool-age children. How did you find parenting in lockdown? Did it have some positives for toddlers and parents?  This is part of our summer throwback to our past episodes from 2 year...

What's your little ones' favourite food? This is the one where Emma and Elliot talk all things tasty! Yum yum... Meal times, beige food, eating habits, setting a good example, failing to eat healthily, and sharing our experience. Have you given in to sugar? Are you a sweet or a savoury person? We just share our story, and have a good moan about the challenges... We don't claim to ha...

Gender roles: Does society want fathers to be involved in parenting? This is the one where Emma and Elliot chat about mum & dad roles in parenting today, the challenges, and bucking gender stereotypes. How things have changed from the 90s, pet peeves, and sharing our story of trying to share responsibilities 50/50 - Do you follow typical gender roles? What is your experience of being a father...