Newborn to Teen and Everything in Between

That heart-in-mouth moment when your little one suddenly bolts is something so many parents recognise. One minute they are beside you, the next they have spotted freedom, space, excitement - and they are off. In this episode, we explore what is really going on when children run away from us, and why it often happens just as they are beginning to feel more confident and independent. From a child’s...

In this episode, we’re talking all about keeping your cool when your child loses theirs - much easier said than done! We explore why staying calm in the middle of a meltdown can feel so difficult, especially when the little things have been building up, you’re already feeling stressed, or the day you had planned simply isn’t going the way you hoped. Becks shares honestly about how her mum never ke...

In this episode, we’re talking all about hayfever in children - how it can affect them, how tricky it can be to spot, and how to help manage hayfever symptoms during pollen season. We explore just how unpleasant hayfever can be for little ones, from feeling generally unwell and tired to dealing with a wide range of symptoms. Because younger children can’t always explain how they’re feeling, it can...

Trigger warning: In this episode we talk about birth trauma and Hannah’s personal experience of this. If you don’t feel ready to listen right now, please take care of yourself and come back when the time feels right 💛 In this episode, we’re joined by Hannah, who we first met when she was a student at Norland College. Hannah shares her experience of the traumatic birth of her daughter, and why she...

Claire wasn’t a really sicky child (Becks was!) but she has a phobia of sick so this was a great topic for her!! We talked about: Sickness bugs (aren’t they a gift..!) and some tips to help. Getting sick off a carpet – use shaving foam! Sick phobias and parenting – it's a real thing. Dehydration – the signs to look for. How children should be 48 hours clear before going back to nursery or school a...

A topic that we are contacted about quite regularly – we absolutely expect broken sleep in the first months, and then sleep is really good (whatever that means to us) then it starts to change and feels like it’s all gone wrong... Don’t panic! - we talk about all the things that could be impacting this and the possible reasons why sleep has changed. How illness can impact on children’s sleep and ho...

When / why do children become more fussy? We spoke about the neophobic stage (which goes right back to when we were cave people!) as well as other reasons why babies and children might be choosy about food. What happens when panic sets in and our children refuse to eat? Some tips to help children with learning about what they like and portion control. Offering alternatives? Watching our children e...

We started the conversation by acknowledging that some adults don’t necessarily show much affection even though they are very caring people and children are the same.  We spoke about:  How there is nothing better than a lovely cuddle from a child and it can feel difficult when a child doesn’t necessarily want this from us.   The other ways that children show affection to us.  T...

There are swear words in this episode so please make sure that little ears aren’t listening 🙉 ...!  This episode is all about when your child, all of a sudden, says a swear word (or something they think is a swear word!) and what you can do about it. We spoke about:  How sometimes in families where there is so much swearing that the children don’t actually...

This episode is all about looking after children when they are feeling under the weather and the bugs that they bring home from nursery and school (how is it that we sometimes feel so much worse than they do?!).  We talked about lots of things you can do to help little ones feel better and more comfortable as well as:  The time of year that children tend to get more bugs (or wh...

Steph told us all about Mudpies and Sprinkles and how it began. It’s an outdoor play space for children (and Becks waxed lyrical about it!) - Steph’s love for watching children enjoying different elements of play really shone through.   Steph hasn’t got any formal training and learnt what worked along the way and through her own children.   We...

Becks’s children both cried when they were dropped off at nursery so she knows exactly how this feels and Claire has lots and lots of experiences of children crying at drop off as a nursery manager.   We talked about:  How there are always going to be children who don’t like the separation moment; as Claire explains 9 times out of 10 they will be OK when you have left (but they might als...

Unfortunately, Claire’s wifi wasn’t playing ball again in this episode, but Becks had a great chat with Catherine and this is what we talked about!  Where the idea for Hygge sheets came from.  Different ways night time dryness / potty training / wetting etc. are referred to.   How Hygge sheets work.  How you can tell when a child is ready to be dry at night.  What Catherin...

In this our 100th episode! We talked about:  The importance of the transition from nursery / school to home but also for us going from work to home (especially if you are working from home!).  How you can’t always be your ‘true self’, how things build up and how we have to hold it together when you aren’t at home and it comes out when you get home.   Some ideas for what you can do t...

We know that for many families, birth doesn’t always go the way you hoped or imagined, and it can leave a lasting impact. In this episode, we spoke with Trudi about what birth trauma really means, why antenatal education is so important, and how parents can prepare for and recover from challenging experiences.   Unfortunately in this episode Claire’s internet gave up the ghost and so Bec...

Not liking their new sibling isn’t necessarily a personal thing against the baby but this is a huge change and impact on a little one’s life. This episode is all about why this is and what you can do to help.  We spoke about:   How a 2 or 3 year old is going to find the arrival of a new little baby coming a very difficult concept to grasp and it's also going to be a big adjustment for th...

Clare’s background has always been in early years - she is founder of Atelier nurseries which started in Bath and is now also in Chippenham in Wiltshire  Lots of parents worry about starting their children at nursery and we knew that Clare was the ideal person to talk to us about it all – we covered so much, from choosing the right nursery, to settling in, drop off and what families can do to...

When most of the time, the children you are potty training are toddlers, no wonder there are power struggles – and we are always asked about what to do when this happens!  We spoke about:   The most common potty training power struggles.  Starting by trying to work out where the struggle is coming from – could it be a feeling of being out of control?  Positive reinforcement and...

SWEDA is a charity which supports people in the South and West of England who are affected by an eating disorder – the individual, friends, family member – anyone who is affected by food, eating or body image.   We spoke about:   Hannah’s background, how SWEDA was set up and the work that it does.   How SWEDA can support neurodivergent children and young people and the links between...

A continuation of our chat about weaning...the food aspect!  We spoke about:   Having a book for weaning.  Trying not to worry about it and to try and enjoy it.  Baby’s facial expressions (and our reactions to these!).  How to regulate the feeding and make it a social situation even from the very first taste.  Keeping it positive - we are teaching babies skills for li...

Georgie is a Norland nanny and Claire was her tutor at college! Georgie has 15 years of childcare experience and is now a mum to two little ones. Georgie has a boy and a girl. She now runs hypnobirthing classes for parents to be.  We spoke about:   What hypnobirthing is.  How Georgie came to train in hypnobirthing.  Having a baby in lockdown.  How your mind is the biggest...

Do they ever listen?! From toddlers to teens - this episode covers it all!  We spoke about:   What we mean by truly listening.  How it makes us feel when we aren’t listened to.  Why it is that children might not listen?  The concept of time for toddlers (and for teens!) - it just isn’t something they are aware of and how it needs to be learnt / re-learnt.  H...

Trigger warning – in today’s episode we discuss suicide, mental health struggles, cancer and depression with Grace.  You might not feel up to listening to this episode right now – if not, please take care and come back when you feel ready.   Grace is a therapist and best-selling author of children’s books, which are all based on Grace's therapy sheep who inspire her and those s...

The holidays are approaching, and we are talking about jet lag and motion sickness!  We spoke about:   The challenges of travelling with children.  Jet lag / time differences – what jet lag is and how to prepare for it.  Flight times / length – what's best?  Routines when travelling.  What to take that will help.  Travel sickness and why we get it.  Veh...

Louisa, our lovely listener, got in touch to ask us to record a podcast on how best to support children and young people who are preparing for exams and so here it is!  We spoke with Will Petty from Bonas MacFarlane Education all about this. Will is so easy to listen to and had some fabulous stories and tips to help our young people manage exam stress. Will has been with Bonas MacFarlane...