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You can also check out all of our practical videos on our YouTube Channel here - these include nappy changing, making up a bottle, topping and tailing and so much more!

How to help your child prepare for starting school!

Written by Claire Burgess, Family Consultant. It might not feel like it when we are only a few weeks into the holidays, but it’s that time of the year where everyone is thinking and talking about ‘starting school’! When I was planning this blog I was going to cover the usual things to think about when you child is about to start school for the first time, but then realised that even if your child is already at school – be it primary or secondary – they experience very similar emotions and uncertainty about going into a new school year…it isn’t just about starting school.

SchoolRebekah Frankcom1 September 2021parenting, children, families, nanny, childcare, planning, parenting tips, school, back to school, summer holidays, starting school, first day at school, emotional language, school day, school run, school routine

Why does my little one wake within an hour of going to bed?

Written by Claire Burgess, Family Consultant. Do you find that you put your little one to bed at night and they go off to sleep, but then wake up anywhere between 20 to 60 mins after they have gone to bed and need resettling? This is often to referred to as a ‘false start bedtime’ and it often means that you have to go back to your little one to resettle them or in some cases repeat the bedtime routine so that they go back off to sleep. For some once your little one is settled after this then they tend to sleep for a longer period, or for some it can be for the remainder of the night.

Why is everything with my child such a battle?

Written by Claire Burgess, Family Consultant. This is a very common question that lots of parents ask. These battles are in relation to everyday things such as getting them to clean their teeth, put their shoes on etc. as well as things like not wanting to go to certain places or just refusing to be cooperative in general!

The first thing we need to do in these situations is to look at what’s happening from their perspective; they are on their agenda and we are on ours, but neither party is considering the other. If your little one thinks that they are doing one thing and you think they need to be doing another, this can trigger a big outburst but also frustration from both sides. This is completely natural – think about how often, when we are told not to do something / how to do something or continually instructed to do things, we might get annoyed, frustrated and ultimately resistant to doing what we are being asked to do.

My child always cries when I drop them at nursery

Written by Claire Burgess, Family Consultant. When your little one goes to nursery one of the most common things that any parent or carer has to deal with, is your little one crying when you drop them off. For some it can start before even leaving home and your little one saying they don’t want to go or getting very upset (I was this child and my parents still remember it now!) and for others it is once you are at nursery and having to say those goodbyes.

I spent 10 years working in nurseries and have supported hundreds of families through this difficult stage, it does get easier and there are some things that you can try to help…

Potty training – we tried, we stopped, we need to try again!

Written by Claire Burgess, Family Consultant. Have you tried potty training but stopped because your little one didn’t seem ready or things were not progressing? This can be disappointing, especially if you have built up to the moment and when you felt that your little one was really ready. Don’t worry or despair though as this is something that lots of parents/carers experience with their little ones for various different reasons.

Why does my child keep interrupting me?

Written by Claire Burgess, Family Consultant. Do you have a toddler or an older child who, every time you are speaking with other adults on the phone or in person, or even to your other children, continually interrupts you or generally doesn’t let you speak to anyone else?

This can be a very common situation and can lead to frustration from both sides when it is happening frequently. However, we also need to keep in mind that this can be a skill which even some adults can struggle with ;-).

BehaviourRebekah Frankcom23 June 2021parenting, families, parenting tips, top tips, frustration, keep calm, attention needing, attention, why does my child keep interrupting me, interrupting kids, egocentric children, role model, behaviour, behaviour and emotions, toddler behaviour, kids behaviour, children's behaviour

The Fourth Trimester - the first 12 weeks with your newborn

Written by Emily Darwell, Family Consultant. The Fourth Trimester is often used to describe the time after your baby is born when you and your baby/babies are getting used to your new lives together. As with the other trimesters this is around 3 months.

There is a lot for a baby (and you) get used to in this first 3 months not least learning how to be together! This is also a time for babies to develop their senses and get used to all the noises, smells and sounds they encounter outside of the relatively quiet, dark, warm womb.

When reading the blog, particularly if you have older children, or multiples, there are lots of useful pieces of information to help you to support your baby / babies during this time, but in lots of cases it might be difficult for you to devote this time solely to your baby /babies with so many other things going on. The important thing, during these first 3 months in particular, is that you recognise that this is a period of adjustment for everyone and that your baby / babies, their siblings and your partner have plenty of love and support during these first 3 months to help make this whole transition easier for everyone.

Is your little one ready to drop a nap?

Written by Claire Burgess, Family Consultant. Looking at our little one’s naps can be a huge focus for the first few years, from things such as ‘are their naps too short?’, ‘too long?’, ‘are they napping too much or not enough?’ – it can be all consuming. We then finally feel that we have got the nap timings nailed and it is all going well, and then we start to notice that things are changing again. This is when we have to prepare for what is often referred to as a ‘nap transition’ so this might be going from 3 naps per day down to 2, 2 naps to 1 and then (sadly!) the day when it goes from 1 nap to no nap!

My baby/child hates bath time!

Written by Claire Burgess, Family Consultant.It is very often the case that your child, who loved having a bath all of a sudden stops wanting to go in! We often see bath time as that ‘wind down’ opportunity before bedtime and when our little one refuses to get in or gets upset we can worry that this might affect bedtime etc.

Please be reassured that some children will go through this phase, it can be normal and it is all about their stage of development at the time.

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