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 perspective, they have spent much of their early life being moved, carried, lifted and guided from place to place. Then suddenly they discover they can move themselves, and running feels exciting, powerful and freeing.

We talk about the sensory pull of movement, space and exploration, and why young children do not yet have the same sense of danger or safety that adults do. That is why our role is not just to stop them running, but to help them gradually learn how to manage freedom safely.

Claire shares practical ways to build safety awareness from an early age, including how clear and simple our explanations need to be, why role modelling matters so much, and how games like “Red Light, Green Light”, “What’s the Time Mr Wolf?” and “freeze and go” can help children practise stopping and listening in a playful way.

We also reminisce about the Tufty Club, the Green Cross Code and the old road safety campaigns many of us grew up with, and discuss why teaching road safety now sits even more firmly with parents and carers.

The episode also covers what to do when your child refuses to hold your hand, how to make boring walks more engaging, and how reins or wrist links can be used calmly and positively when needed. Claire also shares her top tip for how impactful our reaction can be in the moment, especially when we feel frightened or cross.

For families who are really struggling, we talk about how a reward chart might support this learning, and how to approach safety when you are out and about with more than two little ones. We have a blog on reward charts here

As always, this episode is about understanding children’s behaviour, setting boundaries and helping our little ones learn the skills they need to stay safe while still building confidence and independence.

Helpful reminder

Running off is not usually about being “naughty”. It is often about curiosity, excitement, impulse and a child’s developing sense of independence. With calm, clear boundaries and lots of practice, children can gradually learn how to stay safe while still enjoying the freedom to explore.

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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 kept her cool (and how Becks hasn’t always kept hers either!) We talk about the fact that no parent can stay calm 100% of the time. It’s just not possible. Sometimes people may look like they’re coping from the outside, but we never really know what is going on underneath.

We also discuss how hard it can feel when everyone seems to have an opinion, especially when your child is having a difficult moment in public, or when social media makes it look as though everyone else has it all together - calm parents, calm children, and no meltdowns in sight.

Claire talks about the importance of having a toolkit of things to try when emotions are running high, including simple strategies you can use yourself and with your children. These are the kinds of ideas you can pin on the fridge or save on your phone, so they’re easy to reach for when you need them most.

We look at how you can try to bring your child’s chaos down with your calm, rather than matching their chaos with your own and escalating things further. We also talk about recognising your own triggers, trying to understand your child’s triggers, and how different situations, including Claire’s experiences with her mum’s dementia, can bring up big feelings in us too.

There’s also an honest conversation about what happens afterwards: the guilt, the beating yourself up, and the importance of repair. Losing your cool doesn’t mean you’ve failed, but coming back together afterwards really matters.

Finally, we talk about accepting help when it’s offered. So many of us find this hard, but it really does take a village to raise a child. And if you’re the friend offering help, sometimes just doing something practical can make all the difference.

We hope this episode gives you some reassurance, some practical ideas, and a reminder that you are not alone in finding these moments hard.

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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 be difficult to know whether it’s just a cold or hayfever. We talk through the common hayfever symptoms in children, including sneezing (very common for Becks!), runny nose, coughing, itchy, watery or red eyes, headaches, earaches, tiredness, and that itchy or scratchy throat that may be described by little ones as a sore throat.

We also discuss how hayfever symptoms can vary day to day, and how different types of pollen affect children at different times of year - tree pollen in spring, grass pollen in summer (often worse during harvest time), and weed pollen in autumn.

Antihistamines can help relieve hayfever symptoms, but we touch on how they may still cause drowsiness in some children - something to be mindful of, especially when they may already be feeling run down. If your child has more severe hayfever, we highlight the importance of speaking to a GP or pharmacist for advice and support.

Claire also shares some simple, practical tips for managing hayfever in children and helping them feel more comfortable during high pollen days.

With hayfever season approaching, we hope this episode gives you helpful, realistic ways to support your child through it.

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Our Hayfever blog – My child has hayfever, what can I do to help?

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‘Your Guide to...’ (our downloadable webinars including preparing for and welcoming your newborn, behaviour, toilet training, sleep and more)

This podcast is produced by Decibelle Creative

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 feels so strongly about raising awareness and supporting other parents who may be going through something similar.

We talk about the importance of having someone to advocate for you during pregnancy and birth, and what can happen when that support isn’t there. Hannah reflects on her experience in hospital, the moments and interactions that have stayed with her, and how it felt to meet her daughter for the first time in NICU. She also shares the ongoing impact once they returned home, from feeling overlooked and unsupported, to navigating continued concerns and ‘red flags’ in her baby’s care.

We also explore how birth trauma doesn’t always end when you leave the hospital. Hannah opens up about the time it took to for her to realise she needed to seek support, finally doing so through her GP, the emotional toll it had on her relationships, and the difficult decision-making process when considering having another baby, including the support she received from a birth trauma therapist.

This conversation highlights how important it is that parents feel heard, supported and cared for and raises important questions about how maternity services can better support families. Hannah also shares her thoughts on the need for greater awareness of birth trauma and why she is supporting calls for maternity reform.

Hannah talked to us about a petition currently circulating around maternity reform. This is being debated on 20 April 2026 and, if you are listening before the deadline of 7 July 2026, she (and we) would urge you to sign it.

Sign the petition here

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Our podcast episode (September 2025) with Trudi Webber from Make Birth Better, was all about what birth trauma is, how it can happen along with tips for looking after yourself emotionally when preparing for, during and after birth – you can listen to this episode here

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‘Your Guide to...’ (our downloadable webinars including preparing for and welcoming your newborn, behaviour, toilet training, sleep and more)

This podcast is produced by Decibelle Creative

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:

1. Sickness bugs (aren’t they a gift..!) and some tips to help.
2. Getting sick off a carpet – use shaving foam!
3. Sick phobias and parenting – it's a real thing.
4. Dehydration – the signs to look for.
5. How children should be 48 hours clear before going back to nursery or school and why (and no swimming for 2 weeks). They will probably tell nursery anyway!!
6. Foods to help with recuperation.
7. Triggers for sickness and how they can continue (think of that drink that made you sick 😉)
8. How sickness bugs creep up on you with no warning – you just have to go with it (but make sure you are ready with a sick bowl, kitchen roll and marigolds!)!

Always remember to seek medical advice (GP, Pharmacist or 111) if you are worried.

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‘Your Guide to...’ (our downloadable webinars including preparing for and welcoming your newborn, behaviour, toilet training, sleep and more)

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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...

1. Don’t panic! - we talk about all the things that could be impacting this and the possible reasons why sleep has changed.
2. How illness can impact on children’s sleep and how to get back to a routine that suits you with the least amount of upset.
3. Feeling scared and how this can affect sleep (we have some blogs on how to help with this).
4. Situations when little ones are disturbed because they are practicing things like crawling, rolling, babbling etc.
5. How routines (daytime and bedtime) can affect sleep.
6. Sleep associations – whatever children go to sleep with they will look for it to help settle them back off in the night when they wake up.
7. Treating it like a puzzle and the importance of taking notes so you can see any patterns.
8. How nothing is unfixable and everything is sortable (and we are here to help with a Bespoke Family Parent Consultation if you need it!)!

Our sleep blogs - https://www.bespokefamily.co.uk/blog/category/Sleep

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‘Your Guide to...’ (our downloadable webinars including preparing for and welcoming your newborn, behaviour, toilet training, sleep and more)

This podcast is produced by Decibelle Creative

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.

1. What happens when panic sets in and our children refuse to eat?
2. Some tips to help children with learning about what they like and portion control.
3. Offering alternatives?
4. Watching our children eat “please just try it!!!”and how it feels for them.
5. How the neophobic stage is also the ‘terrible twos’ stage.
6. ‘Tricking’ / bribing children to get them to eat.
7. Did Claire’s dad buy cabbage for tea! Of course he did 😉!
8. How important it is for children to be sitting in a position where their back and feet are supported to eat comfortably and well.
9. Sweet and savoury – puddings, how we are conditioned from childhood, building good food habits.

Our food and weaning blogs - https://www.bespokefamily.co.uk/blog/category/Food+and+weaning

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For information about a Bespoke Family Parent Consultation click here

‘Your Guide to...’ (our downloadable webinars including preparing for and welcoming your newborn, behaviour, toilet training, sleep and more)

This podcast is produced by Decibelle Creative

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.
• The importance of never expecting children to give hugs or show physical affection
• 5 Love Languages – how physical touch isn’t always the most important to fulfil children’s affection.
• Quality time and the importance of this to children.
• Being the ‘preferred parent’

Our blog - Why doesn't my child show much affection?

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For information about a Bespoke Family Parent Consultation click here

‘Your Guide to...’ (our downloadable webinars including preparing for and welcoming your newborn, behaviour, toilet training, sleep and more)

This podcast is produced by Decibelle Creative