Newborn to Teen and Everything in Between

Elizabeth joined us from San Francisco – she is founder of Stereotype Kids which was set up because her Boy / Girl twins didn’t want to be restricted to wearing their own clothes and wanted to wear each others. We chatted about: Why Elizabeth feels it’s important to challenge traditional views on boys and girls clothing and to allow the children to dress for joy rather than what they ‘should’ be wearing’. Friends and family reactions to the children wearing clothes that they didn’t think they should be. ‘Dressing is expressing’ - how this is where Elizabeth wants her children to be and feel comfortable in what they wear with no limits. Dressing children (not just twins etc) in the same clothes and how Elizabeth feels about that. Individuality and the importance of allowing children to express their personality / style etc. Stereotype – which is a gender inclusive clothing line. “You were born to stand out” is their tagline. Matching outfits as a family.  Responding and reflecting if your child wants to wear something you don’t want them to and allowing them to do this freely. What if other children or adults (or you) have an adverse reaction to what your children are wearing. School uniforms and the responsibility schools have to ensure gender equality in what the children can wear. Slogans on tops and colours for children of both genders. Stereotypekids.com (clothing will be available in the UK next year 2025) Instagram @bespokefamily / @stereotypekidsofficial Facebook @bespokefamily For information about a Bespoke Family Parent Consultation click here: https://www.bespokefamily.co.uk/parent-consultations    ‘Your Guide to...’ (our downloadable webinars including behaviour, toilet training, sleep and more)  This podcast is produced by Decibelle Creative

Safia told us all about her company The Mum Hub which she founded in Lockdown, her family and what else she has done and is doing in her career. We also discussed: Time management for parents and the common things parents experience for example feeling they are having to be in too many places at once! Having a to do list / a priority list and putting things on paper. E.g. what are the top 3 things that I have to focus on?  Planning and not feeling like you have to ‘do it all’.  Lowering expectations of yourself. Walking pads! Some techniques / tools to help manage time as well as setting boundaries - how available you make yourself / the ways you can be contacted. How often it isn’t as bad as you thought it might be – having some perspective.  Teaching our children about how to manage their time and the myriad of notifications that are thrown at them on a daily basis.  Things we can do to help organise (and how it’s important to be able to trust others with tasks and preparation to help spread the load!). Carving out time for yourself – how important it is, but how it can also lead to guilt. Safia’s tips for how to cope when you are feeling overwhelmed. The Mum Hub website Instagram @bespokefamily / @the_mumhub Facebook @bespokefamily For information about a Bespoke Family Parent Consultation click here: https://www.bespokefamily.co.uk/parent-consultations    ‘Your Guide to...’ (our downloadable webinars including behaviour, toilet training, sleep and more)  This podcast is produced by Decibelle Creative

In the week leading of Halloween you might find that your little ones are feeling more scared than usual. But regardless of this, children can be scared of lots of things and this is the subject of this episode!We chatted about:Halloween and how we never really ‘did’ Halloween when we were little and how much it has ramped up in recent years. What we were scared of when we were little (well mainly Becks!). How every child is individual in terms of what they are / aren’t scared of – some children will LOVE being scared by example.  How to respond / react to a little one who is scared of something, the kind of things children can be scared of and why it might be. Being scared of dying. How feeling fear is a natural emotion and how we need it. How to help children regulate when they are feeling scared.  Some techniques to help children when they feel scared.  Halloween and being scared!  Related blogs:  “I’m scared!” – 10 tips to help your toddler or pre-schooler with their fears My child is afraid of the dark Instagram @bespokefamily  Facebook @bespokefamily For information about a Bespoke Family Parent Consultation click here: https://www.bespokefamily.co.uk/parent-consultations    ‘Your Guide to...’ (our downloadable webinars including behaviour, toilet training, sleep and more)  This podcast is produced by Decibelle Creative

Molly is founder of The Body Happy Organisation and author of ‘Every Body’ and ‘Body Happy Kids’  We spoke to Molly about: Her background as a journalist and why she decided to focus on researching and promoting Body Confidence for children (and adults). Diet culture around children and becoming aware of all the things they are watching and absorbing all the time. Teaching children to value, respect and give dignity to everyone regardless of what they look like. Body diversity, discrimination and poor body image. Weight stigma and weight bias and how this can affect people throughout their lives, for example how well children do in school, in their career and future lives. Molly’s books – ‘Every Body’ for children aged 9+ - and how body image is ‘a we issue not a me issue’ and ‘Body Happy Kids’ written for parents to help children and teens love the skin they are in - raising children with a positive body image. Being at peace with your body and all the things that feed into this – body appreciation. How parents can approach conversations with children when they are being negative about their bodies or when someone has made a comment about their body.  How listening and encouraging children to talk to us is one of the most important things we can teach them.  Instagram @bespokefamily / @MollyJForbes / @bodyhappyorg Facebook @bespokefamily For information about a Bespoke Family Parent Consultation click here: https://www.bespokefamily.co.uk/parent-consultations    ‘Your Guide to...’ (our downloadable webinars including behaviour, toilet training, sleep and more)  This podcast is produced by Decibelle Creative

We met Josephine at The International Women’s Podcast Awards when she was nominated for her podcast ‘Gloriously unready’ and we were nominated for ours 😉. Josephine was mum to 3 boys – quite the challenge (her words!). However, two of her children told her (completely independently and within a few months of each other) that they were transgender. One of Josephine’s daughters has now been on hormones for about 8 years (she is now, at the time of recording, 30) and the other daughter for about 3 years (she is now 26). Josephine now has 1 son and 2 daughters. Amongst alot of things, we spoke with Josephine about: How hard it was to accept – Josephine had to readjust all her thinking and deal with her own feelings of loss and fear – were her children they wrong, were they making a mistake? Josephine’s feelings when the children told her (you can listen to Josephine's youngest daughter’s side of the story at the start of the second series of Josephine’s podcast Gloriously unready). How there were no signs of the children questioning their gender in childhood, yet one of the girls said to Josephine that she had felt like it for the whole of her life.  How Josephine's middle child has felt about it all. Whether the religious side of Josephine's life made it harder for her especially with regards to acceptance of what had happened in her church. How while the explosion of social media and open discussion around sexuality and gender has opened up the conversation for teens, it can be difficult for parents to navigate how to handle this.  How important it is that people might not understand transgender but that having a respectful society is what we need. Puberty blockers, surgery and the recent Cass review. How meeting transgender people and having conversations with them about the process and hearing their stories has provided Josephine with support and understanding in this area.  Practical things that can be done to change your gender and how much easier it is to do these things in other countries. How Josephine's wider family reacted to the girls including how, since her 2 girls came out, and just a couple of years ago, Josephine’s brother also came out as transgender and is now her sister. What Josephine would say to parents whose children have just told them they are transgender. The real positives of being a transgender parent.  Another of our podcast episodes you might find interesting – Gender and Sexuality Josephine’s podcast page - Gloriously unready Instagram @bespokefamily / @TheJosephineHughes Facebook @bespokefamily For information about a Bespoke Family Parent Consultation click here:

Are you a hugger? Becks is, Claire isn’t (she just doesn’t feel the need all the time!)!  We spoke about: Our own experiences with hugging and showing affection. How to approach situations with children and hugging – should it be an expectation that your child hugs people? If not, what should you do? Having conversations with people about the fact your child can say no they don’t want a hug and when to do it. Kissing little ones and reasons we don’t kiss newborn babies (or you could kiss their feet!). Teaching children life skills so they know the importance of saying no if something doesn't feel right – that their body is their body and it’s OK. How showing affection can be done in many different ways.  The pandemic and how we weren’t allowed to hug! 5 Love Languages and how helpful they are for all of us. The power of the Disney Hug. NSPCC and the PANTS rule. Blogs – Should I make my child hug people? You might also find this blog interesting – Why doesn’t my child show much affection? NSPCC PANTS rule Find your Love Language with this free quiz Instagram @bespokefamily  Facebook @bespokefamily For information about a Bespoke Family Parent Consultation click here: https://www.bespokefamily.co.uk/parent-consultations    ‘Your Guide to...’ (our downloadable webinars including behaviour, toilet training, sleep and more)  This podcast is produced by Decibelle Creative

This episode was so much fun!  Vern joined us from Carifit, the original baby wearing fitness programme. Cari stands for Cardio and resistance intervals and when he started the classes for new mums Vern used to wear the babies while the parents worked out - he had a light bulb moment that parents could wear their own babies to work out and it went from there! We talked about: How from small beginnings the Carifit classes grew and then the baby carrier was born. (Shout out to Hannah Lowry who was one of the first mums to join Vern at a class!) Groupology and the science and benefits of moving in sync. The benefits of mood, energy and mental health from doing exercise like Carifit – it can even improve postnatal depression symptoms. The marvels of the women’s body and how incredible it is! How the Carifit caters for parents from the moment they become pregnant and how attitudes to postnatal and ante natal exercise has changed / is changing. Shifts in attitudes to ‘getting back in shape’ after having a baby over the years Vern has been working in this area.   Benefits of Carifit eg no separation, no childcare required, no other people required. How Carifit works if you have multiple babies.  Carifit classes and the App. How great baby wearing is in general - ”A tool for freedom and movement – wear your baby and move!”.  Golden rules for babywearing and positioning of baby’s legs. Is babywearing ‘making a rod for your own back’ - spoiler alert – absolutely not, in fact research supports that babywearing will help keep your day successfully moving forward! Three things that Vern wishes he had been told before he had children. Babywearing benefits for baby’s brains! Shout out from Vern to Mamma Social and Blaze Trails – two highly recommended babywearing walking groups. Instagram @cari_fit Carifit website - https://www.getcarifit.com/ Instagram @bespokefamily  Facebook @bespokefamily For information about a Bespoke Family Parent Consultation click here: https://www.bespokefamily.co.uk/parent-consultations    ‘Your Guide to...’ (our downloadable webinars including behaviour, toilet training, sleep and more)  This podcast is produced by Decibelle Creative

July going into August is a month of birthdays and celebrations for us – starting with our business birthday at the end of July, Becks’s dog Olive’s birthday on 1st August (!), then Becks and her twins (all on the same day!), Claire’s birthday exactly a week after and then Becks’s husband at the end of August! So, we thought that this was the ideal time to look at birthdays, presents, parties and everything that goes along with it! We spoke about: Why birthdays are Becks’s very favourite thing!  Baby’s first birthdays (they don’t know..!) Birthday parties – for all ages and how the most important thing is making it personal for everyone and celebrating as a family together.   Inviting the WHOLE class from school (and the associated presents!)! How parties can be quite overwhelming if the birthday girl / boy doesn’t like being the centre of attention. Present alternatives – perhaps give experiences instead (thanks @nannyanita – they are quite often better as a gift for older children). Parties – thanks to Mel @sleepNannymelaniehastings – who suggested picking a theme for the party to help keep focus on the party planning. Claire’s party project for nanny training (and her duck cake..!). Birthday cakes (and some of Becks’s creations for the twins’ birthdays!!). Birthday build up and managing expectations and emotions. Birthdays and multiple children – twins, triplets and more. Christmas and New Year birthdays. Party bags (no whistles please!). Ps – following up on something we said in this episode, Ben actually pulled it out of the bag and ended up giving Amy a beautiful Pandora charm for her birthday 😊!  Instagram - @bespokefamily / Facebook - @bespokefamily  For information about a Bespoke Family Parent Consultation click here: https://www.bespokefamily.co.uk/parent-consultations    ‘Your Guide to...’ (our downloadable webinars including behaviour, toilet training, sleep and more)   This podcast is produced by Decibelle Creative

Co-parenting mentor Sarah joined us from Australia for the podcast! She specialises in supporting (mainly) women and their children when relationships break down. We talked about: The importance of putting children first, but how difficult it is when your co-parent isn't on the same page as you in terms of their approach. How Sarah started working in the field having had her own traumatic personal experience and being a co-parent herself. How Sarah coaches parents to regain their confidence and ‘step into their power’. Sarah’s recommendations for effective communication when co-parenting along with what parallel parenting looks like  Narcissistic ex-partners, what this means and Sarah’s advice when faced with that level of challenge in a co-parenting relationship How all co-parenting relationships can be tricky and how making sure you are focussed on the children is of paramount importance. The ripple effect of the wider / extended family - the opinions and ‘sides’ that come with this and how to navigate it all. The importance of a support system and identifying who is on ‘team me’. Recognising that you are a ‘good girl people pleaser’ and breaking this cycle for the sake of your children.  Sarah’s 3 key tips for your co-parenting journey. Find Sarah @unshakeablecoparenting on Instagram where she has something for every stage of coparenting. Although Sarah is based in Australia, she works with parents all over the world. Instagram - @bespokefamily / Facebook - @bespokefamily  For information about a Bespoke Family Parent Consultation click here: https://www.bespokefamily.co.uk/parent-consultations    ‘Your Guide to...’ (our downloadable webinars including behaviour, toilet training, sleep and more)  This podcast is produced by Decibelle Creative

Janine is mum of 2 children, who are now 10 and 12.  She runs her own business helping coaches and consultants with their marketing and sales. We spoke to Janine about: Whether there is such a thing as a natural born parent and Janine’s feelings on this. The stress of getting children out of the house - mum guilt and shouting at children! How taking an online parenting course when the children were around 2 and 4 changed things for Janine. ‘Feeling maternal’ - the expectation that everything should come naturally to parents and how we haven’t replaced the ‘village’ that helped us to raise our children. Having a growth mindset and how this helped Janine to develop in her parenting. How Janine felt that she lost her identity and that her world had shrunk when she had her children. How having her own business helped her to get her identity back.  Three things Janine would say to herself as a new mum.   Instagram - @bespokefamily / Facebook - @bespokefamily  For information about a Bespoke Family Parent Consultation click here: https://www.bespokefamily.co.uk/parent-consultations    ‘Your Guide to...’ (our downloadable webinars including behaviour, toilet training, sleep and more)  This podcast is produced by Decibelle Creative

Founder of Onle Networking (an online business network) Kelly West, talked to us about her daughter Kennedy (16) who has global development delay (she has a cognitive age of 2-3) as well as about her business which she founded 5 years ago with her husband and her older daughter.  We discussed:  How they love people which is why the business was founded (Kelly met her husband at networking!) All about Kennedy the signs the family first saw in her and the challenges the family had and still face especially with the lack of support the family have received.  The experiences Kennedy had in mainstream school and how this currently looks for the family moving forward. How Kennedy will never be able to live independently and how Kelly navigates this for the future, including how this and other sensitive topics (like death for example) can be communicated to Kennedy. A behaviour (PBS) group that Kelly attended and how helpful she found it. The challenges of going out and about with Kennedy and how Kelly deals with situations that arise. Using the sunflower lanyard. The autistic spectrum and the huge difference between the ‘severity’ of how this affects different people.  How Kelly manages the demands of the business alongside the needs of Kennedy and how exhausting it can be day to day. How Kelly does (or doesn’t) look after herself...and how she is OK with that. The positive support networks that Kelly would recommend and how she also is very open to having conversations with people in the same kind of situation.  Kelly’s business – OnleNetworking Linked in - @KellyWest Instagram - @bespokefamily / Facebook - @bespokefamily  For information about a Bespoke Family Parent Consultation click here: https://www.bespokefamily.co.uk/parent-consultations    ‘Your Guide to...’ (our downloadable webinars includingbehaviour, toilet training, sleep and more)  This podcast is produced by Decibelle Creative

Rebecca started her business when her children were quite young (the youngest was starting school) and she wanted to ‘find her thing’. We chatted about: Rebecca's background – she set up an outsourcing agency ‘Get Ahead’ in 2010 working with companies to provide Virtual Assistants (VAs).  Having an open mind and a confidence to see where things go and how setting up a business feels like nurturing another child! Balancing having a family and young children when setting up a business and how Rebecca managed it. The challenges Rebecca faced along the way, how she tackled them and the impact this has had on the children and how they have developed. How Rebecca transfers what she did when setting up her business to the VAs (who Rebecca calls ‘Virtual Experts’) working in the business empowering them to also work around their families. Lockdown and how nothing really changed for Rebecca during that time (except for having the children at home!) and how the authenticity of working from home has been made so much easier since then. Work / life balance and whether there is such a thing for people running their own business. The joy of WhatsApp!! Empty Nesting, the children in your life and how that feels for Rebecca and other business owners. Rebecca’s proud moments and 3 tips for parents setting up their own business!  Get Ahead VA (Rebecca’s company) - https://getaheadva.com/ Get Ahead VA on Instagram - getaheadva Instagram - @bespokefamily / Facebook - @bespokefamily  For information about a Bespoke Family Parent Consultation click here: https://www.bespokefamily.co.uk/parent-consultations    ‘Your Guide to...’ (our downloadable webinars including behaviour, toilet training, sleep and more)  This podcast is produced by Decibelle Creative

Cate is a Senior Associate at Kingsley Napley and spoke to us about what’s involved when parents divorce.  We covered: The 3 strands to a divorce – the divorce itself, the finances, the children. No fault divorce and what it is / what it means. What happens when courts get involved in terms of making an order about how the children spend their time between parents and whether there is any flexibility. Particular patterns of how to share the care of children that Cate would recommend to parents. How long the divorce process can take particularly when children are involved. Mediation and how that works as part of the process. What happens if you aren’t married and have children but want to separate.  Whether there is such a thing as common law marriage in the UK. Child maintenance, what it is and how it is calculated (link below). Cate’s tips for communicating your breakup with your child/ren and managing the relationship going forward.  Cate’s tips for trying to avoid an acrimonious divorce including making sure you have lots of people and systems around to support you both. Having goals in place for the future with your children and the importance of communicating these to your lawyer.  Pre-nups / post-nups – the law around these and how they work. Instagram - @bespokefamily / Facebook - @bespokefamily  Kingsley Napley Family Law - https://www.kingsleynapley.co.uk/insights/blogs/family-law-blog About Cate - https://www.kingsleynapley.co.uk/our-people/cate-maguire Child maintenance calculator - https://www.gov.uk/calculate-child-maintenance One of the Apps Cate recommends – Our Family Wizard   Our co-parenting blog - https://www.bespokefamily.co.uk/blog/coparenting For information about a Bespoke Family Parent Consultation click here: https://www.bespokefamily.co.uk/parent-consultations    ‘Your Guide to...’ (our downloadable webinars including behaviour, toilet training, sleep and more) - get 25% off any guide with the code ‘PODCAST’     This podcast is produced by Decibelle Creative

Laura was born and raised in Southern California and has been in London since 2021.  She is the daughter of an Occupational Therapist (OT) and now runs a private practice – Kid Kind Collective and works with children as a Paediatric OT. We spoke about: What an OT actually does (Becks had no idea!) and why they do what they do in terms of outcomes for the children. How OTs help people be adaptive with how they get to the end goal. All about sensory processing – what this means and how an OT can help as a ‘sensory detective’ and getting the whole family involved with this.  How an OT can help when children just can’t sit still (more detective work!) How you can get your child referred to an OT and what happens at their first appointment (often work can start before an ADHD or Autism diagnosis for example). The link with emotional regulation and how the work that an OT does to support children can impact on this. Laura’s top 3 things that she loves about being an OT. What Laura’s childhood was like as the daughter of an OT and what she learnt. Instagram - @bespokefamily / Facebook - @bespokefamily  Laura’s website:  https://www.kid-kind.com/ For information about a Bespoke Family Parent Consultation click here: https://www.bespokefamily.co.uk/parent-consultations    ‘Your Guide to...’ (our downloadable webinars including behaviour, toilet training, sleep and more) - get 25% off any guide with the code ‘PODCAST’     This podcast is produced by Decibelle Creative

This is a topic close to Becks’s heart as she starts to prepare for both of her children leaving home for university. One of Becks’s friends asked us to record this episode – so here you are! We spoke about: How it’s a different milestone to going to childcare / school for the first time. The social media phenomenon of making the most of ‘18 summers with your children’...what we think! The feelings and emotions that you have and the stages that you go through when your child/ren leave home. How Claire felt sad for her parents when she left home for college and how it’s important to think about how you manage the situation as a parent. Preparing for the empty nest and the importance of planning for you; what can you do that you have always wanted to?  Teaching your child/ren life skills and how key this is to prepare them! How they will still need you (and the fact that they might come back..!!!!!)! Instagram - @bespokefamily / Facebook - @bespokefamily  For information about a Bespoke Family Parent Consultation click here: https://www.bespokefamily.co.uk/parent-consultations    ‘Your Guide to...’ (our downloadable webinars including behaviour, toilet training, sleep and more) - get 25% off any guide with the code ‘PODCAST’     This podcast is produced by Decibelle Creative

Please note that Meriel was a surrogate in the US and rules in each country are very different – to find out more about surrogacy rules in the UK you can find them here and more information on surrogacy in the UK here. Meriel is a three times surrogate from the United States. She was blessed to help two families achieve the dream of completing their families through surrogacy. She currently works for an agency as a surrogacy journey coordinator, where she is passionate about helping to create families and supporting other women who wish to embark on the amazing and fulfilling journey of becoming surrogates.  We spoke to Meriel about: What made her decide to become a surrogate and how her family and others reacted (including some funny stories!). What surrogacy is, who might use a surrogate and why that might be. Some terminology and the process for both the family and the surrogate. The contact that the surrogate has with the family throughout the pregnancy and beyond. The labour experience and who shared the labour room with Meriel when she had the babies and how special she tried to make it for everyone involved. What being a surrogate means to Meriel, the joy she took from it and how it has shaped her and her life as it is now as a surrogacy journey coordinator. Some of the rules around surrogacy and being a surrogate as well as the support that there is for surrogates. Keeping in touch with the families after the birth of their baby and whether that happens. Who is on the birth certificate and legalities (spoiler it can be quite complicated – especially in the US!). How research into the best surrogacy path is SO vital! https://www.collectivesurrogacy.com/ - the agency where Meriel works and where you can find her blogs Meriel on LinkedIn Read our blog where we talked to Simon Berney Edwards about his experience of surrogacy here. Instagram - @bespokefamily / Facebook - @bespokefamily  For information about a Bespoke Family Parent Consultation click here: https://www.bespokefamily.co.uk/parent-consultations    ‘Your Guide to...’ (our downloadable webinars including behaviour, toilet training, sleep and more) - get 25% off any guide with the code ‘PODCAST’     This podcast is produced by Decibelle Creative

We spoke to Hayley and Becky from Paths to Parent Hub. We first came across Paths to Parent Hub when we listened to their podcast following a recommendation from a friend. We started with Hayley and Becky sharing their own stories with us. Hayley is a donor conceived person herself and is also a parent of twins through sperm donation. Becky was diagnosed with early menopause at 28 – she and her husband did 5 rounds of IVF and then decided to use an egg donor to have her 3 children. Both Hayley and Becky shared their stories on the internet and found each other there. Becky created Paths to Parent Hub (a membership platform) during lockdown to support people in similar situations to themselves and it now has over 1000 members. We also talked about: When and how Hayley found out that she was a donor conceived person and the reasons she talks about her story now. Talking with donor conceived children about how they came to be and dealing with their questions, and those from family and friends. The laws around donor conception and the parallels with adoption.  The experience that Becky had abroad in finding an egg donor and how she feels now about having chosen to have an anonymous donor.  Whether there is a limit on how many families one donor can produce and how this differs around the world. The reasons someone might want / need to use a donor.  Hayley’s experience when finding her parent sperm donor. Terminology around donor conception.  The information you get about a donor when choosing and how the matching works. What Hayley and Becky would say to people considering donor conception. About Paths to Parent Hub and the support, information and connection opportunities. Instagram - @bespokefamily / Facebook - @bespokefamily / @pathstoparenthub / @definingmum  @dcp_journey_2_rp Paths to Parent Hub website All things donor conception  - Hayley’s website Paths to Parent Hub podcast For information about a Bespoke Family Parent Consultation click here: https://www.bespokefamily.co.uk/parent-consultations    ‘Your Guide to...’ (our downloadable webinars including behaviour, toilet training, sleep and more) - get 25% off any guide with the code ‘PODCAST’     This podcast is produced by Decibelle Creative

Lee is Becks’s ‘Boxing trainer’ - (well kind of 😉!) and a personal trainer (to real boxers!). He is also a stay-at-home dad looking after his little girl Beaux which started when she was 3 months old. We talked to Lee about: As a couple how Lee and his wife came to the decision that Lee would be the main carer and how he felt about it. The reaction from friends and family to Lee staying at home with his little one. How he and his wife prepared for parenthood (reading blogs, books, listening to podcasts (ours) and talking to other parents) and how important routine and consistency was for them. The importance of working together as a team, communicating about next steps and what might need to be changed etc. How Lee fills his weeks with Beaux doing groups, dancing, swimming, crafts and play. Fitting in at baby and toddler groups and what it feels like to often be the only dad there.  How Lee feels really lucky to be able to spend this amount of time with his daughter. Being an only child – the worries Lee has about Beaux being one (Claire is one too so no need to worry 😉). Dads and daughters and the wonderful bond they can have! What Lee would say to other stay at home / solo dads. Read our blogs about dads and supporting dads here - https://www.bespokefamily.co.uk/blog/gettingtoknowmarkwilliams?rq=dadhttps://www.bespokefamily.co.uk/blog/supportingdads?rq=dad Socials: Instagram - @bespokefamily / Facebook - @bespokefamily For information about a Parent Consultation click here: https://www.bespokefamily.co.uk/parent-consultations    ‘Your Guide to...’ (our downloadable webinars including behaviour, toilet training, sleep and more) - get 25% off any guide with the code ‘PODCAST’     This podcast is produced by Decibelle Creative

You probably already know Susie Amy – perhaps from Footballer’s Wives or maybe from Hollyoaks or as a stage actress (we recently saw her in Fatal Attraction).  We do too, but we are also lucky to know Susie via a mutual friend who gave her a gift of some time with Claire when her first baby was born. Susie didn’t feel for a while that she was ready to use this gift straight away – she felt instead that her baby didn’t like / need sleep and was just a bit different! When Claire spent some time with Susie and her family a routine was introduced and they haven’t looked back! We talked to Susie about: The importance of sleep (and how more sleep means better sleep)! When Claire had worked with her and Raff to introduce a routine - they stuck to it like glue and responded to their baby’s sleep signals, Noa immediately responded! How predictability is important to all of us and how Susie has found the children’s routine helpful for her as well. The responsibility of having a baby feeling huge, but how just a few tweaks and a routine can help so much. Trusting your instincts as a parent. Being nap trapped and how it doesn’t have to be a negative thing! Restorative naps and where these work best. Morning, bedtime and bathtime routines and how important they are from the start. How the best gift for a new parent is support! Instagram - @bespokefamily / Facebook - @bespokefamily  ‘Your Guide to...’ (our downloadable webinars including behaviour, toilet training, sleep and more) - get 25% off any guide with the code ‘PODCAST’     For information about a Parent Consultation click here: https://www.bespokefamily.co.uk/parent-consultations     This podcast is produced by Decibelle Creative

If not, you must listen to this podcast! We spoke to Bik-ki Wong and Helen Thompson who are both partners at Myerson solicitors Bik-ki is responsible for wills, trust and probate and Helen heads up the department that looks after contesting wills. We talked to Bik-ki about: What happens if you don’t write a will? Doesn’t it just go to my husband / wife?  Not necessarily, Bik-ki explained. And what happens if you aren’t married? How many people we know who don’t have a will and don’t want to think about it. The fact that a will doesn’t have to be expensive; you can have a simple one drawn up and there are charities that might write a simple one for you. What happens if you both die and don’t have a will or are a sole / single parent? Appointing a guardian, how you do this and the implications. Some real-life case studies of families who realised they needed to make a will for example because of illness or divorce. How often you should review your will once it has been written. Some of the terminology and responsibilities. The role of an Executor, Trustee, Guardian, how many you should have and things to consider when choosing them. How having family planning meetings around writing wills can be helpful. 3 things that Bik-Ki would say to someone who doesn't have a will. And we talked to Helen about: What happens when... a will is challenged and the associated issues and conflicts. there isn’t a will and the intestacy rules that come in to play where the law decides what happens. for example, a child isn’t provided for in a will because a will hasn’t been updated. Considerations for blended families, step families, solo parents, single parents etc. 3 things to consider when looking at issues with a will. Instagram: @myersonsolicitors @bespokefamily / Facebook - @bespokefamily More information about Myerson can be found here - https://www.myerson.co.uk/ Contact Myerson about making a will hereGovernment information on making a will: https://www.gov.uk/make-will Read our bereavement blogs here including a blog from Bik-Ki about writing a will  ‘Your Guide to...’ (our downloadable webinars including behaviour, toilet training, sleep and more) - get 25% off any guide with the code ‘PODCAST’     For information about a Parent Consultation click here: https://www.bespokefamily.co.uk/parent-consultations     This podcast is produced by Decibelle Creative