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Think your child might have autism? My guest today is Child & Adolescent Therapist Laura Gwilt, an expert in autism, how to spot it and help your child thrive. Welcome back to Brummie Mummies. My name is Zoe Chamberlain, I’m a journalist, author and mum. I launched Brummie Mummies as a community for families to share with you stories from the most inspiring mums and dads to help you find out how they juggle family life and everything that comes with it. Let’s get straight into talking to Laura from Swift Psychology about the symptoms to look out for and what we can do, as parents, to help our kids Discover more of Laura’s advice on the BirminghamLive website and Brummie Mummies Facebook and Instagram pages and via  swiftpsychology.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Having children is so expensive but now a Solihull mum has come up with a way to help parents save a fortune - by buying and selling kids pre-loved kids’ clothes for a fraction of their original price. Mum-of-two Jenny Charman bought second hand items for her boys and has used the money she’s saved to enjoy family experiences and create memories together instead. She has a shop in Solihull called Kids2Kids Preloved where she offers a range of clothes, shoes, fancy dress costumes and a games and book corner for families to stock up on everything they need without blowing the budget. Find out more about Kids2Kids Preloved on the BirminghamLive website and Brummie Mummies Facebook and Instagram pages and via Jenny’s website www.kids2kidspreloved.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When sisters Fallon Taylor and Paige Coyle set up Gaia Roots wellness, they had no idea they’d end up offering their services for free to young people in need. But the caring pair realised too many people were falling down a mental health gap and not getting the support they needed. So, they invited therapist Kayleigh Cunningham to join them and turned their business into a charity, providing free workshops and wellness activities to help people manage stress, combat isolation and take back control of their wellbeing. Find out more about the Gaia Roots Foundation, how you can get involved and what we can do, as parents, to help our kids. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kids grow up so quickly. It feels like you blink and they’re at school, blink again and they’re teenagers. Mum-of-two Ruth Sturdy has come up with a novel way of recording every part of growing up by way of an annual ritual. The Colour Chronicles are a series of keepsake books that children can fill out with their parents, answering questions and drawing pictures to help capture that moment in time each birthday. Find out more about Colour Chronicles on the BirminghamLive website and Brummie Mummies Facebook and Instagram pages and via Ruth’s website colourchronicles.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What do you wish you’d known when you were a teenager? That’s what today’s podcast is all about. Sixteen to 24 year olds are the loneliest age group in the UK, according to Office of National Statistics research. Inspired by the issues raised in crime drama Adolescence, experts at Swift Psychology in Birmingham asked people from different backgrounds to share advice they’d like to have received when they were younger. They have created a series of I Wish I’d Known videos to help trigger conversations between the generations.  Today I’m talking to Child & Adolescent Therapist Laura Gwilt about the ways we can help and reassure our children. Discover more of Laura’s advice on the BirminghamLive website and Brummie Mummies Facebook and Instagram pages and via  swiftpsychology.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s exhausting when your child is struggling to sleep. You’ve tweaked their daytime nap, you’ve given them an early tea and a relaxing bath and made sure they haven’t got colic or reflux. And still they won’t sleep. Don’t despair! My guest today is sleep expert Heidi Skudder from Positively Parenthood. I chatted to her ahead of her appearance at The Baby Show at Birmingham NEC where she shared some brilliant advice on helping your little one drift off to the land of nod. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today’s podcast is all about being school ready. A recent report has shown that many children are not what it calls ‘school ready' by the time they reach reception.  The Kindred Squared survey revealed big gaps in communication and focus, with children not being able to listen, respond to instructions, sit still or play with classmates together with issues around toilet training, being able to dress and to eat independently. The government has pledged to boost the proportion of children achieving a 'good' level of development from the current 67% to 75% by 2028. Today we're talking to Jenni Downes, principal at Erdington Hall Primary School, about her experiences of kids being school ready, and whether she thinks the government pledge is both necessary and achievable. She also has lots of tips on what we can do, as parents, to help our kids to be school ready. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What if there was one piece of parenting advice that probably trumps everything you’ve ever been told? I feel like today’s guest shared that with me when we met ahead of her appearing at The Baby Show at Birmingham NEC. As one of the UK’s leading early years parent coaches and a former nanny who studied psychology, Heidi Skudder uses her hands-on experience to empower parents via her Positively Parenthood platform. She offers tips on everything from sleep and weaning to potty training and toddler tantrums. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The thought of an accident or emergency strikes fear into the heart of every parent. But the key is to stay calm and not panic. And the only way to do that is to know what to do should the worst situation arise. Our guest today is Nicole Barnard who runs Daisy First Aid courses across the Midlands. She says that having practical techniques up your sleeve - and the right things in your first aid kit - can help build your confidence in your ability to know what to do if and when needed. She will be running workshops at The Baby Show at Birmingham NEC from May 9 to 11, 2025. Discover more of Nicole’s advice on the BirminghamLive website and Brummie Mummies Facebook and Instagram pages and the Daisyfirstaid.com website Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

My guest today is Miranda de Freston who set up Happy Confident Kids with her friend Laura Dumbleton-Jones in a bid to help children of all ages develop confidence and resilience with a toolkit of coaching and time spent in nature. They share their workshops with parents, teachers and sports coaches in a bid to make a real change by helping young people learn skills that can last a lifetime. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Which foods are best for boosting your child’s immune system to stop them bringing home bugs? And which help boost their brains in time for exams? To find out we chatted to Natasha Maynard, company nutritionist for Tesco, which has just invested £4m into Fruit & Veg for Schools and is even putting slow cookers in the classroom. Let’s find out how to kickstart our kids' health, even on a really tight budget. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Starting school is a huge deal for all families so it's not surprising we, as parents, feel pressured to get it right. My guest today is here to help. Adam Ames is headteacher at Pegasus Primary in Castle Vale and has loads of advice on making sure you choose the right school for your family, what questions to ask when you visit and what signs to look out for. Let’s get straight into talking to him now. Find out more about choosing the right school for your child by reading more of Adam’s tips on the Birmingham Live website nad on the BM Insta and Facebook pages. You can download or stream all our Brummie Mummies episodes on all major podcasting platforms, including Spotify and Apple.  Please share this episode with anyone you think might find it useful, follow Brummie Mummies on social media and sign up to our free newsletter. See you next time! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For lots of families, rising costs mean we can only afford to do one festive event this Christmas. So you really need to make it count. Today I’m joined by Olivia Shepard, a teacher and event organiser at Statfold Country Park for her tips on making one event the focus of a whole month of festive activities - without spending an extra penny. Find out more about Statfold’s Magical Santa Express by visiting Statfold.com You can download or stream all our Brummie Mummies episodes on all major podcasting platforms, including Spotify and Apple. Please share this episode with anyone you think might find it useful, follow Brummie Mummies on social media and sign up to our free newsletter. See you next time! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Liz Deutsch was just six weeks old when she was discovered in a shopping basket under a hedge in Edgbaston. She’d been abandoned in hand-knitted clothes. Remarkably, with the help of the Birmingham Mail and the ITV show Long Lost Family: Born Without Trace, Liz has managed to track down her family decades later - but it’s led to even more questions. Liz is sharing her story in a bid to help others trying to trace long lost family members. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The number of children being referred to NHS mental health services in England for anxiety has hit the highest level ever recorded, according to a Guardian investigation. Our guest today is mum-of-three Esther Marshall whose beloved sister Rebecca committed suicide as a result of anxiety. She has bravely turned this into something positive in a bid to help children avoid harmful stereotypes - creating a series of children’s books called Sophie Says which celebrate a world where kids grow up never doubting whether they are included. Having worked in diversity and inclusion for Unilever, Esther was shocked when she went on maternity leave and discovered a lack of diversity in the books she read to her son Asher so she decided to write her own books showing that both girls and boys can achieve anything that they set their minds to and that it’s sometimes okay not to be okay. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices