How Not to Screw Up Your Kids

Is bedtime a battle?
Does your child wake through the night?
Or are you simply unsure whether your child is getting enough sleep?

Most parents think of sleep as “rest”, but once you understand what sleep is actually doing inside your child’s developing brain, everything changes.

In today’s episode, I break down the science behind sleep - what it really says about memory consolidation, emotional regulation, growth, immunity and mental health, and how chronic sleep loss shows up in behaviour in more ways than just yawning!

I’ll walk you through age‑by‑age sleep guidelines, the neuroscience behind sleep, why some children wake repeatedly, why teenagers genuinely can’t fall asleep early, and how circadian rhythm disruptions quietly sabotage bedtime.

And I also share with you five practical, proven things that genuinely help, and you can start doing them tonight.

Sleep isn’t a luxury. It’s the foundation of learning, behaviour, resilience and emotional wellbeing. Once you understand this, you’ll never look at bedtime the same way again.
So take a seat, pour yourself a cuppa, and enjoy the conversation…

Highlights from this episode:
01:00 - Your child does 4 things in sleep that they do not do awake
04:27 - Sleep is not a luxury item
08:02 - How much sleep does your child need?
11:40 - Learnt sleep associations
16:34 - 5 things that actually help
23:11 - Practical things you can do

💚 Please share with at least one friend, and let’s build our village together

💚 For all previous episodes, and to submit episode topics you want me to talk about, visit https://drmaryhan.com/podcast/

💚 For the free resource library, visit https://drmaryhan.com/library

💚 Join our campaign One Million Moments to reduce the number of children struggling with mental health challenges from 17% to 10% by 2025

💚 Brands and advertisers, email contact@drmaryhan.com

DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today, I’m diving deep into one of the most emotionally charged parts of parenting: your child’s friendships.
I’ll show you how to read what their social world is really telling you, how to recognise what’s developmentally normal, and how to support them without stepping in too fast or taking over.
I will explain the difference between friendship friction and genuine red flags, how to coach your child from the sidelines, and how to make home the safest place for them to talk about their social world. I also unpack the unique challenges neurodiverse children face in friendships and give you clear, practical things you can right now to help.
If you’ve ever worried about your child being left out, dropped, overwhelmed, or stuck in friendship drama, this episode will give you clarity, confidence, and a roadmap for what to do next.
So take a seat, pour yourself a cuppa, and enjoy the conversation…

Highlights from this episode:
00:46 - Friendships are developmental
04:45 - The foundations of a healthy friendship
11:11 - Things you can do
15:05 - Quality over quantity
18:39 - Know what is age appropriate
22:25 - The three parts of an apology

💚 Please share with at least one friend, and let’s build our village together

💚 For all previous episodes, and to submit episode topics you want me to talk about, visit https://drmaryhan.com/podcast/

💚 For the free resource library, visit https://drmaryhan.com/library

💚 Join our campaign One Million Moments to reduce the number of children struggling with mental health challenges from 17% to 10% by 2025

💚 Brands and advertisers, email contact@drmaryhan.com

DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Spoiler alert: a tantrum isn’t bad behaviour. It’s a developmental event that happens when your kid’s nervous system is really overwhelmed.
When your children have tantrums, it is never a reflection of you or your parenting. It’s a completely normal and age appropriate thing.
So in this episode, I’m diving into the world of toddler tantrums - what causes them, what happens in your child’s brain at that moment, and the five things that genuinely help.
You’ll learn why reasoning never works during a meltdown, how your calm becomes their co‑regulation, why naming the feeling (not the behaviour) changes everything, and how staying close and reconnecting afterwards builds emotional regulation, resilience, confidence and long‑term self‑belief.
If you’ve ever felt stuck, frustrated or unsure how to respond when your toddler explodes, this episode gives you a clear, compassionate roadmap that works.
So take a seat, pour yourself a cuppa, and enjoy the conversation…

Highlights from this episode:
00:58 - The spiky beaker
03:36 - Look through a wide lens
09:10 - Co-regulation
11:06 - Do not try to reason
16:20 - Name the feeling

💚 Please share with at least one friend, and let’s build our village together

💚 For all previous episodes, and to submit episode topics you want me to talk about, visit https://drmaryhan.com/podcast/

💚 For the free resource library, visit https://drmaryhan.com/library

💚 Join our campaign One Million Moments to reduce the number of children struggling with mental health challenges from 17% to 10% by 2025

💚 Brands and advertisers, email contact@drmaryhan.com

DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How do you know if your child is confident, or just masking?
In today’s episode, I explain the two core skills that create genuine, lifelong confidence, and once you understand these foundations, helping your child become braver, more resilient, and more willing to try new things becomes so much easier.
I walk you through the wide‑lens approach I use with families, showing you how confidence grows through lived experience AND I share the five practical strategies I recommend for toddlers, primary‑aged children, and teenagers.
If you’ve ever worried about a child who won’t try new things, who crumbles at the first sign of difficulty, or who compares themselves harshly to others, this episode will give you the language and mindset to help them grow real confidence from the inside out.
So take a seat, pour yourself a cuppa, and enjoy the conversation…

Highlights from this episode:
01:06 - Confidence is not fearless
05:28 - Self-effigacy and self-worth
09:47 - Confidence is trying anyway
13:41 - How to deal with pre-schoolers
17:13 - Age and stage appropriate levels
21:48 - Watch the labels
27:42 - Separate worth from performance
32:42 - Hold first, help second

💚 Please share with at least one friend, and let’s build our village together

💚 For all previous episodes, and to submit episode topics you want me to talk about, visit https://drmaryhan.com/podcast/

💚 For the free resource library, visit https://drmaryhan.com/library

💚 Join our campaign One Million Moments to reduce the number of children struggling with mental health challenges from 17% to 10% by 2025

💚 Brands and advertisers, email contact@drmaryhan.com

DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you’ve ever asked your children “How was school?” and received “Fine”, “I don’t know”, or total silence, you’re not alone. Our children walk through the door with a full emotional bucket, tired from holding themselves together all day, so the usual questions just don’t work.
In today’s bucket emptying episode, I give you five simple questions you can start using today that help your kids open and help you connect deeper and communicate better.
If you want to strengthen your relationship with your child, reduce after‑school battles, and finally hear what their day was really like, this episode gives you the exact language and structure to do it.
These five questions are so much more than ice-breakers.
So take a seat, pour yourself a cuppa, and enjoy the conversation…

Highlights from this episode:
00:55 - Stop asking impossible questions
04:09 - Talking is not the same as being ready to connect
08:09 - Consistency is safe
10:26 - Plant the seeds
12:40 - The 5 questions

💚 Please share with at least one friend, and let’s build our village together

💚 For all previous episodes, and to submit episode topics you want me to talk about, visit https://drmaryhan.com/podcast/

💚 For the free resource library, visit https://drmaryhan.com/library

💚 Join our campaign One Million Moments to reduce the number of children struggling with mental health challenges from 17% to 10% by 2025

💚 Brands and advertisers, email contact@drmaryhan.com

DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.