CBeebies Parenting

TikTok couple, Caitlin and Leah join Charlie and Holly to talk about the realities of LBTQ parenting: answering awkward “who’s the real mum?” questions, raising kids in a same-sex relationship and the real story behind how they got together.
Special guests Stuart and Francis also send in their question.

Parenting through unimaginable loss: Kelsey Parker, widow of Tom Parker (The Wanted) shares how she navigates grief, resilience and raising children after losing a partner and experiencing child loss. 
Callers share their experiences of navigating child and sibling loss while continuing to parent.
If you or someone you know is grieving, support can be found via organisations listed at BBC Action Line.

Parenting styles and advice shift across decades as guidance on sleep, discipline and children’s autonomy changes. Katie Thistleton and Guvna B ask what truly evolves from one generation to the next and how parents and grandparents can compare approaches without friction.
Sophie Ellis-Bextor, singer and mum of five, focuses on keeping core values consistent while tailoring responses to each child. She highlights the importance of communication, aiming for two way respect and staying flexible when one child needs a different approach from a sibling.
Janet Ellis MBE, former Blue Peter presenter, mum of three and grandmother of six, shares her simple grandparent rule of thumb. Wait to be asked, stay supportive without taking over and respect the parents’ non negotiables so everyone remains on the same team.
Clinical psychologist Dr Tara Porter explains why good enough, relationship first parenting, balanced with firm but kind boundaries, tends to serve children better than more extreme parenting approaches.
For more ideas and parenting resources, visit the CBeebies Parenting website.
Get in touch: [email protected] or WhatsApp 0800 022 4808.

Katie Thistleton and Guvna B raced to the studio to record a bonus episode to find out what the new government guidance on screen time for under-fives in England means for parents.
BBC Education and Family Editor Branwen Jeffreys and Clinical Psychologist Dr Martha Deiros Collado join them to examine this new advice and share their screen time tips.
You can find more advice around screen time for under-fives on the CBeebies Parenting website.
You can also check out the government’s Best Start in Life site for more information around the guidance mentioned in the podcast.

Matrescence is the physical, psychological and emotional changes you go through after the birth of your child, but despite being coined over 50 years ago, it is a word many still don’t understand.
In this episode, Katie Thistleton and Guvna B explore how pregnancy and early parenthood can reshape the brain, alter priorities and change identity. They discuss why moving beyond the phrase ‘baby brain’ helps parents feel understood, and how recognising a real transition can change expectations at home, in friendships and at work.
BBC Health and Science Reporter Smitha Mundasad shares insight from the Be Mother project in Spain, which scanned the brains of 127 pregnant volunteers and found neurological changes in mothers-to-be. Smitha explored this in her documentary Baby Brain: What’s really going on?
Author, podcast host and Motherkind founder Zoe Blaskey shares her own experience of matrescence and the work she's been doing to raise awareness of these changes with other parents and businesses. She also sets matrescence as a life stage alongside adolescence, to frame it as a normal developmental process.
There is information and support for pregnancy related issues on the BBC Action Line website www.bbc.co.uk/actionline.
For more ideas and resources, visit the CBeebies Parenting website.
Get in touch: [email protected] or WhatsApp 0800 022 4808