Serene Child Consultancy

20/10/2025

Hello!

Just to let you all know, I am in an area with very low signal and no WiFi this week. I will try and reply to messages and emails as fast as possible but please bear with me if the replies aren’t as fast as usual.

08/10/2025

Hi Everyone!👋 It's good to be back after some time away.

I'm Mhairi, Director of Serene Child Consultancy.

My Journey started working as a Norland Nanny in households across the UK and around the world. I’ve been right there in the heart of family life — witnessing the laughter, the chaos, the love, and the challenges that come with raising little humans.

Here's what I discovered: even the most incredible parents, carers and professionals I met were doing their absolute best, yet still felt stuck, judged, or completely alone when facing children's big feelings and challenging behaviour.

That had to change.

So I created Serene Child Consultancy - think of it as a calm corner in a noisy world. A space where people can talk openly, get clear strategies, and leave feeling lighter and more confident in their parenting abilities.

What we do:
· We provide in person and online consultancy sessions and packages to parents and carers facing parenting challenges.

· Offer short, one-off calls for parents who just have some unanswered questions.

· We cover Sleep, Behaviour, Fussy Eating, Weaning and Potty Training.

Outside of work, I'm all about finding joy in the little things - good food, travel and new cultures. And — in a recent act of curiosity or madness — I’ve taken up running. Time will tell how that story ends, but for now, I’m enjoying the journey (most of the time). 🏃‍♀️

What I'd love to know: What's the biggest challenge you're facing or faced while raising young children? Let's start a conversation below. 👇

29/09/2025

The final trip of summer was an extra special one!

I can’t quite believe it is already the end of September.

Summer at Serene was very busy with lots of nannying.
I’ve just returned from my final trip of summer working on the stunning Ardverikie Estate!

We are now back with lots of availability for consultancy. Whether you are looking for an in-depth consultancy package, or you’re just a parent with a few questions, we can certainly help.

As always, let us know if there is any specific content you would like to see!

05/07/2025

This weeks recipe is a little different. It doesn’t have fruit or vegetables…… but flowers! It’s Elderflower Jelly!

All you need is 250ml elderflower cordial, 650ml of hot water and 20g of geletin.

Combine the elderflower cordial and hot water and then gradually stir in the gelatine until it is all dissolved. Place in the fridge for roughly 4 hours and it should now be jelly! I had mine with ice cream and it was so yummy!

Comment cordial if you would like us to send you our elderflower cordial recipe!

30/06/2025

Newborn sleep can be a topic of much frustration for new parents. The sleepless nights in the early days can be a real challenge. Here are a few things you can do to try and promote sleep in newborns.
1. Differentiate between day and night - It is really important that when your baby is napping during the day, naps are in daylight/rooms with lights on. Also continue your every day activities around baby sleeping. For example, talking, tv, cooking and hovering. For night time sleep keep the lights dim, have a quieter environment and try to keep interaction during feeding and changing to a minimum.
2. Create a consistent and calming bedtime routine - It is really important to keep the evening routine short. For example a quick calming bath, massage and then feed. Try to do the routine at the same time each night.
3. Give baby a full feed before bed - It is really important to put baby to bed with a full tummy so they are less likely to wake as often due to hunger. You can try a ‘dream feed’ between 10pm and 11pm without fully waking them.
4. Keep track of wake windows and sleep cues - Typically newborns have wake windows of between 45 minutes to 1.5 hours. Look out for signs of sleepiness, for example rubbing eyes and yawning.

25/06/2025

Are you facing end of term meltdowns?

As the school year comes to an end, we all know that often children are becoming more tired and emotional. The mix of excitement for summer and exhaustion from a busy year can mean that behaviour takes a big hit!

Here are a few tips to get you through the end of term wobbles.

1. Try to be consistent with routines. It might be easy to allow a late night to play in the garden, or mix up after school activities to see friends, but keeping things predictable will help when the tiredness and uncertainty kicks in.
2. Allow for days when everything just gets too much. Maybe organise a movie evening to allow everyone to just chill.
3. Try and make sure you have family time each day. This could be over meal times and it’s a great way for everyone to discuss how they are feeling about the end of term. Talk about the best bits of the year, what they are looking forward to over summer and validate any feelings of excitement, sadness or anxiety.
4. Celebrate the year they have had! Your child will have worked hard this year, pushed themselves out of their comfort zone and grown and achieved a lot. Celebrate these milestones!

23/06/2025

Resharing this post from last year now we are hitting the warmer weather again! Is anyone else struggling to sleep at night? I know I am!

Are your babies and toddlers struggling to sleep in this warm weather? I know I am!

Here are some simple tips to help get some sleep.

- During the warmest part of the day make sure you keep bedroom curtains and blinds closed. This helps the hot air to stay out.

- Begin your bedtime routine with a cool bath. This helps to reduce their body temperature if they have been warm and sweaty during the day.

- Once the outside temperature has cooled to lower than the bedroom temperature, open windows to freshen and cool the air. A fan can also help to circulate air.

- Use low tog sleeping bags, short sleeve sleep suits/vests, or no clothing at all if it’s really hot.

*Information taken from NHS website

20/06/2025

A little hello to our new followers!

17/06/2025

Only available for the rest of June! Book a 20 minute call for only £20!

With her extensive training at Norland and working as a nanny, Mhairi has a wealth of knowledge and is ready to answer your child related questions.

Drop us a message to book in your call and make use of this wonderful offer!

17/06/2025

This weeks recipe of the week is strawberry pancakes!

Ingredients

200g sr flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
100ml milk
8 large strawberries mashed
1 egg
2 tablespoons maple syrup
Olive oil for frying

1. In a bowl mash the strawberries.
2. Add in the flour, baking powder, milk, egg and maple syrup and whisk until there are no lumps of flour or baking powder.
3. In a frying pan heat up a drizzle of olive oil. Once hot, spoon some of the mixture into the pan. Cook one side until bubbles start appearing and then flip and cook the other side. Ensure the centre of the pancake is cooked by putting a skewer in. The skewer should come out clean.
4. Extra strawberries can be used on top too.

Enjoy!

11/06/2025

I’ve had a few people ask me recently about managing screen time so I thought I’d make a post about it.

Whilst a lot of this post will contain my own personal opinion based on experience, I also refer to the NHS and World Health Organisation guidelines.

Firstly let’s start with children aged 0 - 2 years.

The World Health Organisation advises that child aged 0-2 years don’t have any screen time. They advise this because having too much screen time can negatively impact a baby or child’s ability to process and learn new things. Physical activity is essential and human social interaction is hugely beneficial.

For children aged 2-4 years old, WHO recommends no more than 1 hour a day and no more than 2 hours a day for older children.

Based off my experience as a nanny I think it is so important that we teach babies and children to entertain themselves through play and books rather than teaching them they need a screen to be entertained.

We live in a world with so many amazing toys and books and whilst some screen time for older children can be educational, it’s so important to teach children to play and socialise with other children. We can’t underestimate the benefit of physical activity on mental and physical development and health.

Here are some tips to help with screen time:

1. Set clear limits. Make sure children know exactly how long they have and be firm with that. I recommend a sand timer so children have a visual on the time they have left on screens.
2. As adults we need to be role models. By reducing the time we are on our screens around children, we set a positive example.
3. Provide children with stimulating and exciting activities that they can do by themselves but also with the adults around them. Puzzles or crafts can be great activities to help challenge and grow their imagination.
4. Tech free days - I suggest one day a week that is a tech free day for children. Maybe one day at the weekend, plan some activities, a fun family day out to the park with a picnic or a bike ride. Help children stay away from screens but as adults, be the role models too and have a tech free day.
5. Tech free zones - As a nanny I encourage families to have tech free zones. For me, the two non negotiables are meal times and bedrooms. I see so many families wanting to put their children in front of the iPad at meal times. Meal times should be family time, it’s a time to sit down together to debrief on the day. Ask your children how nursery or school was, who they played with or what they would like to do at the weekend. As for bedrooms, they should be a place of calm. I like to encourage reading in bedrooms instead of screens. Children will have a far better quality sleep if they have downtime in a calm environment away from stimulation.

Overall, from my personal experience, I would say follow the WHO and NHS guidance. Children under the age of 2 should not have any screen time and children over 2 and older should have very limited screen time.

Let me know your thoughts in the comments!

09/06/2025

After a busy few weeks of work and a house move we are back with our recipe of the week!

Today we have Avocado, Pea and Cream Cheese on a Bagel.

For half a bagel you will need:

1/2 an avocado
1/2 cup of frozen peas
2 table spoons of cream cheese

1. In a pan or the microwave, boil the peas until cooked and then drain.

2. In a bowl combine the avocado, peas and cream cheese.

3. Using a hand blender, blend the mixture. You can either blend until smooth or leave it abit lumpy.

It’s a great recipe for weaning or older children.

Let us know what you think!