Baby ‘n’ Beyond has been a great support to me as a single dad and my two children. At our meeting, Fi offered many practical suggestions upon which I have implemented some into my daily routine. My 4 year old son was quite closed emotionally and was unable to express his feelings. One of Fi’s suggestions was how to use a journal to bring his emotions out and it has worked wonderfully. He is more settled at Pre-School and able to open up more to me and his teachers. I have definitely noticed a difference in him.

Fi was able to give me strategies for my behaviour as well when around my children. This has worked extremely well and allows me to give them the best care I can in the situation I am in.

Thank you Fi for your time, help and suggestions. It has been invaluable.

Thanks so much for helping us, I really feel a big difference in the house, and the kids are amazingly calmer because I am! Dinner time is relaxed and I now feel in control of my own behaviours. Thank you.
 

Thanks again for your help, Fi. Our 9 month old cried once during the first 2 nights, then has slept for 12 hours pretty much every night since (the few times he has woken he has self-settled without too much fuss). He is also sleeping better during the day and we both feel like we have a much clearer understanding of what he needs. Your routine was not anything too different from what I had read about elsewhere, but you made it real for our situation and you gave us the confidence that it was the right thing to do for our son. We knew we needed to make changes and your understanding and caring approach enabled us to do so without constantly second-guessing ourselves.

To anyone out there who is having trouble with their child's sleep or any other baby/toddler issue, then I would not hesitate in recommending that they ask Fi to come into their home and I am sure she will be able to help.

My husband & I were struggling with bedtime routines, behaviour and appropriate discipline techniques for our two young children.

With our third child on the way, our family needed to make some changes but we didn’t know where to start. We had read all the appropriate parenting books and online advice, but we needed specific solutions.

Fiona observed our family, non-judgmentally, and then offered sound advice and encouragement.

We are ecstatic with the results. By implementing some small, but significant changes, our household is much calmer, the kid’s bedtime routine has shortened to half-an-hour, and their behaviour has improved dramatically. We are very grateful to Fiona and would definitely call her in the future for advice.

Fi visited our home and spent time with us observing our routine.  She provided some practical suggestions for improvements which we were able to put into practice. Her manner was incredibly supportive and left us feeling very positive about the way we parent our son. The follow up phone calls were also invaluable.

Our main concern was our daughters’ separation anxiety and her level of emotional distress. We felt that what we were currently doing was not working. We had a lot of changes happening in our life with a new baby coming, moving house and a new job for her Daddy so she was really feeling it. Baby ‘n’ Beyond gave us effective strategies and practical explanations which helped us help Hannah in all her environments such as pre-school. We’ve learnt to set boundaries that are effectively working for us. This was all new for us but we found that dealing with the situation brought resolution and in the end giving us the confidence in our parenting. Greatly appreciated.

My call to Baby ‘n Beyond came as I found myself way off track from my normal parenting style. My previously angelic 6 year old was experimenting with some newfound school-aged muscle, coupled with various challenges thrown at me by my other two children and a slightly out of balance work/life mix. I felt like the kids weren’t even listening, let alone responding to me.

Fi’s approach was fantastic. She listened, we analysed what had changed and why that might be, then she suggested strategies to help me regain control and get the relationship back on track. I came away from our meeting clear about how I should approach the challenge, and how I could deal with each situation as it arose. Sure enough, we’re back on track. Fi’s advice was excellent, her experience with children of all ages is priceless. I will no doubt be calling her again ......when the next challenge arises.

Meal times used to be a stressful, disorganised and generally unpleasant experience in our house. Our son required much cajoling and distraction to eat any food and he clearly did not enjoy meal times. It has been one month since Baby ‘n’ Beyond first saw us and the strategies that Fi gave us have shown us that we no longer have to distract him just so he will eat his food. He now happily hops onto his chair at meal times and feeds himself – he is getting very proficient with a spoon and a fork.

In helping us address his mealtime issues Baby ‘n Beyond helped us set boundaries and communicate better with him. This has had a hugely positive knock on effect in all other aspects of his life. He is far less frustrated as we have learnt to respond to him more appropriately and he knows that we have understood him.

I would like to recommend Fiona Ross for any business looking to develop their staff personally and as a team. Fiona gave a presentation on self development giving us all an understanding of our individual personalities and how they impact our daily lives personally and in the market place.

Fiona’s presentation was very empowering, helping everyone to see how we need to understand ourselves and those we work with, so we can maximize each others potential, whilst having a few laughs with each other.

We were all encouraged to participate in various activities throughout the day, these were fun and everyone was put at ease straight away with Fiona’ very approachable manner. This created a door for extended conversations between the staff over break times that they would never have had with each other without this presentation, consequently, they have received a much better understanding of each other.

We received very valuable feedback from our staff, saying how it helped them grow in knowing themselves and each other so much better. They are now able to respond and not react with the people in their lives personally and at work.

As Child Care Workers they also feel it has helped them with understanding some of the children more, which is an added bonus.  

Fi Ross talked to our parents at Christ Church St Ives Preschool about Family Values. The talk was very thought provoking and was helpful to both staff and parents.  One of the staff members went home and discussed with her daughter and husband about their own family values and what was important to them as a family. 

The feedback from parents was good as they enjoyed the talk and it has made them think what their own family values are and what they consider important may not be what their children see as important. 

Fi has practical yet simple ideas and suggestions. One of the idea’s parents found helpful was a special time put aside for just mummy and daddy.  Our life is so busy, with ourselves and our children, that we have no time out for us. Thank you, Fi.

Comments from parents who attended an evening seminar:

“A very relevant and very real presentation – delivered with passion and calmness.”

“Understanding how we can change our situation is exceptional. As a parent we need to stop and thank about what is going through our child’s head and what they are feeling. Looking at it like a ‘scene’ and how to change it was very helpful.”

“Loved the real life examples and scenarios.”

“Excellent presentation, again.”

“Very helpful – many ideas to try at home – thanks!”

“Got some great tips and glad I came.”

“The group discussion brought the topics to life.”

“It was good to hear about real examples and to feel normal that we are not the only ones going through issues with our children.”

When I went to Fi, I truly wondered how she was going to make any sense of the confusion I was feeling at the time. I was experiencing an acute lack of direction and purpose in my life. By the end of our session, which involved using the ‘Play of Life’ (www.playoflife.com), I felt I had gained something fresh and positive.

My experience was that Fi was very creative, flexible and natural in her approach. She listened intently and was sensitive to how fragile I was feeling at the time. I am grateful for the insights we gained from that session: it did not solve everything but even weeks later, I recognise that this was a positive experience to build on.

Feeling frustrated and unsure of where to go when my son constantly told me he wasn’t enjoying school and had no direction, I decided to ask Fi to come and talk with him. Fi was able to break through the immediate problem to help him focus on where he wanted to be in life and then some practical ‘now’ steps to help him get there.

To assist him start his journey, we, as parents, made some changes to support him. It has given him a goal to work towards and now the focus is not on how bad school is but on where he is going to. Doesn’t mean he loves it now!! It’s just changed his focus. Thank you Fi.