Nearly two-thirds of parents report their child getting grumpy when constipated, with a further third sleeping less. Could helping our kids get more digestive-fit help to avoid poo-related problems and beat constipation woes?

Every parent goes through That Phase. The one where your child, no matter what you try, seems to struggle to poo. It’s estimated up to one in three children in the UK has constipation. at any one time, thanks to illness, poor diet, fear of using the toilet, and poor toilet training.

It comes as no surprise that constipation can make little ones miserable. Younger children experiencing constipation may not fully understand why they are in discomfort or pain. This can lead to them becoming grumpy, having trouble sleeping, and struggling to explain why they are feeling uncomfortable. A recent poll of over 1,000 parents for Docusol Paediatric found that two-thirds of parents (66%) report their child getting grumpy when constipated, leaving half (50%) of parents feeling helpless and unsure of what to do. So, what can we do to help our kids feel more comfortable and have more regular bowel movements?

Is it common for children to be constipated?

Pharmacist Sultan Dajani, advisor to Docusol Paediatric, commented, “We assume that emptying our bowels should just happen as a normal bodily function; an instinct. Right? We don’t have to teach newborn babies how to empty their bowels – they just do it. Yet, constipation in children is incredibly common.

“It’s estimated that around one in every seven adults and up to one in every three children in the UK has constipation at any one time. Three-quarters of parents polled say their child has had constipation at some point. Almost four in 10 (39%) of parents say their child has experienced constipation two to three times in the last year, while more than a quarter (28%) say it’s happened seven times or more. The knock-on psychological and emotional effects are often underappreciated.”

So, why is it so common for children to be constipated, how can we recognise the signs, and what can we do to help?

Why do children get constipated?

Children can become constipated for a wide variety of reasons. Common causes can include:

• Being early on in the toilet training process (which can mean: children ignore, resist, or don’t recognise the urge to use the toilet; feels pressured; or may be interrupted when trying to go).
• Changes in diet. This can include when weaning, trying new foods, going through a ‘fussy eating’ stage, or starting at a new school or nursery.
• Not eating enough high-fibre foods (including fruits, vegetables, whole grain cereals or breads).
• Routine or big life changes, such as starting at nursery, reception, or a new school; moving house, or having a new sibling, can cause feelings of anxiety, worry, or stress, which can lead to constipation.
• Not drinking enough fluids (which can lead to dehydration).

When children get constipated, they can find it painful to poo. This can lead to them trying not to poo or ‘holding it in’, which c

Sharing some recent Amazon finds as we finish up winter and head into spring!

Hi friends! How was the weekend? I hope you had a wonderful one! We didn’t end up making it to Mt. Lemmon because they lost power and roads were closed for half of the weekend. Instead, we joined some friends for Goat Yoga and a day of fun – I’ll share pics in Fri Faves! – and had a little dinner get-together. It ended up being the perfect weekend: good time with friends, goats (we all know I’m obsessed and would have 12 if I could), amazing food, and a little shopping. 🙂

I’ve been loving Amazon for everything lately, especially since I can usually get quick shipping with Prime and don’t have to leave my house.

The fashion options are often at amazing prices, especially for trendier pieces when I don’t want to spend that much. They also have SO many of my favorite brands available (like Rails, Paige, and Mother Denim).

I’m not going to buy any more winter-y clothes so I can get ready for spring and wanted to share some of the things I’m loving from Amazon as we start to (hopefully) transition into warmer weather. Ready for some sun!

Amazon Fitness and Fashion Faves

Tops and layering pieces:

This loose-fit button-up to layer with jeans, dresses, or even use as a coverup.

Oversized jean jacket

This pullover

Shoes:

These mule sandals.

These nude heeled sandals

Flat sandals to swear with jeans and dresses

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Biscoff Snickerdoodle Cookie Explosion Cheesecake

Biscoff Snickerdoodle Cookie Explosion Cheesecake! Because why not combine three awesome things? Perfection!

But… it doesn’t taste like a snickerdoodle cookie, it tastes like a cheesecake with a graham cracker crust and cinnamon sugar. 

That’s what I kept saying as I tried recipe after recipe claiming to be the best snickerdoodle cheesecake all over Pinterest. I get it, a snickerdoodle is basically a plain cookie with a slight tang from the cream of tarter and that cinnamon sugar punch on the outside, so how can you really achieve that in a cheesecake?

Well, you play around a lot and end up with this beauty, Biscoff Snickerdoodle Cookie Explosion Cheesecake. Because why not take a simple cheesecake and make EXTRAORDINARY?! It’s like a cheesecake and Biscoff snickerdoodle exploded in your mouth.

We needed something to really bring that cinnamon sugar cookie taste so we scratched the mere dredging of cinnamon sugar all over the top and went for a streusel instead. Instant cookie oomph. 

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Fresh Blueberry Frosting is a light and creamy frosting, whipped into fluffy blueberry loveliness. A dollop of this frosting is sweet heaven on a cupcake. On a spoon, on a cracker, or on an actual cake this blueberry buttercream frosting is irresistible.

I’ve been making Fresh Strawberry Frosting for several years now and it’s easily the most requested frosting I make. However, blueberries were on sale a couple weeks ago and I couldn’t resist playing with my recipe and switching it up to make a blueberry buttercream frosting.

I’m a blueberry lover for life and I suspected we’d love this new frosting as much or maybe even more than the strawberry version. As it turned out, I was right. I topped this Gluten Free White Cake (baked into cupcakes this time) with the blueberry frosting.

My helper had a lot of fun swirling the topping onto each cupcake. If you haven’t watched his little hands help with the frosting, it’s a fun watch. (Says the mama who knows that he’ll be a teenager in a couple of weeks.)

I probably don’t even need to mention it, but this frosting is also lovely spread on graham crackers. This is a taste test requirement every time we have frosting in the house.

It shouldn’t surprise you to hear that I have made this frosting more than a few times without a cake to put it on. There’s no shame in my frosting game.

Kitchen Tip: I use this mixer, these cheap

Good work-life balance can sometimes feel elusive and unattainable, so we’re breaking it down into its six key pillars

Poor work-life balance can snatch life’s joyous moments away from us, and be detrimental to our mental health and wellbeing. But levelling it out isn’t usually straightforward. Here, with the help of Dr Kirstie Fleetwood Meade, we’ve identified six key pillars of work-life balance on which to lay your new foundation.

Your ‘why’

It’s pretty impossible to set off on any journey if you don’t know where you’re heading, which is why working out what you’re seeking should be your first step.

“Spend some time visualising what an ‘ideal’ work-life balance would look like to you,” Dr Fleetwood Meade says. “It may be that this visualisation seems really out of reach right now. If it currently feels like it’s a three out of 10 in terms of how aligned you are with this ideal, how could you nudge it up to a four? Focusing on the little steps can make this seem more achievable.

“Next, ask yourself why it’s important to you. If it’s to feel less stressed, why? Does it allow you to be more present with your family? The clearer you are in your ‘why’, the easier it will be to say ‘yes’ to the things that lead you closer to it and ‘no’ to the things that don’t.”

Your values and priorities

Once you’ve explored your ‘why’, Dr Fleetwood Meade recommends shifting your focus to your key values. These are the beliefs that help guide us to live a life that is meaningful to us, she explains.

“Being crystal clear on your values makes decision-making around work-life balance easier,” she continues. “Some example values are: adventure, curiosity, power, fitness, freedom, fun, compassion, self-development, connection, love, equality – but there are many, many more.”

What role do your values currently play in your life, and what would a better work-life balance do for your values?

Your barriers or derailers

“Changing habits, making decisions, and saying no can all be emotionally draining,” Dr Fleetwood Meade says. “Which makes it all the more important to be able to pre-empt your likely ‘derailers’ – the things that will throw your work-life balance off track, or get in the way.”

Spend some time thinking about what exactly these might be for you, and consider how you can address them, plan for them, and get support with them.

Your worth and your infallibility

“It’s so important to look after ourselves just as well as we look after others, but if that’s challenging for you, I often reference the classic ‘you can’t pour from an empty cup’,” Dr Fleetwood Meade says. “In my therapy work, I’m also a big fan of the idea of the ‘both/and’ – the idea that two things that may seem opposing can actually be true at the same time. Often we get sucked into black-and-white thinking – e.g. if I am the best colleague I can be, that means I need to be always ‘on