Heidi At Home
Heidi Skudder
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Eps 1: Back to School, Back to Routine - When Your Child Fall's Apart After School
Back to School, Back to Routine: Why Your Child Falls Apart After School Welcome to the first episode of a special four-part Heidi at Home series, in partnership with CBeebies BeddyByes. Does your child hold it together beautifully at school or nursery, only to walk through the front door and completely fall apart? The tears. The shouting. Fighting with siblings. Refusing the simplest request. Suddenly needing you for EVERYTHING. In this episode, I’m talking about what can really be going on underneath that after-school behaviour, and why it doesn’t necessarily mean something is going wrong. Starting or returning to school and nursery asks a huge amount of young children. They’re navigating noise, stimulation, instructions, friendships, separation, expectations and far less autonomy than they may have at home. Even when they seem to be coping brilliantly, all of that takes energy. And sometimes home is simply where it all comes out. We talk about: What after-school restraint collapse can look likeWhy your child may fall apart most with the person they feel safest withWhy firing questions at them the minute they leave school might not get you very farWhat neurodivergent and highly sensitive children may experience during the school dayHow to create a gentler transition between school and homeWhy predictable routines can help without your afternoon becoming a military operationSnacks, movement, quiet time and connection after schoolHow to think about screen time during that transitionWhen an earlier bedtime might actually helpWhat your child may really be communicating through difficult behaviourI also talk about creating a little “landing strip” between the busy school day and home. Children are constantly being asked to move from one state to another: school to home, play to dinner, dinner to bath, busy to calm. Small, familiar cues can make those transitions easier. That’s one of the reasons I’ve loved working with CBeebies BeddyByes on this series. Its gentle pacing and mindful approach have been designed to support little ones as they move towards calmer moments in their day. If screen time is part of your family’s afternoon, it can be one of those familiar transition points alongside food, movement, connection and downtime. My biggest message from this episode? September doesn’t need a perfect routine. Sometimes the most useful question isn’t “How do I stop this behaviour?” but “What has today asked of my child, and what might they need from me now?” Find CBeebies BeddyByes Watch CBeebies BeddyByes on CBeebies and BBC iPlayer, and follow @beddybyesofficial: YouTube: @beddybyesofficial Instagram: @beddybyesofficial TikTok: @beddybyesofficial And don’t forget to follow Heidi at Home on Apple Podcasts or Spotify so you don’t miss the next episode in the series. This series shares general parenting guidance drawn from child development research and my 17 years working with families. It isn't a substitute for individual medical, psychological or educational advice. If you're worried about your child's sleep, anxiety or development, please speak to your GP, health visitor or another qualified professional. Paid partnership with CBeebies BeddyByes.
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