BratBusters Parenting Podcast
Welcome to the BratBusters Parenting Podcast! Lisa Bunnage, Parenting Coach and Founder of BratBusters Parenting, is joined by her daughter who handles the marketing and planning at BratBusters Parenting, Amy Bunnage. The show dives into a variety of parenting topics and Lisa answers your parenting questions. New episodes every Tuesday and Thursday. Have a parenting question you'd like to submit for a chance to be featured? Visit https://bratbusters.com/podcast-questions/Â
Does Compassion Fuel 30-Minute Tantrums
#219 In this episode, Lisa shares her thoughts on compassion fuelling tantrums. She covers why she believes fuelling tantrums can be mean, growing up feeling like you weren’t listened to, what Lisa believes fuels tantrums, holding the boundary without giving in, and the importance of connection after a tantrum.
Lastly, Lisa addresses six listener questions, discussing how to approach 30-60 minute tantrums from a toddler, ways to navigate angry reactions from a 6-year-old, how to handle 29-month-old tantrums when tired, and how to respond when a toddler shouts please at their parent, before exploring support for a 21-m...
Why Your Child Saves Their Worst Behaviour For Home
#218 In this episode, Lisa shares her thoughts on children saving their worst behaviour for home. She covers why she believes children do this, tantrums at home, and realistic expectations for children.Â
Lastly, Lisa addresses six listener questions, discussing how to navigate a 5-year-old acting out at home but not at school, ways to manage morning transition struggles with a 5-year-old, how to respond when a toddler is cranky since starting Montessori, and strategies for supporting a 5-year-old not listening at school, before exploring approaches for building listening skills for a 2-year-old and 4-year-old and finishing with her g...
The Real Reason Children Use Verbal Pushback
#217 In this episode, Lisa shares her thoughts on verbal pushback from children. She covers responding when a child says they hate you, the importance of neutrality, telling your children they love them, and whether or not she recommends using the BratBusters Behaviour Board for verbal pushback.Â
Lastly, Lisa addresses four listener questions, discussing how to respond when a 3-year-old tells you they hate you, ways to navigate when an almost 4-year-old says parents don't love them, how to handle a toddler saying words like stupid, and strategies for addressing a 6-year-old and 7-year-old speaking disrespectfully.
Why Your Toddler Hates the New Baby
#216 In this episode, Lisa shares her thoughts on toddlers not getting along with the new baby. She covers how it may feel for the toddler when you bring a new sibling home, preparing toddlers for this transition, and making the older sibling the hero rather than the leader.Â
Lastly, Lisa addresses five listener questions, discussing how to approach almost 3-year-old negative behaviour since a new baby arrived, ways to handle when a toddler doesn’t want to share toys with the baby, strategies for getting a toddler to complete daily tasks as a calm leader, how to res...
Stop Letting Your Child Control You
#215 In this episode, Lisa shares her thoughts on letting your child be in control. She covers why she thinks children don’t always want to be in control and how this can change throughout the years.Â
Lastly, Lisa addresses seven listener questions, discussing how to approach a 9-year-old who won’t listen to advice, ways to handle bedtime battles with a 3-year-old, strategies for parenting a strong-willed 3-year-old and a toddler, and how to respond when a 3-year-old yells and tells others to go away. She then explores managing cheeky behaviour from a 5-year-old, addressing a 3-year-old putti...
Why Reasoning With Toddlers Can Actually Backfire
#214 In this episode, Lisa shares her thoughts on parenting toddlers. She covers what age she considers to be a toddler, toddler impulse control, discipline for toddlers, shifting focus towards connection, her take on the word brat, and the fact that parents are learning as they go.Â
Lastly, Lisa addresses eleven listener questions, discussing how to approach discipline for a bilingual 20-month-old, how to handle a strong-willed 30-month-old showing physical aggression and saying no, responding to a 22-month-old pushing others, and what to do about a 15-month-old throwing pillows at bedtime. She then covers strategies for getting a 35...
How to Hold Boundaries Without the Parenting Guilt
#213 In this episode, Lisa shares her thoughts on holding boundaries as a parent. She covers parenting guilt around bedtime battles, feeling like the bad guy, the impact parenting guilt can have, holding fair boundaries as a calm leader, and moving past the parenting guilt.Â
Lastly, Lisa addresses six listener questions, discussing whether you can tell if your parenting method is working long-term, examples of a calm leader, explaining how to handle accepting a toddler apology, and sharing ways to respond to a 2-year-old whining. She then explores strategies for getting siblings to get along and finishes with h...
Why Constant Discipline Can Actually Ruin Connection
#212 In this episode, Lisa shares her thoughts on how constant discipline can negatively affect connection. She covers why parents often focus too much on discipline, the importance of connection, how to balance connection and discipline, and how her parents approached this.Â
Lastly, Lisa addresses six listener questions, discussing how to bring joy into the household as a toddler parent, what to do when a 4-year-old and toddler are fighting, how to respond when a 5-year-old claims they are mean after a consequence, whether to still follow through on a consequence if a child confesses, how to balance t...
The Back Talk Mistake (BratBusters Behaviour Board Audit)
#211 In this episode, Lisa reviews a listener-submitted BratBusters Behaviour Board for a teenager, pre-teen, 9-year-old, and parents. She also covers adapting the BratBusters Behaviour Board for teenagers, using the BratBusters Behaviour Board as a step-parent, and the importance of being accountable as a calm leader.Â
Thank you for joining us!Â
Courses:
Toddler BratBusters Bootcamp (16-35 Months)
BratBusters Bootcamp (Ages 3-12)
Learn More:
BratBusters Behaviour Board (Plus Toddler Basics) No-Cost Mini Course
Private Coaching
Podcast Questions:
Ha...
Why Good Parents Keep Losing Power Struggles
#210 In this episode, Lisa discusses her thoughts on parenting power struggles. She covers what these parenting power struggles can look like and why she believes these parenting power struggles aren’t a part of calm leadership.
Lastly, Lisa addresses five listener questions, discussing an 8-year-old refusing to wear a seatbelt, how to handle a 4-year-old plugging in the television during a media blackout, strategies for addressing a 6-year-old stealing, how to respond when a 5-year-old refuses to play sports, and finishes with advice for managing a 4-year-old and 5-year-old swearing and showing aggressive behaviour.
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Consequences Don't Work For My Child
#209 In this episode, Lisa discusses her thoughts on consequences not working. She covers her general approach when a child doesn’t care about consequences, inconsistency in consequences, parents over-explaining themselves, children refusing to complete the consequence, and how connection impacts discipline.Â
Lastly, Lisa addresses five listener questions, discussing her general approach to a 5-year-old meltdowns over little things, strategies for handling challenging behaviour from a 4-year-old, what to do when a 6-year-old gets angry when they break a rule, how to respond to an almost 4-year-old not completing a consequence fully, and advice for dealing with a 4-ye...
Stop Doing This After Your Child Has a Tantrum
#208 In this episode, Lisa discusses her thoughts on post-tantrum approaches. She covers parents trying to discuss tantrums, getting children to reflect on why they had a tantrum, holding grudges about tantrums, asking children to apologize for their behaviour during a tantrum, the importance of connection with your child, and her general approach after a tantrum is over.
Lastly, Lisa addresses seven listener questions, discussing how to manage 15-month-old tantrums, what to do when a toddler tells parents they’re all done to change activities, and how in-laws can impact how you handle tantrums. She then covers strategies fo...
Can You Discipline Attitude (BratBusters Behaviour Board Audit)
#207 In this episode, Lisa audits an example BratBusters Behaviour Board. Throughout the conversation she covers why you can put attitude on the board for the parents but not the children, what age she recommends starting the BratBusters Behaviour Board, her thoughts on timeout for toddlers, and the importance of connection.Â
Thank you for joining us!Â
Courses:
Toddler BratBusters Bootcamp (16-35 Months)
BratBusters Bootcamp (Ages 3-12)
Learn More:
BratBusters Behaviour Board (Plus Toddler Basics) No-Cost Mini Course
Private Coaching
...
How to Say No Without the Pushback
#206 In this episode, Lisa discusses her thoughts on saying no to children. She covers treating no like an open-ended offer, repeating yourself as a parent, using warnings or countdowns, matching their emotional energy, the importance of focusing on fun and connection, how fighting with your spouse can impact parenting, and whether or not children should learn to hear the word no.Â
Lastly, Lisa addresses five listener questions, discussing using consistent corrective actions with a 20-month-old, how to manage toddler car seat struggles, how to handle a 4-year-old opposing you, ways to address a toddler interfering with 3-year-old t...
Why You Can't Parent Every Child the Same
#205 In this episode, Lisa discusses her thoughts on why you can parent every child the same. She covers birth order impacts, trying to make things fair as a parent, and handling different temperaments from your children.
Lastly, Lisa addresses four listener questions, discussing different responses to your calm leadership from children, how to navigate using the BratBusters Behaviour Board with different ages, strategies for handling disagreements from siblings, and advice for managing 3-year-old twins fighting.
Thank you for joining us!Â
Courses:
Toddler BratBusters Bootcamp (16-35 Months)
Should You Discipline a Tired Child
#204 In this episode, Lisa discusses her thoughts on whether or not parents should discipline a tired child. She covers meeting a child’s needs and managing their wants along with common scenarios.Â
Lastly, Lisa addresses four listener questions, discussing what to do about an almost 3-year-old throwing pistachios on the floor, strategies for navigating a tired toddler, how to handle a 2-year-old having tantrums at bedtime, and how to know when to draw the line with a toddler.
Thank you for joining us!Â
Courses:
Toddler BratBusters Bootcamp (16-35...
Stop Bringing These Common Emotions Into Discipline
#203 In this episode, Lisa discusses her thoughts on staying calm as a parent. She covers why she believes you don’t need to be perfect to stay, why parents may be (unintentionally) giving their children the power, leading with emotions during discipline rather than logic, and that she thinks parents don’t need to have all of the answers.Â
Lastly, Lisa addresses six listener questions, discussing how to manage a 27-month-old screaming in the car, strategies for a 6-year-old not listening, what to do when a toddler listens better to mom than dad, how to handle a 3-year...
Setting Up Discipline for Success
#202 In this episode, Lisa discusses her thoughts on her approach to discipline. She covers setting up the BratBusters Behaviour Board, why it starts at three, and a common misconception about calm leadership parenting from her perspective.Â
Lastly, Lisa addresses five listener questions, discussing what to do if a 3-year-old is still hitting while using the BratBusters Behaviour Board, whether you need a BratBusters Behaviour Board when you’re already a calm leader, supporting a 4-year-old struggling with speech who is acting out, and considerations around disciplining in different languages, and starting the BratBusters Behaviour Board before introducing a n...
How to Deal With Wild Toddler Behaviour
#201 In this episode, Lisa discusses her thoughts on wild toddler behaviour. She covers what age she considers to be a toddler and why she believes some toddlers test boundaries while others don’t.Â
Lastly, Lisa addresses eight listener questions, discussing how to manage a toddler screaming at a baby brother, what to do about a 2-year-old hitting everyone, ways to handle a toddler throwing food during meals, a 17-month-old biting others, how to handle a 23-month-old yelling "mine" at others, what to do when an 18-month-old swipes food off their tray, advice for a toddler running away, and...
Stop Trying to Fix Your Child
#200 In this episode, Lisa discusses her thoughts on parents trying to fix their child. She covers shifting your focus as a parent, traits of a calm leader, why parents often blame their child, and taking responsibility for your child’s behaviour as a parent.Â
Lastly, Lisa addresses seven listener questions, discussing how to navigate a sudden change in behaviour from an almost 3-year-old, whether it is important that both parents don’t yell, how to handle the mother-in-law and 4-year-old dynamic, and what to do regarding flare-ups once you’re a calm leader. She then covers how to mana...
Why Your Children Are Draining Your Energy
#199 In this episode, Lisa discusses her thoughts on feeling drained as a parent. She covers how parenting can be exhausting even when everything is going well, not feeling like you’re enjoying parenting, and the trap of comparing yourself to other parents.Â
Lastly, Lisa addresses five listener questions, discussing what to do if you are struggling to connect with your children, how to respond to major attitude from a 4-year-old, ways to handle a 4-year-old throwing things, strategies for managing a 6-year-old acting out at school, and how to deal with an 8-year-old being rude to siblings.
How to Prep for Back to School Without the Chaos
#198 In this episode, Lisa discusses her thoughts on preparing for back to school. She covers setting up a school morning routine, separation anxiety during school drop off, homework and after school decompression, what she may do if your child doesn’t like their teacher, and her general approach to bullying.Â
Lastly, Lisa addresses four listener questions, discussing how to get a child to open up about their day, what to do when a 4-year-old wants to be just like her friend, strategies for managing a 3-year-old biting and hitting at daycare, and ways to handle after-daycare tantrums.
Why Calm Leadership Parenting is Misunderstood
#197 In this episode, Lisa discusses her thoughts on calm leadership being misunderstood. She covers the difference between the authority style and pleaser parent style, parents looking for a kinder approach, the importance of sustainability with parenting, how feeling overwhelmed can cause changes to parenting, and signs your calm leadership may be working.Â
Lastly, Lisa addresses five listener questions, discussing what to do when a 3-year-old is emotionally invested in being upset, how to make the shift to calm leadership, strategies for handling a 9-year-old lying, and ways to support a 5-year-old who doesn’t like transitioning between hou...
When Parents Don't Agree on Discipline
#196 In this episode, Lisa discusses her thoughts when parents don’t agree on discipline. She covers the importance of getting a parenting plan in place, parenting differences when divorced, and her take on why it’s important to be accountable as a parent.Â
Lastly, Lisa addresses five listener questions, discussing how to manage two parenting styles under the same roof, whether just one parent can use the BratBusters Behaviour Board, how to handle fundamental parenting differences, ways to navigate using the BratBusters Behaviour Board when you only have your child on the weekend, and how to respond to ot...
Try This If Your Child Refuses to Calm Down
#195 In this episode, Lisa discusses her thoughts on mistakes parents make that she believes impacts their child from calming down. She covers showing anger or frustration as a parent, relying on redirection, and overexplaining bad behaviour.Â
Lastly, Lisa addresses three listener questions, discussing how you can tell if your calm leadership is working, ways to handle a 4-year-old fighting with a younger sibling, and how to respond to a lack of respect from a 4-year-old.
Thank you for joining us!Â
Courses:
Toddler BratBusters Bootcamp (16-35 Months)
...
Why Tantrums Can End By 3-Years-Old
#194 In this episode, Lisa discusses her thoughts on when tantrums should end. She covers her general approach to tantrums including exceptions, tantrums past the age of three, the importance of connection, and how she approached discipline with her children.Â
Lastly, Lisa addresses eight listener questions, discussing what to do when an 8-year-old is having long screaming tantrums, how to handle toddler tantrums over seemingly small things, ways to manage moping from a toddler post-tantrum, and what to do when a toddler doesn’t want to share toys. She then covers a 3-year-old having a screaming meltdown every tim...
Why Toddlers Are Unpredictable: Hitting, Bedtime Battles, Screaming & More
#193 In this episode, Lisa discusses her thoughts on parenting toddlers. She covers her top five tips for parenting toddlers and what she believes true connection looks like.Â
Lastly, Lisa addresses ten listener questions, discussing the difference between timeout and consistent corrective actions, what to do about a 21-month-old waking up crying, ways to support a toddler having a hard time adjusting to being a big sister, and how to handle challenges with car rides. She then covers a 18-month-old biting and pulling sister’s hair, a toddler who loves screaming, advice on transitioning a 26-month-old out of the...
Child Suddenly Testing Boundaries (Try This Approach)
#192 In this episode, Lisa discusses her thoughts on children testing boundaries. She covers three reasons she often sees this happening; the boundaries can be moved, testing your calm leadership, and looking for a reaction from their parents.Â
Lastly, Lisa addresses six listener questions, discussing what to do when a 3-year-old is suddenly testing boundaries, how to handle a toddler's attitude towards only one parent, ways to manage a 4-year-old throwing tantrums, and how to respond to a toddler pushing their grandfather. She then explores how to adopt a calm leadership mindset and finishes with advice on a 4...
Why Your Child Won't Stop Hitting
#191 In this episode, Lisa discusses her thoughts on children hitting others. She covers where she believes children learn this behaviour, and her general approach for this for babies, toddlers, and children.
Lastly, Lisa addresses four listener questions, discussing what to do when a 3-year-old is hitting and pushing other children during play, ways to manage a 26-month-old's aggressive behaviour after a nap, approaching a toddler trying to hurt a younger sibling, and using the BratBusters Behaviour Board for aggressive behaviour.
Thank you for joining us!Â
Courses:
T...
The Real Reason Your Child Won't Listen
#190 In this episode, Lisa discusses her thoughts on children not listening. She covers five reasons she often sees this happening; inconsistent boundaries, repeating or nagging children, over-explaining, lack of connection, and demanding respect instead of earning it.Â
Lastly, Lisa addresses four listener questions, discussing what to do when a 6-year-old interferes with adult conversations, how to handle a 4-year-old acting out when dad gets home, and how to respond to a 3-year-old running away in public, before finishing on what to do when a 10-year-old won’t listen.
Thank you for joining us!Â
Try This When Your Strong-Willed Child Pushes Back
#189 In this episode, Lisa discusses her thoughts on strong-willed children. She covers reframing how you view this trait, shifting the focus from the child to the parent, understanding your strong-willed child, and creating consequences for children.Â
Lastly, Lisa addresses five listener questions, discussing how to handle 5-year-old tantrums when frustrated, what to do about aggressive behaviour from a 4-year-old, ways to succeed at getting a 3-year-old to clean up, managing different temperaments between siblings, and how to approach using the BratBusters Behaviour Board for aggressive behaviour.
Thank you for joining us!Â
...
The Path to Calm Leadership Parenting (Start Here)
#188 In this episode, Lisa discusses her thoughts on starting calm leadership parenting. She covers the four stages of parenting, the importance of consistency and connection, having to change your parenting style, and an example of how she would approach connecting with your children.Â
Lastly, Lisa addresses eight listener questions, discussing what if you begin Calm Leadership Parenting from the start, how to handle a 7-month-old hitting, whether you should be using a BratBusters Behaviour Board before children, and how to navigate changing from distraction to correction with a 15-month-old. She then explores comforting a 15-month-old when hurt o...
Are You Making Your Child's Angry Outbursts Worse
#187 In this episode, Lisa discusses her thoughts on children saying they hate you. She covers scenarios including if they say it when mad, when they say it if everything is fine, or if they say it in response to something the parent has done.Â
Lastly, Lisa addresses five listener questions, discussing what to do when a 4-year-old screams when frustrated, how to handle a 32-month-old delaying bedtime, ways to navigate getting a partner on board with Calm Leadership Parenting, how to approach sharing toys with friend’s children, and advice on managing a strong-willed 4-year-old acting out at...
Master a Calm Exterior as a Parent (Try This)
#186 In this episode, Lisa discusses her thoughts on keeping a calm exterior as a parent. She covers body language when it comes to calm leadership parenting, changing rules based on your child’s behaviour, feeling like staying calm is not attainable, going from yelling to calm, and empty statements she seeds parents rely on.Â
Lastly, Lisa addresses six listener questions, discussing what to do when a 3-year-old doesn’t care about consequences, how to handle defiance from a 2-year-old, ways to address a 34-month-old whining during bedtime, approaching an 8-year-old hitting a younger sibling, how to respond when...
Why Won't My Child Talk To Me
#185 In this episode, Lisa discusses her thoughts on getting children to open up to their parents. She covers children feeling like they don’t want to stir the pot, getting your child to tell you about their day on the car ride home, and connecting with your child when you’re busy.Â
Lastly, Lisa addresses three listener questions, discussing her general approach when a 10-year-old has people-pleasing tendencies, how to handle a 13-year-old breaking items on purpose, and ways to navigate step-parenting a 19-year-old.
Thank you for joining us!Â
Courses:
...The Secret to Becoming a Calm Parenting Leader
#184 In this episode, Lisa discusses her thoughts on the importance of focusing on connection over discipline. She covers the trap of focusing too much on discipline, putting in the reps when it comes to calm leadership parenting, and feeling stressed when your children are acting out.Â
Lastly, Lisa addresses six listener questions, discussing how to find consequences for a 3-year-old, correcting behaviour from a 3-year-old, what a realistic day with a toddler actually looks like, and how to go about using the BratBusters Behaviour Board with a strong-willed child. She then explores what to do when a c...
Will My Child Be Embarrassed By Me
#183 In this mini episode, Lisa discusses her thoughts on children being embarrassed by their parents. She covers a personal story on this topic, whether or not she thinks being embarrassed by your parents is a rite of passage, teasing children, and parents trying to be cool.Â
Thank you for joining us!Â
Courses:
Toddler BratBusters Bootcamp (16-35 Months)
BratBusters Bootcamp (Ages 3-12)
Learn More:
BratBusters Behaviour Board (Plus Toddler Basics) No-Cost Mini Course
Private Coaching
Podcast Questions:...
Are You Making Your Toddler Clingy
#182 In this mini episode, Lisa discusses her thoughts on her approach to a clingy toddler. She covers dedicating time to playing with your toddler, transitioning from a baby to a toddler, timeouts, whether or not she believes children should feel bad for bad behaviour, and her ideas on creating a healthy attachment.Â
Thank you for joining us!Â
Courses:
Toddler BratBusters Bootcamp (16-35 Months)
BratBusters Bootcamp (Ages 3-12)
Learn More:
BratBusters Behaviour Board (Plus Toddler Basics) No-Cost Mini Course
Private Coaching
...
Child Won't Stop Whining (Try This Trick)
#181 In this mini episode, Lisa discusses her thoughts on her approach to whining. She covers the difference in whining with children compared to toddlers, whether or not she would use the BratBusters Behaviour Board for whining, choosing rules for the BratBusters Behaviour Board, using the waiting it out method as a parent, the importance of your energy as a parent, and staying on the high road with calm leadership parenting.Â
Thank you for joining us!Â
Courses:
Toddler BratBusters Bootcamp (16-35 Months)
BratBusters Bootcamp (Ages 3-12)
...
Why Does My Child Give Me Attitude
#180 In this mini episode, Lisa discusses her thoughts on her approach to attitude and disrespect from children. She covers children muttering comments under their breath, attitude appearing as children get older, gaining respect as a parent, focusing on bad behaviour, traits she likes to focus on with calm leadership parenting, children feeling shame for their behaviour, and when striving for perfection feels out of reach.Â
Thank you for joining us!Â
Courses:
Toddler BratBusters Bootcamp (16-35 Months)
BratBusters Bootcamp (Ages 3-12)
Learn More:
...