Parenting
Understanding Toddler Behaviour
Find the need behind the behaviour, with an ABC diary, a trigger checker and a development stage cheat sheet.
€14.99Buy
Parenting courses for calmer days at home
Practical, everyday skills for tantrums, emotions, bedtimes, screens and co-parenting, with trackers and scripts you can use straight away.
- 6 courses
- Tools in every course
- Certificate included
Young children learn to manage feelings and behaviour slowly, and most of the hard moments, from tantrums to bedtime battles, are a normal part of development. What helps most is usually calm, consistent routines, plenty of active play and responses that teach rather than punish.
Irish guidance gives some useful anchors. The HSE suggests children aged 2 to 5 need about 11 to 12 hours of sleep a night, with a bedtime routine starting between 7pm and 8pm. Every Move Counts, Ireland's physical activity guidelines, advises at least 3 hours of varied activity a day for toddlers and preschoolers, and at least 1 hour a day of moderate to vigorous activity for children aged 5 to 17, with less time spent sitting.
Our parenting courses sit alongside the HSE My Child books and your public health nurse, who carries out your child's development checks. They are general education and do not assess or diagnose your child.
All parenting courses
Parenting
Helping Children Manage Emotions
Emotion coaching made practical: a feelings chart, a calm-down corner checklist, scripts for big moments and balloon breathing to share.
€17.99Buy
Parenting
Handling Toddler Tantrums
Spot the triggers, prevent the avoidable meltdowns, know what to say and do in the moment and when to talk to your public health nurse or GP.
€17.99Buy
Parenting
Bedtime Routines for Children
A calm, step-by-step bedtime for young children, with a picture routine chart, a sleep diary, a screens-off planner and ready-made calm scripts.
€17.99Buy
Parenting
Screen Time and Family Life
Realistic screen rules for the whole family, with an honest audit, a media agreement everyone signs and screen-free ideas.
€17.99Buy
Parenting
Parenting After Separation
Keep children at the centre after separation, with a co-parenting plan, a handover checklist, message scripts and Irish support links.
€19.99Buy
Which parenting course fits your family
- Toddler behaviour puzzling you? Understanding Toddler Behaviour is a short course on why toddlers behave as they do, with an ABC behaviour diary.
- Tantrums every day? Handling Toddler Tantrums covers prevention, what to do in the moment and reconnecting afterwards.
- Big feelings at any age? Helping Children Manage Emotions teaches emotion coaching and calming down together.
- Bedtime battles? Bedtime Routines for Children builds a picture-based routine and a screens-off plan.
- Screens taking over? Screen Time and Family Life helps you audit screen use and agree family rules.
- Separated or separating? Parenting After Separation focuses on what children need, communication and smooth handovers between two homes.
What the parenting tools do
- Behaviour and tantrum trackers: note what happened before, during and after, so patterns become clear.
- Response cards and emotion coaching scripts: short words to use in the moment, written down while you are calm.
- Feelings chart and calm-down corner checklist: help children name and settle big feelings.
- Bedtime routine chart and child sleep diary: a picture routine your child can follow, and a record of how nights are going.
- Family media agreement and co-parenting plan: written agreements everyone can see.
When to ask for more support
Talk to your public health nurse or GP if:
- you are worried about your child's speech, play, movement or development
- tantrums or outbursts are very frequent, very intense, or continue well beyond the toddler years
- your child seems withdrawn, anxious or unhappy most of the time
- you feel you cannot cope, or you are frightened of losing your temper
If a child is in danger, call 112 or 999. Children and young people can talk to Childline free on 1800 66 66 66, and parents can call Samaritans free on 116 123 at any time.
Parenting courses: your questions
What age are the parenting courses for?
Most focus on toddlers and young children. Screen Time and Family Life and Parenting After Separation also cover older children and teenagers.
How much sleep does a young child need?
The HSE suggests about 11 to 12 hours a night for children aged 2 to 5. Many 2-year-olds still have one nap of up to 2 hours, ideally not after 3:30pm, and a bedtime routine between 7pm and 8pm suits many families.
Are tantrums a sign that something is wrong?
Usually not. Tantrums are common in toddlers as they learn to manage strong feelings. Talk to your public health nurse or GP if you are worried, or if tantrums are very frequent or intense.
How active should my child be?
Every Move Counts advises at least 3 hours of varied activity a day for children aged 1 to 4, including at least 1 hour of energetic play for 3 and 4 year olds, and an average of at least 1 hour a day of moderate to vigorous activity for children aged 5 to 17.
Can both parents use the course?
Yes. The tools work best when the adults caring for a child agree on the same approach, and the plans and agreements can be shared as PDFs.
Does Parenting After Separation give legal advice?
No. It focuses on children's needs, communication and practical arrangements. For legal questions, speak to a solicitor or an official information service.
Official sources
Try one new response tonight
Choose the course closest to your biggest challenge and try one script or card at the next tricky moment.