A Message to the Mum Dreading September “Back to School”

If you are a mum of an anxious child in primary school or waiting for a diagnostic for your child, this is for you.

A few summers ago, I was in my bed around 11pm, scrolling through forums once again, trying to understand why mealtimes with my daughter felt like a battle I was always losing. She wasn’t being difficult. I know that now. But back then, exhausted and out of ideas, it was hard to see past the immediate moment of another meal barely touched, another meltdown, another night wondering what I was doing wrong.

What I didn’t know then and what changed everything when I finally understood it, was that her struggles around food weren’t really about the food at all. They were about her nervous system (high anxiety), her sensory world (sensitive to food textures, noise and many other things), and the connection she needed before any of the rest could follow.

I’m a Registered Nutritional Therapist and Nutrigenomics Specialist. But I was also a mum trying to figure out how to help my own AuDHD daughter feel calmer, safer, and more herself especially around the table.

That’s why this summer, I’m doing something I’ve never done before.

Introducing The “Feeding Calm” Summer Series: for a calmer back to school in September

The food on the plate isn’t always where we start. The connection you build with your child around mealtimes matters just as much.

Starting on 1^st July, I’m sharing a free private podcast series ( eight short episodes), released weekly across the summer for parents of anxious and neurodivergent children who want to feel a little more prepared before September arrives.

Even if your child only eats a handful of things right now, this is for you. I’m the relaxed nutritionist and there are no food rules in my world, no expensive ingredients, no pressure to overhaul everything overnight.

Here’s something that might surprise you: the food on the plate isn’t always where we start. The connection you build with your child around mealtimes matters just as much and sometimes that’s the missing piece.

Over the eight weeks, I’ll share what’s worked for my own daughter and for the families I work with. I will share practical, compassionate, evidence-based ideas you can use straightaway, at your own pace, without any pressure.

We will explore the following:

• Why your child struggles around food and what’s really going on beneath the surface.
• Simple ways to support their nervous system through what they eat and when.
• How to feel calm and prepared for September and beyond.

If things feel a little tricky at home right now juggling big emotions, low mood, poor sleep, fussy eating,  please know there is so much you can do. Once we understand our children a little better, we can support them so much better. The results really do speak for themselves.

This “Feeding Calm” Summer series is just for us.

It won’t be public, and it won’t be shared anywhere else. Just a weekly episode in your inbox, all the way through to the end of August.

If that sounds like something your family could use this summer, I’d love to have you join me.

Sign up for The “Feeding Calm” Summer Series here.

I’m Sandrine, also known as the Relaxed Nutritionist. I’m a Registered Nutritional Therapist and Nutrigenomics Specialist. I’m also the Mum to a daughter with AuDHD & PDA. SEND parenting is so challenging but Nutritional Therapy is a great first step to calm the nervous system and bring calm back in the home.

Photo by Deleece Cook on Unsplash