Sense by Meg Faure: Real Life Parenting

On this week's episode of Sense by Meg Faure we explore the fourth trimester with honesty, warmth, and practical wisdom. This conversation is proof that less is more, and your baby will thrive when parents feel genuinely supported. Meg Faure is joined by Tove de Chazal Gant, COO of Parent Sense and seasoned mum of three, who takes the hosting seat and asks the questions every new parent is actually thinking.
The First Six Weeks: You Are Not Failing
The first six weeks are brutal. Meg says it plainly. Feeding cycles feel relentless, sleep is fractured, and the baby seems to do very little and yet everything at once. Just keeping your baby alive is ticking every single box. Nothing more is required.
Milestones: Windows, Not Deadlines
Milestones happen across wide ranges of normal. One late milestone is not a red flag. What matters is the sequence and trajectory. Consistent delay across a developmental bucket, or a gut feeling that something is off, is when parents should seek support. The Parent Sense app lists milestones with ranges in the play section.
Sensory Overload: The Times Square Effect
A newborn goes from the perfectly regulated womb directly into overwhelming sensory input. Meg compares it to landing on Times Square after living on a quiet savannah. Signs of overload include looking away, falling asleep, grimacing, and inconsolable crying. Tove shares her daughter Nova's story: born six weeks premature, Nova's development stalled not from inability but from a noisy home environment. Turning off background noise made all the difference.
Less Is More, and Your Baby Will Thrive
The heart of this episode. Less social pressure, less stimulation, less obligation. The only stimulation that genuinely matters is quiet eye contact, serve and return connection, and touch through massage, swaddling, and carrying. Your baby has 45 minutes of awake time between sleeps. Being alive in the world is enough.
Regulating Yourself to Regulate Your Baby
Babies cannot self-regulate. Parents must co-regulate. Meg offers two practical tools: square breathing (six seconds in, hold, out, hold, repeated three times) and using feeding as a mindfulness moment. Even five seconds of intentional presence at the start of a feed can shift your physiological state.
Listen Now
This episode is essential for every parent in the fourth trimester. Meg Faure reminds us that less is more, and your baby will thrive in an environment of calm, connection, and realistic expectation. Download the Parent Sense app for daily guidance through every stage of your parenting journey.

About Tove de Chazal Gant
Tove de Chazal Gant is an entrepreneur, the COO of Parent Sense, and a mother of three. Having navigated the NICU and raising a child with a rare genetic condition, she brings profound personal insight and business-scaling expertise to her role. She also chairs Happy Heroes, a charity for children with additional needs. LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/tove-de-chazal-gant
Connect with Meg Faure Web: megfaure.com LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/megfaure Parent Sense App: parentsense.app

The Second Trimester, Real and Unfiltered with Dr. Nellie Balfour
On this week's episode of Sense by Meg Faure we sit down with Dr. Nellie Balfour for a conversation that is second trimester, real and unfiltered. Dr. Balfour is a paediatrician navigating her own second pregnancy in real time. She brings both clinical expertise and lived experience to every topic covered. This is the second episode in an ongoing real-time pregnancy series. It is honest, practical, and deeply reassuring for any expectant parent.
The Second Trimester: A Different Pregnancy Entirely
Nellie describes the second trimester as her favourite season of pregnancy. Energy returns. Appetite is restored. The baby bump becomes visible and joyful. For Nellie, whose nausea extended to 22 weeks, the relief of the second trimester was particularly profound. Meg and Nellie discuss the hereditary nature of hyperemesis gravidarum,and address nutritional concerns for mums who lose weight in the first trimester.
Baby Kicks: What Is Normal and What to Watch For
Feeling your baby move is one of the most treasured moments of pregnancy. Nellie explains that movement is typically felt between 16 and 20 weeks. In subsequent pregnancies it often occurs earlier. Placenta position plays a significant role in how strongly kicks are felt. The general guideline is to feel around 10 kicks within an hour. If movement is reduced, eating something sweet or lying on the left side usually prompts activity.
Alcohol, Teratogens, and Foods to Avoid
Meg and Nellie are fully aligned. Alcohol is an absolute no during pregnancy. South Africa carries the highest rates of foetal alcohol spectrum disorder in the world. There is no proven safe amount of alcohol at any stage of pregnancy.
Tests and Scans in the Second Trimester
Nellie walks listeners through the key screenings offered in the second trimester. For mothers over 35, NIPT is often completed in the first trimester. For lower-risk pregnancies, the triple or quadruple test screens for Down syndrome and other chromosomal conditions.
Vaccinations in Pregnancy: Protecting Your Baby Before Birth
South Africa is ahead of many countries in vaccinating pregnant women. Nellie outlines three vaccines now recommended during pregnancy: RSV, pertussis (whooping cough), and influenza. Each of these illnesses can be life-threatening for newborns. This conversation is second trimester, real and unfiltered, and it may genuinely save lives.
Illness, Toddlers, and TORCH Infections
Respiratory viruses are generally manageable with hydration, fever control, and pregnancy-safe medications. The more serious TORCH category includes toxoplasmosis, rubella, cytomegalovirus, herpes, and syphilis.
About Our Guest:
Dr. Nellie Balfour is a mom and Specialist Pediatrician with a focus on neonates, newborns, and early childhood development. Dr. Nellie is passionate about empowering parents with credible, evidence-based information so they can make the best decisions for their children. You can find her and her popular Q&A sessions on Instagram at @drnelliepaeds
Episode References and Links:
📱 Parent Sense App — Your all-in-one baby care app for routines, nutrition, and expert advice. Download it here and use code SENSE50 for 50% off.
https://parentsense.app/
CONNECT WITH MEG FAURE
Web: megfaure.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/megfaure.sense/

On this week's episode of Sense by Meg Faure, we sit down with Angie Weber, host of Mom Essentials, owner of The Parent Toolbox, and founder of the Divorce Support Collective, to talk about parenting with intention and what it really takes to break the cycle of yelling, guilt, and shame.
Angie built her CALM framework not from a textbook but from her own lived healing journey through anxiety, depression, and PTSD. What came out of that journey is a practical, compassionate approach that is already changing families across the world.
What is the CALM Approach?
CALM is an acronym. Each letter is a foundational pillar of Angie's parenting framework:
C - Compassionate Communication: How we speak to our children, how we truly listen, and how we build connection in a world dominated by screens.
A - Awareness and Accountability: Becoming curious about behaviour rather than reactive to it. Understanding what children are communicating through their actions, and holding ourselves and our children accountable through meaningful consequences.
L - Learning Emotional Regulation: Recognising emotions as they rise, and learning to process and express them in healthy ways - for parents first, and then for children.
M - Mindful Modelling: Our children are watching us all the time. The goal is to shift from "do as I say, not as I do" to "do as I do."
The Red Brain vs. The Green Brain
One of the most practical sections of this conversation covers what to do when you are already dysregulated. Angie shares her five-point body check-in: a tool that helps parents catch themselves before they react in ways they later regret.
The five points to check are:
Body sensations
Body movements
Thoughts
Emotions
The five senses
Practiced consistently, this check-in becomes second nature.
Gentle Parenting vs. Permissive Parenting
Angie and Meg unpack one of the most misunderstood distinctions in modern parenting.
Gentle parenting, at its core, includes boundaries and consequences.
Permissive parenting does not.
Trying to remove every obstacle and keep children happy one hundred percent of the time does them a far greater disservice than we realise.
Tune In: This episode is about parenting with intention - if you are a parent who has ever gone from zero to sixty and spent the next hour drowning in guilt, this conversation is for you.
Guest References: Angie Weber
Website: theparenttoolbox.info
Facebook: The Parent Toolbox
Instagram: The Parent Toolbox
YouTube: The Parent Toolbox
Podcast: Mom Essentials
Resource: The Calm Family Planner — 52 weeks of guided family meetings

On this week's episode of Sense by Meg Faure we sit down with Dr. Nellie Balfour, a specialist paediatrician who has spent years working in neonatal ICUs, as she navigates her own second pregnancy in real time. This is the first episode in a brand new series on Sense by Meg Faure, following Nellie's pregnancy journey trimester by trimester. It is raw, honest, deeply personal and utterly reassuring.
What We Cover:
Prenatal Depression: The conversation we are not having.
Dr. Nellie opens up about experiencing prenatal depression during her first trimester — losing six kilograms, sleeping constantly, feeling hopeless, and ultimately needing medication. She explains why second-time mums are actually more vulnerable to prenatal depression than postpartum depression, why the symptoms are so often missed or dismissed, and why the stigma makes everything worse. Her advice is simple and direct: any feeling of hopelessness during pregnancy is a red flag. Talk to someone. Tell your gynaecologist. Do not wait.
Medical Knowledge and Pregnancy Anxiety:
Many people assume that a paediatrician would sail through pregnancy with confidence. Dr. Nellie challenges that completely. When you know every possible risk, your mind finds more to worry about — not less. Meg Faure shares her own experience of this, reminding us that motherhood is the great leveller. It does not matter whether you are a plumber or a paediatrician. The emotional journey of becoming a mother humbles everyone equally.
Medication Safety in Pregnancy:
Social media is full of dangerous misinformation about medication in pregnancy. Meg and Nellie set the record straight.
Breech Babies and Motor Development:
Dr. Nellie asks Meg a fascinating clinical question: what are the developmental implications of a breech birth? Meg explains the role of the vestibular system in orienting a baby head-down in the womb, and how a consistently breech position may affect muscle tone, balance, coordination and bilateral integration later in life. It is not a linear outcome — but it is one reason why movement in pregnancy matters, and why sensory integration therapy can make such a difference for children with vestibular challenges.
Rupture and Repair:
The episode closes with a concept that will stay with every parent who hears it. There is no such thing as a perfect pregnancy or a perfect mother. .
About Our Guest:
Dr. Nellie Balfour is a mom and Specialist Pediatrician with a focus on neonates, newborns, and early childhood development. Dr. Nellie is passionate about empowering parents with credible, evidence-based information so they can make the best decisions for their children. You can find her and her popular Q&A sessions on Instagram at @drnelliepaeds
Episode References and Links:
📱 Parent Sense App — Your all-in-one baby care app for routines, nutrition, and expert advice. Download it here and use code SENSE50 for 50% off.
https://parentsense.app/
CONNECT WITH MEG FAURE
Web: megfaure.com
Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/MegFaure.Sense
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/megfaure.sense/

Introduction
On this week's episode of Sense by Meg Faure we are talking about one of the most searched, most stressed-about, and most misunderstood milestones in the toddler years: potty training. Meg Faure takes you through the science, the sensory personalities, and a practical day-by-day plan that gets most little ones out of nappies within ten days. No punishment, no pressure, no drama.
Why Sensory Personality Changes Everything
Not all children potty train the same way, and getting this wrong is one of the main reasons parents feel like they are failing. Meg explains the four sensory personalities and what each one means for potty training. High-filter babies, your social butterflies and settled little ones, are prone to accidents because they simply do not notice the signals. They need a scheduled approach, active play to increase body awareness, and language cues to bridge the gap. Sensitive and slow-to-warm-up babies feel everything intensely, may have anxiety around the process, and need calm, unhurried, comfortable conditions to feel safe enough to go.
The Golden Window and Readiness Cues
Meg introduces the four age categories for potty training and makes a clear case for why 18 to 30 months is the golden window. She walks through the physical, cognitive, and sensory readiness cues to look for, from dry nappies after naps and pulling the nappy off, to pointing, communicating, and pausing in play to register the signal. She also explains why waiting until after 30 months tends to make the process significantly harder.
The One Thing Parents Set Up Wrong
Before potty training even begins, you need to set up the right space. Meg covers exactly what this looks like: a calm, dedicated spot with books nearby, a stable and well-fitted potty or seat reducer, a reward jar, and, critically, a footrest. Feet flat on the floor is non-negotiable. Children cannot push out a poo and manage a swinging-legs balancing act at the same time.
The 10-Day Plan: Prep Week and Potty Week
Prep week is about nappy-off time, language, and dolly play. Potty week is about repetition, timing, fluids, and reward. Meg gives you a clear sequence: lots to drink, a timer set for every 45 minutes, training pants on, signals watched for, and every success met with genuine reward. She also covers troubleshooting: going out, the difference between wees and poos, children who need a nappy for poos, and how to approach night-time training when the time comes.
About Our Host:
Meg Faure is an occupational therapist, author of the 'Sense' series of parenting books (including Baby Sense), and the founder of the Parent Sense app. With decades of experience working with parents and babies, her mission is to bring calm, clarity, and confidence to the parenting journey.
Episode References and Links:
📱 Parent Sense App – Your all-in-one baby care app for routines, nutrition, and expert advice. Download it here and use code SENSE50 for 50% off: https://parentsense.app/
CONNECT WITH MEG FAURE
Web: megfaure.com
Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/MegFaure.Sense
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/megfaure.sense/
Potty Training Course: https://parentse.onelink.me/TCyx/coursesToddler