We’re thrilled to welcome our new columnist Amanda Marks. Amanda is a Renowned Breastfeeding, Food & Sleep Consultant
With over 40 years of experience supporting families, Amanda Marks is a highly respected breastfeeding, food, and sleep consultant. Based in prestigious locations including 10 Harley Street, London, and Alderley Edge, Cheshire, Amanda has worked with families from diverse backgrounds, including media personalities and royalty, maintaining the highest standards of confidentiality.
Amanda’s gentle and empathetic approach focuses on empowering parents to respond effectively to their children’s needs, fostering optimal mental and physical development. She takes a firm stance against “Cry It Out” and Controlled Crying methods, instead offering personalised guidance on feeding, weaning, sleep, and developmental milestones from 0-7 years.
Amanda offers a range of services, including:
– Pregnancy and Post-Birth Feeding Programme
– Early Weeks Review
– Weaning, Food & Sleep Guidance
– Food & Sleep, Separation Anxiety & Boundaries
As a mother of three grown sons, Amanda brings both professional expertise and personal insight to her work. Her client base, formed predominantly through personal referrals, has grown to over 5000 families worldwide.
You can email your questions to ‘Ask Amanda’ to amanda@broodmagazine.com
“Thank you to BROOD for inviting me to be one of your regular columnists. I truly value what BROOD stands for — and I love being a part of the BROOD family who cheerlead each other so brilliantly in business and beyond. I’m so excited to be writing about the subjects I’m most passionate about: babies and children, and in my own small way offering parents practical tips and tricks from my various programmes and my 40 years of expertise. I hope to answer your questions on all things feed, food and sleep — and bring a taster of what I’ve learned from 40 years of supporting families through their journeys — to the BROOD table. Here’s to 2026, and I hope you enjoy our first article on two topics that always come up: the dummy (and how to say goodbye when you decide, together, the time is right)… and another favourite of mine – why food is so important!”
SPONSORED CONTENT:
13 Tips from my Parenting Programmes
- Start collecting colostrum pre birth to facilitate faster weight gain and reduction of onset jaundice.
- Create a support group of parents who have recently been or going through breastfeeding, food and sleep journeys to then be empowered by their experiences.
- Understanding how important the baby’s first 5 days post birth are, in order to establish a healthy milk supply.
- Trust your instincts when it comes to health professionals diagnosing early reflux and CMPA which is often incorrect and lead to unnecessary baby medication
- Learn and educate yourself about your baby’s 4th trimester, this will answer of a lot of questions allowing breastfeeding journeys to be smooth, successful and nurturing.
- Food before 1 is not just for FUN.. babies need iron from 6 months in food so make sure you are weaning onto solids and understanding milk requirements to allow your baby’s appetite to build.
- Offer a slow releasing carbohydrate before sleep.. Amanda’s Magic Porridge is on the programme to enable tryptophan & melatonin release through food to increase sleep.
- Quiet Time is a great way to teach your baby or child to unwind, be prepared for a relaxed settled bedtime and start to their sleep cycles
- Make sure you know your babies and child’s age appropriate wake windows to avoid going to sleep overtired and often leading to lengthy bedtimes with unnecessary upset
- Be aware of separation anxiety and answer your babies and children appropriately, this is a healthy developmental stage and needs to be recognised so your children smoothly go through it being answered,
- Rather than offering unhealthy and carbohydrate based snacks that raise the blood sugars offer foods like watermelon and cucumber that also then don’t impact appetites
- Do not teach your babies and children to sleep with controlled crying or cry it out methods, cortisol is released from the brain and can lead to many issues in later life. My programme promotes Stages 1-4 over a 2 week duration so they are learning and can demonstrate by settling with you present.
- Listen to your babies and children by being present, switch off your phone, eye to eye contact when talking to them and give clear firm boundaries, this will enable your children to feel secure in their world,, healthy in their minds and safe in all areas of life.
SPONSORED CONTENT:
KEEP UP TO DATE WITH BROOD:
Related Articles
School Holiday Jigsaw: Surviving the Summer Holidays as a Working Parent
School Holiday Jigsaw: Surviving the Summer Holidays as a Working Parent
For school children, the six-week break is a magical expanse of unstructured freedom. For working parents, it marks the beginning of a military-grade logistical operation. Between the skyrocketing costs of summer camps, tag-teaming annual leave with partners, and attempting the ultimate high-wire act of working from home with a laptop on your knee, the math of July and August simply doesn’t add up. We dive deep into the reality of trying to fit a 19th-century agricultural school calendar into a 21st-century digital economy—and explore the progressive workplace shifts needed to save our sanity.
The Cognitive Crutch: Are We Outsourcing Our kid’s Brains to AI?
The Cognitive Crutch: Are We Outsourcing Our Children’s Brains to AI?
Generative AI has transitioned from a novel tech trend to a permanent classroom fixture. But as tools like ChatGPT effortlessly handle the heavy cognitive lifting of writing essays and solving equations, educators and neuroscientists are raising an urgent alarm. True learning is rooted in the cognitive friction of arriving at an answer. By outsourcing that struggle to machines, are we causing intellectual stamina to atrophy, leaving behind a generation of brilliant curators who have lost the ability to think independently? From primary schools to university campuses, the data reveals a stark shift from active learning to passive “cognitive offloading.”
The Big 2026 British Playcation: The Ultimate Free, Low-Cost & Premium Summer Days Out
The six-week school summer holidays are here, but keeping kids entertained shouldn’t break the bank. With new data showing a massive “play gap” across the UK, we’ve rounded up 11 of the absolute best national initiatives, free community festivals, heavily discounted active-play passes, and premium family adventures to help you balance the budget while creating unforgettable summer memories.
Why the UK is Suddenly Going All Out for Graduation Season
Discover why British graduations are becoming massive lifestyle events and explore San Carlo’s new summer menu—the perfect way to celebrate in style.
New ‘xV’ Campaign Launches “The Unspoken Stat” to Expose Hidden Domestic Abuse Spike Around England Matches
A powerful new World Cup campaign introduces “xV” (Expected Violence) to expose a chilling reality: research shows domestic abuse incidents spike by 38% when England loses and 26% even when they win. Backed by survivors, sports figures, and celebrities like Mel B, the campaign demands that this hidden statistic receives the same urgent attention as modern football data.
Banning Social Media Under 16: What the New UK Law Means for Parents
The UK government has announced a landmark social media ban for children under 16. From affected apps to enforcement timelines, here is what the “Australia Plus” model means for busy working parents and family life.
Beat The Heat: Top Tips To Help Your Kids Sleep During A Heatwave
Struggling to get your little ones to sleep in a stifling bedroom? From clever daytime blackout tactics and safe on-the-go shading with SnoozeShade, to expert routine adjustments from pediatric sleep specialist Amanda Marks and soothing audio tracks from Bedtime Story Co, we’ve got your ultimate guide to keeping kids cool, calm, and safely asleep during a summer scorcher.
Beat the Heatwave: Budget-Friendly School Holiday Activities for All Ages
Surviving the summer break shouldn’t have to drain your bank account—even in a heatwave! From air-conditioned national museum hacks and hidden shaded forest trails across the country to creative DIY projects that will actually keep your teenagers engaged, we’ve rounded up the ultimate budget-friendly guide to keeping cool and entertained both out and at home
Why keeping employees hydrated improves productivity
The human brain is roughly 70-75% water. When dehydration kicks in, it isn’t just a physical drain—it causes a direct hit to focus, memory, and spatial coordination. In fact, research suggests that even a small one percent rise in dehydration can result in a worker’s productivity dipping by approximately 12%.
Lisa Johnson: From £30K Debt to Multi-Millionaire – How a Mum of Two Built a Freedom-Focused Business
Discover how Lisa Johnson, award-winning entrepreneur and mum of twins, went from £30,000 in debt to building a multi-million-pound business in just seven years. In this exclusive interview, Lisa shares her journey through adversity, her strategies for scaling with passive income, and her honest advice for parents and entrepreneurs seeking financial freedom, work-life balance, and lasting impact. Keywords: Lisa Johnson, entrepreneur, passive income, business strategy, work-life balance, financial freedom, mumpreneur, online business, success story.
KEEP UP TO DATE WITH BROOD:
Related Articles
School Holiday Jigsaw: Surviving the Summer Holidays as a Working Parent
School Holiday Jigsaw: Surviving the Summer Holidays as a Working Parent
For school children, the six-week break is a magical expanse of unstructured freedom. For working parents, it marks the beginning of a military-grade logistical operation. Between the skyrocketing costs of summer camps, tag-teaming annual leave with partners, and attempting the ultimate high-wire act of working from home with a laptop on your knee, the math of July and August simply doesn’t add up. We dive deep into the reality of trying to fit a 19th-century agricultural school calendar into a 21st-century digital economy—and explore the progressive workplace shifts needed to save our sanity.
The Cognitive Crutch: Are We Outsourcing Our kid’s Brains to AI?
The Cognitive Crutch: Are We Outsourcing Our Children’s Brains to AI?
Generative AI has transitioned from a novel tech trend to a permanent classroom fixture. But as tools like ChatGPT effortlessly handle the heavy cognitive lifting of writing essays and solving equations, educators and neuroscientists are raising an urgent alarm. True learning is rooted in the cognitive friction of arriving at an answer. By outsourcing that struggle to machines, are we causing intellectual stamina to atrophy, leaving behind a generation of brilliant curators who have lost the ability to think independently? From primary schools to university campuses, the data reveals a stark shift from active learning to passive “cognitive offloading.”
The Big 2026 British Playcation: The Ultimate Free, Low-Cost & Premium Summer Days Out
The six-week school summer holidays are here, but keeping kids entertained shouldn’t break the bank. With new data showing a massive “play gap” across the UK, we’ve rounded up 11 of the absolute best national initiatives, free community festivals, heavily discounted active-play passes, and premium family adventures to help you balance the budget while creating unforgettable summer memories.
Why the UK is Suddenly Going All Out for Graduation Season
Discover why British graduations are becoming massive lifestyle events and explore San Carlo’s new summer menu—the perfect way to celebrate in style.
New ‘xV’ Campaign Launches “The Unspoken Stat” to Expose Hidden Domestic Abuse Spike Around England Matches
A powerful new World Cup campaign introduces “xV” (Expected Violence) to expose a chilling reality: research shows domestic abuse incidents spike by 38% when England loses and 26% even when they win. Backed by survivors, sports figures, and celebrities like Mel B, the campaign demands that this hidden statistic receives the same urgent attention as modern football data.
Banning Social Media Under 16: What the New UK Law Means for Parents
The UK government has announced a landmark social media ban for children under 16. From affected apps to enforcement timelines, here is what the “Australia Plus” model means for busy working parents and family life.
Beat The Heat: Top Tips To Help Your Kids Sleep During A Heatwave
Struggling to get your little ones to sleep in a stifling bedroom? From clever daytime blackout tactics and safe on-the-go shading with SnoozeShade, to expert routine adjustments from pediatric sleep specialist Amanda Marks and soothing audio tracks from Bedtime Story Co, we’ve got your ultimate guide to keeping kids cool, calm, and safely asleep during a summer scorcher.
Beat the Heatwave: Budget-Friendly School Holiday Activities for All Ages
Surviving the summer break shouldn’t have to drain your bank account—even in a heatwave! From air-conditioned national museum hacks and hidden shaded forest trails across the country to creative DIY projects that will actually keep your teenagers engaged, we’ve rounded up the ultimate budget-friendly guide to keeping cool and entertained both out and at home
Why keeping employees hydrated improves productivity
The human brain is roughly 70-75% water. When dehydration kicks in, it isn’t just a physical drain—it causes a direct hit to focus, memory, and spatial coordination. In fact, research suggests that even a small one percent rise in dehydration can result in a worker’s productivity dipping by approximately 12%.
Lisa Johnson: From £30K Debt to Multi-Millionaire – How a Mum of Two Built a Freedom-Focused Business
Discover how Lisa Johnson, award-winning entrepreneur and mum of twins, went from £30,000 in debt to building a multi-million-pound business in just seven years. In this exclusive interview, Lisa shares her journey through adversity, her strategies for scaling with passive income, and her honest advice for parents and entrepreneurs seeking financial freedom, work-life balance, and lasting impact. Keywords: Lisa Johnson, entrepreneur, passive income, business strategy, work-life balance, financial freedom, mumpreneur, online business, success story.
