How Nature Helps Calm an Overwhelmed Child

I've been thinking about this a lot recently, and I wonder if we've accidentally made childhood much noisier than it needs to be.

Children spend all day being told where to be, what to do and how quickly they need to do it. School is busy. Clubs are busy. Home is often busy too. Even when they've got five minutes to themselves, the television is on in the background or somebody reaches for a tablet because, well... that's just become normal.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying any of that's wrong, it's just the world we're raising our children in. But I do find myself wondering whether we've forgotten that one of the greatest gifts we can give a child is simply the space to slow down.

I see it with Penny all the time. If she's had a difficult day, she doesn't come home asking for more stimulation. She heads into the garden and just potters. She's looking for feathers, herbs, bugs, fairy doors... anything that catches her attention. Half an hour later she's a different child. Nothing dramatic has happened, she's simply had the chance to breathe.

I think nature does that for all of us.

If I've had one of those days where everything feels a bit much, I don't really think about what I'm doing anymore. I just go outside. Sometimes I'll potter around the garden, sometimes I'll walk through the woods, sometimes I'll pick a handful of herbs while I'm out. Whatever it is, I always come back feeling calmer than when I left.

It made me wonder whether that's because nature asks absolutely nothing from us.

Nobody's keeping score. You can't fail at watching a bee disappear into a foxglove or lying on the grass making shapes out of clouds.

Children don't need us to manufacture wonder, it's already there if we give them the time to notice it.

That's why I've never really thought of Little Wild Spa as a spa kit.

For me, it's simply another excuse to get children curious about the natural world.

Yes, they're making bath potions and flower crowns, but what I really hope happens is that they start asking questions.

Why does lavender smell like that?

Can we grow calendula at home?

Why do oats make bath water feel so different?

Once children start asking those questions, something shifts. They're no longer just playing with plants; they're building a relationship with them and they will keep this knowledge forever.

The same thinking sits behind Settle & Soothe.

People often tell me it's a lovely bath tea, and it is, but I don't think the herbs are the most important part. The ritual is.

Turning the lights down, running a warm bath and steeping the oats and lemon balm while you read a story or chat about the day.

For generations, lemon balm has been valued in traditional herbal practice for moments when life felt unsettled, while oats have long been used to comfort delicate skin. Whether you choose those herbs or others, the real magic is creating a predictable moment where a child's body begins to recognise that the busy part of the day is over.

The same goes for Bodhi Butter.

A few minutes spent massaging it into little arms and legs before bed isn't about skincare alone. It's another opportunity to pause, reconnect and fill the room with the familiar scent of lavender and chamomile. Those tiny rituals become part of childhood. Years later they won't remember the ingredients, but they'll remember how safe they felt and the smell will have become an anchor.

Even our Lip Hero Duo came from thinking about those little moments.

Children get nervous too. They worry about friendships, school plays, tests and all sorts of things that seem huge when you're little. Carrying a small lip balm in their pocket isn't just about dry lips. For some children it becomes something familiar they can reach for when they need a little confidence. The scent of lemon balm and lavender is a quiet reminder of home, of bedtime stories, of all the moments they've felt safe before.

I suppose that's what I hope Bodhi & Fae becomes for families.

Not just another skincare brand, but a gentle reminder to step outside, notice what's growing around you, light the candle, run the bath, tell one more story and remember that some of life's simplest moments are often the ones our children carry with them forever.