Little People, Big Feelings

by Genevieve Muir

Parenting educator and mum-of-four Gen Muir has helped thousands of families dealing with strong emotions and challenging behaviour in young kids.

Fussy eating, bedtime battles, school refusal, public meltdowns, sibling rivalry? Gen shows you how to work with your child through these issues without losing your mind or quashing your child's spirit.

You will learn
Set the kind of firm and kind boundaries essential for making your kids feel safe
Adopt effective alternatives to short-term praise and punishment techniques, such as time-out and reward charts
Understand your own response to your kids' feelings
Connect more deeply with your children
Reduce household conflict
Practise self-compassion when you don't get it right first time around.


Reassuring, compassionate and relatable, Little People, Big Feelings will help you transform parenting challenges into precious opportunities to communicate and connect.

Genres: Parenting, Nonfiction, Audiobook

345 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 30, 2024

Reviews

[Casey Broughton · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a first-generation gentle parent, I found this book extremely helpful. Turns out, not only is it ok to feel emotions, but it's actually beneficial to feel them. Who knew? 🤣
Contains valuable advice for approaching tantrums, meltdowns and social situations, and for raising brave, resilient kids.

[Melinda Nankivell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book came to me at the right time, and I really appreciated everything in it. Connection is the key to everything! Highly recommended

[Jess Farquhar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very helpful resource for toddler parents, with an emphasis on connection and emotion coaching. Lots of links to the Circle of Security parenting course but with additional practical advice. A little repetitive at times, but this is the first parenting book I've read and I assume that it's hard to avoid. Also my copy had a few noticeable typos such as missing words.

[Georgia Madigan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved every bit of this book 💛 Gen Muir is my north star in the parent education world.

[David Maywald · Rating 5 out of 5]

Little People Big Feelings by Gen Muir is a thoughtful, compassionate guide to understanding young children’s emotional worlds, written with warmth and practical wisdom. Gen Muir invites parents to see children not as problems to be managed, but as people in the early stages of learning how to feel, express, and regulate powerful emotions. The book does an admirable job of affirming the dignity of all children (boys and girls alike) recognising that emotional depth, sensitivity, and intensity are human traits rather than gendered flaws. Big feelings are treated as signals and opportunities for growth, not as something to be shut down or feared.

Equally important is the respect that the book shows for parents. Mothers and fathers aren't portrayed as deficient or in need of correction, but as loving adults doing their best under real pressures. Muir acknowledges parental exhaustion, frustration, and self-doubt, while offering tools that are realistic rather than idealistic. Her approach encourages calm leadership, emotional presence, and consistency—qualities that both mothers and fathers can embody in their own ways. There is no sense of blame, ideology, or competition between parents; instead, the book supports cooperation, shared responsibility, and mutual respect within families.

Overall, Little People Big Feelings is a humane and balanced contribution to modern parenting literature. It strengthens families by honouring children’s emotions while also reinforcing the authority, responsibility, and care of parents. For those seeking an approach that nurtures emotional intelligence without undermining parental confidence (or diminishing the unique strengths of boys, girls, mothers, or fathers) this is a valuable and reassuring read.

[Rina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Parenting educator and mum-of-four Gen Muir has helped thousands of families dealing with strong emotions and challenging behaviour in young kids. Gen covers all topics, ranging from fussy eating, bedtime battles, school refusal, public meltdowns, and sibling rivalry.

I picked this up because I was attracted to the topic of understanding kids’ internal process to regulate their emotions. And the book didn’t disappoint!

I wasn’t familiar with Gen’s Connected Parenting method before this book, but it resonated well with me. I loved the idea of kids’ daily Connection Cup and Emotion Cup and how they could impact each other. I also appreciated the tips on how to keep adding to the Connection Cup and reducing from the Emotion Cup (to keep it from spilling over).

I think this book would be a good addition to your parenting repertoire, even if you don’t fully agree with everything suggested. There are good bits and pieces for everyone.

(Thanks to Pan Macmillan Australia for a gifted copy in exchange for an honest review)

See my bookstagram review.

[Stacey Lattin]

I stopped reading this about a third of the way through not because there was anything wrong with the book itself but none of it was news to me. I remember why I stopped reading parenting books, because they were all like "treat your kids like human beings and you will have a much easier time getting them to co operate" which is normal in our house lol. We have basically no issues with our daily routines and when we do have issues its not a very big deal. For example, I know it can take a while for my kids to get their shoes/coats/helmets and whatever on when I say its time to go so I tell them it's time to go 15 minutes before we are actually leaving the house for school, we always end up leaving at the right time

I think I just have to accept that its a fact of life that sometimes my kids are going to be body slamming each other and screaming while I'm standing in the kitchen knuckles deep in raw meat yelling at them to stop because what else do you do in that situation?????

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best parenting book around. Since starting this book 4 days ago, I have already implemented some of the practical tips Gen offers around handling ‘big feelings’ with my toddler and gosh it’s made a difference. I borrowed a copy from my library but will be purchasing a copy so I can mark it up and keep for future reference. Gen offers an empathetic, non-judgmental and practical approach. So many parenting gurus make you feel as though you’re “doing it wrong” if you’re not following their method, but Gen’s writing is totally the opposite. I feel like a calmer parent already who is better equipped to handle the tumultuous times that are an inevitable part of being a parent.

[Courtney Van Veen · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent Low-pressure guide to parenting which has completely changed the game.

Gen writes this as if she's giving advice to a friend by keeping it light and easy reading whilst providing evidence-based tips and tricks for dealing with the tricky moments of melt-downs and big feelings.

Implementing these strategies 30% of the time is achievable and has definitely created more calm in our house with an explosive 2-year-old with all the feeling bombs!

Highly recommend this to any/all parents.

[Tianna Allport · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best parenting book I’ve read, well listened to. I thoroughly enjoyed the audiobook version, it was so helpful hearing Gen explain the scenarios and the tone of voice and whatnot she would use. Helped me greatly!

[Bre Stubbs · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so validating for me as a first time mother and helped me to understand my sons behaviours and emotions so much better. We have a much better relationship and definitely less meltdowns (for both of us). Thank you Gen!

[Lisa Walshe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really helpful for grandparents to get on board with the latest parenting style so they can be on the same page as their children when hanging out together or when babysitting their grandchildren. Thanks Gen Muir!

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic. Super wisdom in an accessible and engaging format. Highly recommended.

[Helen Parker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extremely helpful perspectives for raising young children

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredibly easy to read and understand. Really appreciate the explanations of this type of parenting

[Alice Worthy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Will upgrade to 5 stars if my 3 year old turns less savage

[Monique Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Overall really insightful and helpful! I'll be buying the hard copy so I can annotate and have at easy reach when I need help

[Adeline Moya · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best parenting books I have read.
A great book to read while expecting my second child.

[Melissa Mathers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really great book about the challenges and joys of parenting and how we navigate the hard stuff while prioritising our own needs and our relationship with our children. Highly recommend!

[trammartin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Little People, Big Feelings is an absolute gem for parents. I can't stress enough how effective it has been for my toddler, who happens to the overnight picky eater and has meltdowns over the smallest things. This book really works like magic!