Kiran is a four-year-old girl who has only ever eaten sweets. She wears the clothes of a one year old and is falling behind in almost every aspect of development. In desperation, mum Sophia has started to force-feed her child. Jo also meets eleven-year-old Bronwyn: a girl who hates her appearance so much she is unable to lead a normal life. Bronwyn cries daily about the way she looks and compares herself harshly to celebrities in magazine, and mum Emma has no idea how to cope.

Jo meets two families at the end of their tether. In Glasgow she visits Madison, a nine-year-old beauty queen who has always been given everything she ever wanted. But her family have paid a heavy price for such largesse, both financially and emotionally. In Blackpool, Jo meets Bailey, a ten-year-old-boy who spends up to 80 hours a week playing online computer games, while his Mum struggles to cope with two demanding younger sisters.

In Middlesex she meets a family struggling to cope with seven-year-old Regan, who has recently been diagnosed with ADHD. In Manchester she visits Josh, a ten-year-old boy already classed as obese. And in a revealing study, Jo investigates how young girls really feel about their bodies.

In Woolwich, Jo visits six-year-old Paige, who has never slept a full night in her own bed: meaning that her mum hasn't had more than four hours uninterrupted sleep in over six years.

Working with the UK's leading expert in child sleep issues, Dr Cathy Hill, Jo wants to find out what effect having less sleep has on children. Jo also meets four year old Michael who rules the family roost. He has learnt to play his parents against each other and scream until he gets whatever he wants - but as he prepares to start school is it too late to instill discipline?