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BY THE TIME your little one reaches toddler and preschool age, they’re well able to tell you what they want, when they want it, and why. And that’s where the trouble starts, from dealing with tantrums to navigating playdates. That’s why it can be so helpful to hear how other parents are getting through it all.
Our Toddler and Preschool Parents Panel is made up of parents with little ones aged two, three and four.
This week, we asked the panel:
How do you make sure your little one stays in their own bed at night?
Here are a few of the best responses:
By making their bedroom a place they want to be: Making sure each child’s room is a special place for them has made it much easier to curb any habits of wanting to sleep elsewhere. They each have their own special teddies that live in the bed/cot only. And for our 3.5yr old, his dummy is waiting for him every bedtime and it doesn’t leave the bedroom, so that’s a great incentive to him to stay put.
- Michelle O’Brien
If anyone comes out, they are walked back in and tucked back up with a minimum of interaction: That way, the appeal of coming in and out is reduced. It was only after years of sleeping on floors beside cots and nearly losing our minds, with a two-year old who still hadn’t slept through the night and another baby on the way, that we got really serious about this. Work out the routine that works for you and then stick as closely to that as you can – and get blackout blinds if you can.
- Tracy Kilgalton
We got her a Gro Clock: Rather than numbers, this little clock displays a bright yellow sunshine during the day, and blue stars which count down during the night so the child can see when it’s okay to get up. Our five-year-old has an immovable body clock and naturally wakes at 5.30am, which meant we were all awake at 5.30am, until we got a Gro Clock when she was two.
One thing: make sure you have a clear routine and reward system with the clock. In our house, that’s us all saying “Night night Mr. Sun, see you in the morning!” as we press the star button to start the countdown. Our reward is that if they stay in bed until Mr. Sun comes up they can come into our bed for a snuggle until Daddy’s alarm goes off.
- Juliet Ward
A second vote for the Gro Clock: We first got a Gro Clock when Caitlin was three but we were a couple of years ahead of ourselves. Now five, Caitlin can fully grasp the concept of waiting for the sun to shine on the clock face before rising. I would advise gradually setting the morning wake up a little later week by week, rather than being overly optimistic at first and setting unrealistic times. You might have to wait a little longer for that Saturday morning lie-on!
- Michael Mulkerrins
I find it useful to talk it out with our twin toddlers during the day: A couple of times a day, we discuss what happens if they wake up during the night. We explain that if they wake up and are upset then Mammy or Daddy will come in and lie with them on their own bed until they feel better (and hopefully fall asleep). The more we talk about this, it seems like they get more comfortable with the idea.
- Ger Lowry
Make a speedy exit: We’ve always been lucky that our oldest is an independent lady who seems to be more comfortable in her own space at night. But if she does get up during the night we usually just tuck her back in with minimal chat and try to make a swift exit.
- Nicola Barry
All our two want is some company: My two are natural born co-sleepers, despite trying cots, and all of the usual recommended nighttime methods, all they want is company. So we turn on a night light and we read to them, and tell them about the adventures and fun they will have tomorrow. We let them go to sleep happy, knowing that they are not alone. When they are asleep we pop out, if they wake up we go back in. They feel secure in their own beds and call on us when needs be, so they don’t wander. It may not be for everyone, but it works for us.
- Sadhbh Ni Ogain
Sometimes the right thing can be to let her sleep in with us: When our son was born in December all of a sudden Mammy, Daddy and baby were all in one bedroom and our three-year-old daughter was in her own room – so it was completely understandable that she wanted to be with us. We let her come in to us at night if she woke. After about a week of this she realised she wasn’t missing out on anything and happily spent the night in her own room.
- Deirdre McCormack
We lie with them until they fall asleep: We were DESPERATE to try anything that might make them sleep through the night, and, after many other tried and tested tactics, we finally switched them from cots to toddler beds. Shock horror: three nights in they realised they could get out. And they did. It was a case of just marching them back to their bed each time, and waiting with them until they went back to sleep again. This rarely took longer than a few minutes, thankfully. (Although I did often wake up myself, asleep at the bottom of a toddler bed an hour or so later…)
- Emily Lewis
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out of the 253 incidents, how many were carried out by foreign nationals?.
Are u taking the piss.
David, I don`t think Ando is taking the piss. This activity seems to be the exclusive domain of foreign nationals. I don`t know the set up, but a check of the stats will show you that nearly all of those caught at this ATM game are of Eastern European origin. That is not a racist remark, simply the facts.
How does it matter?
David, care to provide source of your statistics?
Maybe he asked Homer Simpson…. Seems to work for Danny.
Where you get your stats is a valid question…so where did they come from???
Do u not mean ando???
Plus I believe it was irish low lives that crashed a JCB into a shop and stole the whole ATM.
In 2006, I was at a seminar on ATM Security and Fraud.The speaker (Head of Security for a major Irish Bank) stated that 9 out of 10 devices found on machines were traced back to an Eastern European or Russian crime syndicate.We were informed that some of the devices, that are extremely high tech, are worth €250,000 euro each!Many of the guys who plant them on the machines have been people trafficked into Ireland and to repay their exorbitant travel costs, they must attach and collect data from ‘skimming’ machines!The other ‘skimming’ machines (1 in 10) that were found were far more crudely made and attributed to Nigerian crime outfits.
So going by what this guy told us, in 2006, 100% of ATM ‘skimming’ machines were foreign made and owned. Maybe this has changed and other nationalities (including Irish) have taken up what is a highly lucrative activity estimated to be worth anywhere between €3.5 and €10 million every year!
One word…Romanians
One word: Romani. Romanians and Romani quite difference, ignorant heads will never comprehend. In Romania there is lot of decent hard working people (in Ireland too), these are gypsies from Romania that give them bad name and awful presence all over the world.
@dirpaddy.. I have been to Romania and they are a lovely race of people who are sick to death of people like you who confuse them with Roma.. have you ever met a real Romania as opposed to a Roma? it’s very hard to spot a Romanian person a they just look continental.. of all the countries I have visited in Europe Romania was the biggest suprise, its a bit backward but the people are friendly charming and very kind.
Gents,
You should know well by now that you cannot say a word about anyone from abroad because you will be immediately accused of not being a happy-clappy multiculturalist.
That we all know the answer is not enough.
its simply not PC to talk about foreigners ( yes, there, I said it, the F word !!) and their involvement in anything, other than religious festivals and projects run by women with double-barrelled surnames
Ah come on The journal, ATM Machine? Really? Automated Teller Machine Machine? like pin number? pcb board?
@Brian @Ando
Yeah sure, everything bad in this country is because of foreigners. They steal your jobs, they steal from your atm’s, they steal your women, etc. etc. :-)
To be bit more serious, I doubt there are any statistics showing what you are suggesting, most likely these stats are nothing more than a product of your prejudiced imagination.
In fact there were few news in past year or two saying about some eat european gangs skimming ATM’s in Ireland, but I don’t think there is more info than just that. And reason for it is probably only that Irish thugs didn’t have technology that other thugs brought in, not that they were so noble they decided not to ever touch any ATM’s… You want to comment, get your facts right, otherwise you just create biassed lies.
@Derek Marten
OK, thanks for that info, but even knowing these facts, what difference that makes who they are?
If somebody can afford 250K worth skimming equipment, they are not average guys, but mafia.
I’ve googled couple other news from around the world about ATM skimming that took places all over the world, and indeed they quite often mention Bulgarian, Serbian and Russian involvement, whether that be USA or France or Ireland.
However these are clearly people not linked with any East European minorities living in Ireland or any other country, but they are professional criminal groups doing their “jobs” all over the world. Suggestions made here in couple comments were quite obviously made towards East Eur. immigrants leaving in Ireland like they were to blame. Believe me that east E.U. people bank accounts were robbed too, I doubt criminals were doing refunds for non English sounding names :P
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