I had ended up with such a bad bedtime routine for my 19 month old little girl: I felt I’d failed, but I was also too scared about doing anything to change it as I thought I’d cause more upset and feel even more guilty. How wrong I was! Bedtime is now a joy and pleasure for both of us!

Bedtime, with me, (Iris has no problem going to sleep in her cot, in her room with anyone else that put her to bed!), wasn’t a pleasant experience for either of us. Before it even started I was already feeling guilty that I’d only walked in the door from work 15 minutes earlier and now we were going to have the battle of wills as to how bedtime was going to play out – neither of us ever won. It was tears and tandrums from both of us and it normally ended an hour later with us both passing out on my bed! I would then carry Iris back into her cot asleep, and back to my bed when she woke in the night…and so it carried on.

Lucy’s 7 page plan filled me with fear, dread and trepidation … I didn’t want to even start what looked in comparison to Iris’ usual bedtime like we were off to bootcamp!!! How wrong I was: within 3 nights, we had it nailed.  3 weeks in, Iris now asks to go to bed and wants to get straight in her cot… she has the best nights sleep possible, (as she gets herself back to sleep in the night too), and I have my evenings back to enjoy a glass of wine or two!

Don’t spend another minute thinking about it …you’ll be back to being the best mum you can be in no time!

Polly & Iris (19m)