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You are here: Home / MOTHERHOOD / Babies / From cot to bed. And almost back again.

From cot to bed. And almost back again.

June 7, 2012 by Molly 35 Comments

This is the sight that greeted my husband as he went to wake our almost-2 year old daughter this morning. It’s a blurred picture, completely out of focus. This is because he was shaking with fear as he took it.

I blame the wee.

The stench of it, apparently, was rather strong. There were patches in at least three corners of the room.

Last night was the first night Frog slept in her cot, without the prison bars on, you see. Despite sleeping in a proper bed on our trip to Devon, the novelty of being in her own big girl’s bed was clearly too much to handle.

Not knowing what to do with herself, she did everything.

This included:

  • Throwing her teddies a party at 12am, 1am, 2am and 3am.
  • Getting up stealthily at 7am and taking off her pyjamas and nappy, before going into each corner of the room and marking her territory, rather like a feral cat.
  • Emptying an entire box of nappy bags and baby wipes.
  • Taking every book off the shelf.
  • Putting on ten pairs of socks. And then weeing on them.
  • Running back into bed and feigning sleep as her father arrived in her bedroom to bring her morning milk. (Two minutes later, he was a broken man.)

It is now the second night of Freedom. And, almost two hours after being put to bed, my child is still running amok upstairs.

I give it 24 hours before the prison bars are replaced.

As quick as lightning

Filed Under: Babies, MOTHERHOOD Tagged With: development, moving from cot to bed, Parenting, play, sleep, toddlers

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Comments

  1. Grandma from the North says

    June 9, 2012 at 9:21 am

    How strange I cant remember this phase, but obviously did it three times! She’s having a great time!X

    Reply
    • Molly says

      June 9, 2012 at 10:50 am

      Maybe your boys were better behaved than your granddaughter!

      Reply
  2. Ruth says

    June 9, 2012 at 7:47 am

    Creased up laughing here at the thought of her weeing in every corner! (Sorry, I can only imagine that it wasn’t so funny for you!)

    Maybe we should get F together with DorkySon – he won’t even get out of his bed unless I come in to the room to get him. They could train each other – she could give him a bit more spirit and courage, and he could persuade her that widdling all over her room is not the best idea! xx

    Reply
    • Molly says

      June 9, 2012 at 10:49 am

      That’s a fabulous idea. You are SO lucky!

      Reply
  3. Minnie(@thelady8home) says

    June 8, 2012 at 11:49 pm

    hahahahahaha! Sorry but can’t stop laughing reading through your article.

    Reply
    • Molly says

      June 9, 2012 at 10:48 am

      Admittedly, I’ll probably laugh on this in years to come.

      Reply
  4. Honest Mum says

    June 8, 2012 at 7:52 am

    Oliver moves into a new room soon and a new bed-literally shitting myself and no doubt he will be too….

    Reply
    • Molly says

      June 8, 2012 at 6:14 pm

      It’s, *ahem*, “interesting”.

      Reply
  5. Tom says

    June 8, 2012 at 7:03 am

    Oh dear! We’ve got as far as putting Dylan’s ‘big boy bed’ in his room so he can get used to it but haven’t managed to persuade him to get in it yet. I’m sure similar carnage awaits us when he does ‘sleep’ in it though. Good luck!

    Reply
    • Molly says

      June 8, 2012 at 6:13 pm

      He may be fine – you never know! If he is, I’ll be mightily jealous though.

      Reply
  6. Coombemill - Fiona says

    June 8, 2012 at 6:00 am

    Oh dear sorry to laugh, so funny! Do persevere, the novelty of escaping will wear off!

    Reply
    • Molly says

      June 8, 2012 at 6:15 am

      Here’s hoping!

      Reply
  7. Mammasaurus says

    June 7, 2012 at 11:16 pm

    Oh I recall these painful moments. If I had to give any advice it would be put everything that you don’t want upturned or smeared well out reach and add a toy that she rarely plays with in to the room either once she is asleep to fox her when she wakes up or to occupy her before bed 😉

    Best of British!

    Reply
    • Molly says

      June 8, 2012 at 5:27 am

      I think the weekend will be spent putting up shelves that are 6 ft high at the top of the walls. And padlocking tops onto any tub of cream. It’s the only way.

      Reply
  8. family four fun says

    June 7, 2012 at 9:08 pm

    Thanks for the important reminder how chaotic this time is, think I will leave C a good while later or E will probably lynch him for destroying his (their) room! x

    Reply
  9. Circus Queen says

    June 7, 2012 at 8:56 pm

    Im laughing at the socks! I keep hearing that you should keep them in their cots for as long as possible. I’m thinking 10. Of course, T has to make it her cot first! Happy carpet cleaning!

    Reply
    • Molly says

      June 8, 2012 at 5:26 am

      Ten is definitely a good age. I’m all for keeping the cot until aged ten.

      Reply
  10. Mum2BabyInsomniac says

    June 7, 2012 at 8:48 pm

    Oh my god! I couldn’t help but laugh at this and I also had to read it to Dad2BabyInsomniac! We were thinking about getting Iyla a toddler bed soon. Having read this I think I will wait, until she is five! I hope things improve soon! x

    Reply
    • Molly says

      June 8, 2012 at 5:26 am

      Wait until she’s ten. It’s the only way!

      Reply
  11. jo says

    June 7, 2012 at 7:49 pm

    oh lordy!! We had to threaten H that toys would go if she kept getting out of bed – that and removing anything she could destroy – I think she’s grown out of it… now she just drinks water in bed and spills it all over her duvet…

    I told her tonight that Dorothy The Dinosaur would not be happy if she kept getting out of bed tonight… seems to have worked. That and telling her that they won’t let her in at The Wiggles on Saturday if she isn’t a good girl….

    Reply
    • Molly says

      June 8, 2012 at 5:21 am

      Maybe that’s the secret. If I threaten to ban Peppa Pig and Iggle Piggle bedtime may once again become the calm and sleepy time it once was.

      Reply
  12. jane @ northermum says

    June 7, 2012 at 7:40 pm

    I was going to warn you but thought it would be giod blogging fodder… The twins were three when we took them out, libs is only out now because of cast!

    Get the bars back on x

    Reply
    • Molly says

      June 8, 2012 at 5:20 am

      Our carpet would certainly thank us for it…

      Reply
  13. Emma says

    June 7, 2012 at 7:38 pm

    oh for a spica cast! I expect Erin will one day do this – part of me wants my little girl to be able to get up to mischief and part of me smiles at the relief that in the morning she is in exact same spot I left her in the night before!

    Reply
    • Molly says

      June 8, 2012 at 5:20 am

      Seriously – make the most of it Emma! We found F last night with her pyjama bottoms on her head and ten pairs of socks on each foot, underneath some jelly shoes, pretending to be asleep under the covers. MAKE IT STOP!!!

      Reply
  14. Linz says

    June 7, 2012 at 7:33 pm

    Oh yes Molly, I have just read put loud your blog to my husband. What does that remind you of I asked? Oh no! he said,” Gussie McGrew” – our now 14 year old son. He too played havoc night after night we continuedt o persevere but after about 10 days we (N) threw in the towel, climbed into the loft and replaced the side of the cot! There it stayed for about 6 more months until we could face another attempt. That time it was fine, no trouble at all. Good luck but if she’s not ready relax and wait. Dont try to force the issue. Xxx

    Reply
    • Molly says

      June 7, 2012 at 7:36 pm

      I give it one more night. She was perfect at my parents’ at the weekend. Slept in a big bed with NO ISSUES. Not once did she even attempt to get out of bed. Apparently the lure of her own toys in her own bed is too much to handle!

      Reply
  15. Ally says

    June 7, 2012 at 7:31 pm

    Oh gosh! Nearly wet myself laughing! It’s amazing what they do with their newly acquired ‘freedom’. We could hear our little one get out of bed, go to the bathroom, blow her nose and then try flush the loo roll. She would also strip and try the potty although she isn’t potty trained. Stacking cups land up in strange places and now that she is settled and completely confident, she strolls into our room at 6.30 am, calls for us both and opens our blinds!!!!!!

    Stick with it. She will be fine. You will be fine. Good luck
    🙂

    Reply
    • Molly says

      June 7, 2012 at 7:35 pm

      Your daughter sounds very much like mine!

      Reply
  16. HELEN says

    June 7, 2012 at 7:29 pm

    sorry, this made me chuckle!
    Hair bobbles were invented to wrap around wardrobe door handles to prevent them being opened.
    Carabiners were invented to rig up locks on drawers that couldn’t be fitted with drawer locks
    Gaffer tape was invented to prevent unwanted opening of nappies
    High shelves are a good place to put everything else – just make sure they’re higher than back of chair+reach of toddler+another foot

    Stick with it, she’ll soon get bored (hopefully!) x

    Reply
    • Molly says

      June 7, 2012 at 7:35 pm

      That’s it. I’m investing in a huge supply of gaffer tape tomorrow. She’s a little monkey. It’s like she’s suddenly turned into a toddler overnight – and a naughty one at that!

      Reply
      • HELEN says

        June 7, 2012 at 7:41 pm

        and what was it you wrote on my post only a few hours ago…. “Is it bad that this behaviour makes me think he’s even more of a cutie?!”
        ditto ! mwahahahaaaaa
        x

        Reply
        • Molly says

          June 8, 2012 at 5:20 am

          Ha ha – shot myself in the foot there… x

          Reply
  17. Merry says

    June 7, 2012 at 7:22 pm

    Bwahahahahah! I remember it well!

    Reply
    • Molly says

      June 7, 2012 at 7:25 pm

      It’s a bloody pain! x

      Reply

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Hello and welcome! I'm Molly Forbes - podcaster, presenter and blogger with a passion for positivity, confidence and body image chat. Regularly writing and vlogging about empowering female issues from a motherhood angle, I also cover lifestyle and fashion topics for like-minded mums who want to rediscover themselves after having children. Thanks for stopping by! Read More…

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Dear PE teachers (and everyone), don’t do this 💔
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If you’re a PE teacher and you’re interested in engaging more kids in class then lose the diet culture and body shaming messaging - even if it’s meant in jest. Research shows kids who feel comfortable in their body are more likely to take part in sports, and movement is for ALL bodies, not just the kids with super athletic toned ones. 
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Want more insight and help with this stuff? Sign up to a Body Happy Kids workshop - we’ve got you. Oh, and read Train Happy by @tallyrye in the meantime.
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And parents - if your kids experience this type of messaging in their school setting absolutely challenge it. We’ve got a template letter on the #FreeFromDiets website you can tweak and a downloadable info pack about the workshops you can send to your school if you’d like them to sign up. Just hit the Workshops link in my bio and scroll down towards the bottom of the page.
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Creating a body happy setting can: 
⚡️increase engagement in class 
⚡️increase engagement in movement 
⚡️increase academic attainment 
⚡️increase happiness, confidence and overall wellbeing
⚡️help kids be more likely to engage in health promoting behaviours 
(And that’s just for starters).
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PS. I’m not coming for teachers - my husband is one. BUT research shows weight bias is often more common in PE teachers than other subject areas so this is a conversation worth having. 
#BodyHappyKids
I turn 37 in three weeks. When I was younger I use I turn 37 in three weeks. When I was younger I used to think 37 was old. It was “grown-up”, boring, over-the-hill. 
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By the time you were 37 you had your life figured out, wore sensible clothes and had waved goodbye to the fun stuff. 
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It’s no surprise I thought that really. Women aged 37 and over - particularly mums - were invisible. The only representations of older women on screen were the matriarchs. Ad campaigns and magazines featured young women in their “prime” (side note: 🤮 hate that phrase - what does “prime” even mean? We’re not cuts of meat. “Prime” baby making age? Is making babies all we’re good for?!)
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There was no space for any other version of women over 35. Women over 35 weren’t playful, fun, adventurous, sexual, curious. Women over 35 were Responsible, Sensible, Dutiful.
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Well that’s not what 37 is going to look like for me. Sure I do school runs and meet deadlines and wash smelly socks. But I also play and dance and adventure and enjoy my body. I feel like I’m just getting going to be honest. 
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37 is going to be a big year. I’m excited. I’m ready. And I’m certainly not invisible. Bring it on.
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Every year @GirlGuiding publishes something called Every year @GirlGuiding publishes something called the Girls’ Attitudes Survey. It’s a big piece of research into the thoughts and feelings of the girls in their community and gives an insight into some of the things that are important to girls and young women in the UK today. 
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⚡️80% of girls and young women have considered changing how they look. 
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⚡️51% of girls aged 7-10 believe women are judged more on what they look like than what they can do (this figure is up from 35% in 2016).
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Sign the #FreeFromDiets petition. Tell your kids’ school about the Body Happy Kids Workshop for teachers. Call out diet culture when you see it (particularly when it comes for your kids). There are more resources in my bio as well as a post on media literacy further down my grid too. It doesn’t have to be this way. 💕✨ #BodyHappyKids
My babies started Year 1 & Year 6 today and as I w My babies started Year 1 & Year 6 today and as I waved them off to school after months of being home, it got me thinking about how my relationship with their first home has changed: my body. ❤️
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I have thin privilege but I’ve still often felt like my body was “wrong”. Why? Because like many of us I live in a society that taught me to fear fatness and idolise thinness from an early age. 
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Internalised fatphobia ran so deep that even after my body performed its most miraculous feat of my life - growing and birthing a human - I feared the softness of my belly.
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I justified the internalised fat phobia by telling myself it was about health, believing that health was a simplified concept I could control and monitor by a number on the scales. 
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I believe we will never end body-based oppression until we do the internal work too, rejecting diet culture & internalised fat phobia. Then we can challenge the health “facts” we’re sold by a multi billion £ industry, and investigate why we’re so ready to accept government diet culture infused health policy when we’re quick to question other policies.
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It starts with us showing body acceptance to our children, teaching them ALL bodies are good bodies, giving them the tools to question anyone who says otherwise. 
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This is not just about raising children at peace in their body. It’s about raising children who grow to challenge a system that harms us all, but particularly those in marginalised bodies. 
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For me, it started with exploring my feelings about my babies’ first home. ❤️
A little story about 🩸periods🩸 and intuitive A little story about 🩸periods🩸 and intuitive movement and diet culture - here’s the headline: DIET CULTURE MESSES UP OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH OUR BODY AND THIS HARM RUNS DEEP.
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Let me explain. 
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This was me last week. We hiked up a hill and when we got to the top the sky turned a murky shade of grey. Within seconds we were being pelted by hail and rain. It was GLORIOUS. I felt ALIVE.
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Why? Because diet culture runs deep. I examined it and realised I was feeling guilt at what I’d told myself I “should” be doing, rather than what my body *actually* needed. “No one regrets a workout! It’ll pep you up! Energise you!” Said the voice. But my body was bleeding and I was tired to my bones. I didn’t feel like it. And I felt like I was letting some invisible person down. 
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Embracing the seasons of my cycle and going with my natural energy levels is how I’m reclaiming my relationship with my body, I’ve decided. For me, this is the last internal bastion of rebellion against diet culture. And it’s (literally) bloody liberating 🩸⚡️💥
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No child comes fresh out the womb doubting their b No child comes fresh out the womb doubting their body. But, little by little, the messages come.
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Some of the messages may be from what they see online on TV and in magazines. Some of them may even come from the people who love and care for them - their friends, parents, grandparents, teachers and even doctors. Some of the messages are blatant and some are more insidious.
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It’s not hopeless though. Here are some things you can do, right now:
✨ Speak to yourself with kindness or use neutral language about your own body in front of your kids.
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✨Call out the messages when you see them - point them out and talk about what they’re promoting, and show your kids the other perspective. This is called media literacy and I’ve got a post further down my grid with lots more info on this.
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✨ Teach your kids that beauty and health don’t just look one way, and that regardless of the outside shell of our body all humans deserve respect, empathy and love - and that includes self-love. (Some mantras that I use with my kids to help drive this message home - ALL bodies are GOOD bodies 💕 It’s not your job to be pretty 💕 Your body is YOUR OWN.)
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✨ Seek out wider representation, whether that’s through books, social media accounts, positive TV shows and films, it all matters.
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✨ Set clear boundaries - if you have a family member or friend who constantly discusses diets, body shames themselves or makes comments about other people’s bodies (and maybe even your child’s) have a conversation with them about why this isn’t OK. Explain that little ears are always listening and you’re working hard to raise your kids to have a happy, healthy relationship with their body. 
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For more resources on this check out the links in my bio ❤️
#BodyHappyKids
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[📸 My one day old daughter’s foot in my hand, taken in 2010, by @carolinepalmerphoto]
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