Mum shares easy way she gets her kids to bed with no fuss – AND it makes them think it’s actually fun
DO you struggle with your kids when it’s time for bed?
If you do, you might want to try this “game changing hack”, which mum Melissa Lea Hughes shared on her TikTok page.
“Rather than just saying, ‘Okay, it’s time to go to bed,’ and the kid’s like, ‘Nooooooo’, you just give multiple choices,” she explained.
“This is how it goes. This is what I did with my son the other day and it worked like a charm.
“I said, ‘Winston, it’s bedtime but do you want a piggyback ride there, or do you want to hold Mummy’s hand?’
“So it’s not saying go to bed, it’s like, you are going to be going to bed but let me give you two choices that you think are fun to help you get there.”
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Her son chose a piggyback ride.
She then gave him the choice of going to the toilet first, or cleaning his teeth first, when he got to the bathroom – he chose the latter.
And while he was on her back, Melissa asked Winston if he wanted to turn off the light with his foot or his hand.
“So he kind of giggled, he was like, ‘I’ll do it with my foot’,” she continued.
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“And when we got to the bedroom, I said, do you want mummy to throw you on the bed or set you on the bed?’”
Writing over the top of the video, she added: “This seems like it’s over the top but if you have a kid that is super strong willed and desires that freedom – it’s worth it and works.”
Concluding her video, Melissa said: “Do you see where this is going?
“If we can get into the habit of constantly offering choices, like even really small, kids will feel a sense of freedom and it minimises the power struggle.”
Reactions to Melissa’s video in the comments section were mixed, with some parents admitting they’d tried the choice trick, but it hadn’t worked for them.
“My kids look me dead in the eye and say ‘neither’,” one wrote.
While another added: “My daughter will make the choices then cry in bed that she wanted the opposite she picked.”
“Me asking my kid a multiple choice question, My kid: No,” someone else wrote.
However, another comment read: “That’s Love and Logic tactic! Works sometimes!”
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“Brilliant!!” someone else added.
“Thank you! I’m going to give this a try,” another mum commented.