tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1239898940439223759.post8313925785591415174..comments2023-04-28T10:27:57.577+01:00Comments on My Thoughts on Things: Review: ToddlerCalm by Sarah Ockwell-SmithLaura Honeybeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10196782114283856233noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1239898940439223759.post-86448542617812263542013-11-23T20:54:43.852+00:002013-11-23T20:54:43.852+00:00This book has really changed the way I parent, and...This book has really changed the way I parent, and I am not even finished yet. My daughter is nearly three and has never been a good sleeper, waking every couple of hours through the night wanting Mum, a drink of milk etc. She is also a very picky eater and eats not a lot and also seems to refuse most meals and foods saying she 'doesn't like them'. I have read all kinds of parenting 'expert' books in the past and even seen an expert (who later went on to be on Bedtime Live). Nothing worked, she is very strong willed. To my shame (now) we did try controlled crying due to the exhaustion but it didn't work. All it did is make her sad and make us all feel traumatised. So I went back to cuddles in the night and milk in the night and trying not to worry about her picky eating. But I felt like a failure as a Mum as I couldn't get her to sleep or eat as well as it seemed like everyone else's child. I have loved this book as it has helped me to realise that a lot of this is normal, that I am not a failure, that she is not being deliberately naughty and that I can relax and enjoy her the way she is knowing that we are normal. I only wish I had bought the babycalm book when she was a baby. Her sleep has not changed with my new wisdom but the way I respond to her has made our relationship less fraught. And allowing her more control when it comes to her eating has helped a lot to the point where she will now eat more and more of a variety of food for me. Great bookRachel Clarkenoreply@blogger.com