Wrap hard toys in a blanket if they must accompany your kid to bed

Sandra's hack reminded me of my own kids' quirky hoarding habits when they were toddlers:

My daughter Mia is 2yrs and insists on bringing toys to bed with her at night. She recently upgraded to a toddler bed and has the luxury of deciding what goes to bed with her even after we've turned off the lights and said good night. This means that she has everything from books, Little People, stuffed toys and dolls to the latest prize possession - a toy blow dryer.

I started rolling her hard plastic toys in an extra blanket and putting it next to her in bed. This way I'm not worried that the uncomfortable hard toys will wake her up at night and she still gets to decide (like the big girl that she is) what comes to bed that night.

Comments

[Kati]

I'm pretty neurotic about always checking in the kids' bedroom before I go to bed for the night. I just remove the toys or books at that time or at least place them at end of the bed so as not to disturb their sleep...

Hard toys in bed? We just say no. There's a hack for you.

[harmzie]

...or: pick your battles. My 2.5 yo son is *considerably* more stubborn than his 2 older sisters (for whom we did have the no-hard-toy rule). If he wants to take his Hot Wheels or (the latest) a boardbook to bed, what's the worst that could happen? If he starts suggesting knife or a bbq skewer, I'll battle. It's true that by the third they start to wear you down a little...

I agree that the parenting choice here is to tell her no. Kids sometimes make bad decisions and it is okay to teach them that.