A mum has split opinion after admitting her daughter goes to sleep in the clothes she will wear the next day – as it saves time and stops tantrums in the morning
Any parent will know that getting a child ready for school in the morning can be a mammoth task.
If your child throws tantrums when they have to get out of bed and get ready to face the day, you’ll know how stressful it can be to try and wrestle them into a school uniform and get them out the door on time. But have you ever considered tackling the problem by putting your youngster to bed in the clothes they’re going to wear the following day?
That’s the method one busy working mum has said she uses to make mornings easier to manage. Maisie, who is a single mum working full-time, said her daughter “sleeps in her clean clothes for the next day” because it saves time in the morning, and also stops her little one from throwing a tantrum as she’s “not a morning person”.
In a post shared to the mum’s TikTok account, @maisieandnova, she explained some of the things she does as a “mum who works long hours” that many people “don’t agree with” – including putting her daughter, Nova, to sleep in tomorrow’s clothes, and letting her eat breakfast in the car.
Maisie said that she wakes her daughter up at 5.45am every morning just by “turning the light on” in her bedroom. She then goes to get ready for work herself, and Nova gets out of bed and joins her mum “when she’s ready to”. They then head off to Nova’s nursery, and the youngster often has breakfast on the way.
The mum wrote: “She has breakfast in the car most working days. I ask her the day before if she wants it in the car or the house, she says the car so that she can sleep longer in the morning.”
At the end of the day, if they’re running late in setting off for home, Maisie will change Nova into “tomorrow’s clean clothes” and let the toddler fall asleep in the car before transferring her to bed when they get home. She then added: “Yes, you heard that right, she sleeps in her clean clothes for the next day (it’s always comfy [clothes] like joggers and jumpers). She isn’t a morning person and if I dress her in the morning it causes lots of upset and tantrums.”
Finally, Maisie stated that she always sends her daughter to nursery even if she isn’t feeling well, because she can’t afford to take time off work to stay at home with her – although she insisted this is “within reason”. She wrote: “I will still send her to nursery if she’s not [feeling] 100%, within reason. I have bills to pay and we’re in a cost-of-living crisis. Belly ache, snotty nose, or a slight cough isn’t a medical emergency or a debilitating issue. If you’re not okay with your child catching a cold then they shouldn’t be in nursery.”
People in the comments were split by the mum’s parenting decisions, as while some disagreed with her methods, others said they would do the same in her position – and argued that there’s nothing wrong with the choices she makes.
One person said: “Oh my god I’m glad I’m not the only one who dresses them before bed if we have to leave the house early!,” while another added: “I agree with everything. Her little girl is loved, and she’s doing the best she can in the situation we are given.”
A third wrote: “Absolutely refreshing to see this perspective. My family wouldn’t have what they have if we didn’t make comprises like this,” and someone else also commented: “You are doing the very best. I love how she gets a choice about breakfast, you are considering her wants too. You are a fantastic mum working hard to provide.”
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