I swear my toddler has borderline OCD.
She has habits and obsessions that she definitely doesn’t get from me.
She hate’s having messy hands and messy clothes. She removes a top immediately she spills anything on it (Really, she DID NOT get this off me, I’m so messy)
She builds up rituals and get’s very upset if you don’t follow them.
Bedtime is the worst.
Here is what I have to do:
- We get her in her pyjamas and play the Cbeebies bedtime song while she dances and we sing.
- She gives me a cuddle.
- She gives her dad a cuddle and 10 kisses. I then take her upstairs
- She has to take Pooh Bear and Schubert the bear upstairs with her. She has to carry them.
- She uses the potty upstairs. This is good because it contributes to her dry nights.
- Then we have to brush her teeth.
- Then it’s an upstairs bathroom and we have to look out of the window and see if any cars are passing on the main road.
- We then go to her room.
- She gets all her dummies (at least 4!) out of the drawer and puts them on her bedside table.
- I fill her juice, close the blind, put the Gro clock on, put the iPod on with the lullaby mix and check her juice bottle has something in it.
- I then have to read 2 books. Currently this is Tabby McTat and The Very Hungry Caterpillar.
- I have to pause reading to sing along to Hush little Baby when it comes on the lullaby.
- I then turn the lamp off and have to talk about what she’s done that day “Talk about day!”. This usually involves her telling me what she’s had to eat (she’s soooo my daughter)
- Then I have to kiss her goodnight. On the mouth, on each eye, on the nose and now, recently, again on the mouth again.
- She then says “Bye bye mummy” . I have to repeat “bye bye”
- She then says “See you soon”. I have to repeat
- I have to say “Night night, sleep tight, don’t let the…” and she says “bed bugs bite”
…and then I can actually leave the room. Get any of it wrong and she starts a tantrum, arching her back, whacking her bum on the bed and crying.
Now this is probably my fault for pandering to her rituals but when all you want is an easy, peaceful bedtime, these rituals don’t seem like much to ask.
So do you have OCD kids?
Is this just my fault for pandering to her?
