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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To allow my 3 year old to wear lipstick to bed..

38 replies

brightongirldownunder · 15/04/2010 07:12

No, seriously - this is the ONLY way she will go to sleep. She got the idea for wearing it from a perfectly innocent picturebook called "Pretty Prue" by Polly Dunbar and now refuses to go to bed until she has pillar box red on her lips.
I know I should stop, but she's sleeping through for 12 hours straight.
I'm just concerned about her first sleepover - what the hell are other parents going to think? Believe me, I'm no Jordan..

OP posts:
tortoiseonthehalfshell · 15/04/2010 07:13

Does it not get all over the sheets?

Original poster
brightongirldownunder · 15/04/2010 07:15

Weirdly enough, no, hardly ever - I have no idea where it goes..

OP posts:
gtamom · 15/04/2010 07:22

Could you buy her a childs lip balm instead?

Original poster
brightongirldownunder · 15/04/2010 07:26

I've tried - she says it has to be red "..like Prues"
Luckily I always use chemical free stuff so there's very little that can be damaging - or is there?
She's so tiny and its really innocent. She likes to leave kisses on our cheeks, thats all.

OP posts:
Original poster
brightongirldownunder · 15/04/2010 07:30

..and before anyone asks, no I didn't offer it to her. She FOUND the lipstick in my bag of aging makeup and paraded around the house looking like a deranged Robert Smith.

OP posts:
MmeLindt · 15/04/2010 07:33

It is one of those habits that sneak up on us when we are not looking.

DS does this. He is extremely routine fanatic at bed time, less as he is getting older but when he was younger everything had to be done the same order, jammies, teeth, story, bed, song, get up and say, "I just want to tell you something"...

You may have to break the habit by either not being able to find the lipstick, or if you are on holiday forgetting to bring it with you.

And accepting that the first night may be a disturbed one.

Original poster
brightongirldownunder · 15/04/2010 07:39

We went away a few weeks ago and I woke up to find her shuffling around the cabin we were staying in LOOKING for the blessed lipstick, saying "mummy I MUST have it"

I'm sure its a phase, but have already had some raised eyebrows from babysitters.

She also has to have a torch,Peppa pig and family, plus a whole range of sylvainian famillies in a car by her pillow and the Tiddler CD playing in order for her night to run smoothly.

Demanding?!!

OP posts:
MmeLindt · 15/04/2010 07:56

This is what my DH refers to as the danger zone.

He said at one point we have to stop making new habits or we will be dancing around on one leg making chooochoooo noises and singing Jingle Bells, "otherwise he just will not go to sleep"

He is right. But it will not be an easy habit to break.

Or you leave her be until the novelty wears off.

Original poster
brightongirldownunder · 15/04/2010 08:16

Its taken me almost a year to get her to put herself to bed. Only a few months ago I was sitting by the bed stroking her hair for almost an hour every night, so I suppose I'm just pleased I've got my evenings back.

OP posts:
Prinpo · 15/04/2010 08:38

Is the lippie doing any harm? If you're satisfied that there are no nasties in it that she could be ingesting, and if it's not getting all over the sheets, then I'd be inclined to overlook it. I would, however, make it clear that she can't introduce a new bedtime 'thing' unless she gives up an existing one. So, if she suddenly needs fresh lillies in her room then she gives up the lippie (or something else) first.

OrmRenewed · 15/04/2010 08:41

ROFL! That is priceless

No ideas but thanks for brightening my morning.

SloanyPony · 15/04/2010 08:51

She's high maintenance that's all. A diva in the making. Does she make you pick the yellow smarties out of a box? Bless. Seriously I'd just let her have the lipstick, she must get lots of comfort out of it. Like others say though I'd be wary of letting her introduce new um demands...

I love little girls

Original poster
brightongirldownunder · 15/04/2010 08:54

Am now panicking about the fact I have a Mariah Carey in the making...

OP posts:
fanjoforthemammaries7850 · 15/04/2010 08:54

YABU, my DD could wear anything she wanted and dress up like a monkey if she would sleep through!!!

fanjoforthemammaries7850 · 15/04/2010 08:54

oops i meant YANBU of course!!!

MmeLindt · 15/04/2010 09:02

If she starts demanding that you paint rooms white and decorate with butterflies before she will go into the room then I would panic.

Until then she sounds like a lovely wee girl.

tortoiseonthehalfshell · 15/04/2010 09:04

I think it's sweet too. She's just a child who likes things Just So, I suppose. A lot of them like rituals and comfort items at this age, don't they?

IMoveTheStars · 15/04/2010 09:10

She sounds brilliant!

LEMneedsaholiday · 15/04/2010 09:25

awwwww i think its cute!

My DD (4) is very attached to her "lippy". I bought her some lip balm because her lips get dry, she adopted it as "lippy" dont know where she got that from as i never wear it. She insisted on taking it to school to show her teacher

RockSteady · 15/04/2010 11:13

oh i'm loving the idea of a mini robert smith running around! it won't do any harm and she'll probably get bored eventually, what a cutie

tablefor3 · 15/04/2010 12:22

YABU in that you should be teaching her a good skincare routine by removing all her makeup before going to bed

If it buys you 12 hours - I say go for it!

Table
(Whose 17mo DD sometimes goes to bed with her new shiny red patent shoes)

WHITEWINESODA · 15/04/2010 12:25

I love it!!! Killing myself laughing, she sounds fabulous. YANBU.

gagamama · 15/04/2010 12:36

PMSL! I just Googled the book to see what else Pretty Pru wears so that you perhaps could bargain with her to swap the red lippy for say, some yellow socks or some other Pru-esque accessory. But no. Pretty Pru is a chicken! Fantastic.

She does appear to have some nice green eyeshadow though, and a string of blue beads...

pedrothellama · 15/04/2010 12:53

It's when DH wants to do the same you have to start worrying

My nephew used to insist on wearing a HUGE St Christopher medallion everywhere when he was three. He looked like a short John Travolta who had wandered off the set of Saturday Night Fever

RiverOfSleep · 15/04/2010 12:58

Its not doing any harm but I'd prob try and use up the lipstick/cut a bit off and smooth it over just to hurry the phase along - when the lipstick runs out thats that.

And get her hooked on another book thats more bedtime routine friendly - Polly Pyjamas or something?!