reassure me that letting things slip this week won't turn my boy into a permanent pita

[deaconblue]

Am 7 months pg, dh works away Monday to Thurs and ds has been up in the night and at 5.30am all week. Am so tired it's not funny. so please tell me that sitting on the top stair with my head in my hands while ds (22 months) unravels a toilet roll AGAIN is ok for today...
Feeling like an ineffectual mum today

It's fine.

Tell him it's his toilet roll and he can shred the lot if he likes. Then stuff a big sock with it, lie your head on it and go to sleep.

Isn't it maddening when they have a room full of toys and only want to play with toilet rolls / dry pasta / pans and wooden spoons etc. My children were the same. It sounds perfectly normal to me but you must be so terribly sleep deprived. Can you sleep when he sleeps or is that too obvious to say. And can you put him in the bath in the middle of the day so he can sit and splash and you can sit there vacantly. Or a very early bath and very very early bed so you can get some evening sleep or does that muck up a routine. I was a mum who "winged it" every day when they were little. Good days, bad days. You're not ineffectual but you do sound exhausted. x (head in hands ticks a box for me too)

I seem to feel worse if I have a quick nap in hte day, but I am sitting down deliberately doing nothing other than mumsnetting this lunchtime. I've always thought you need to be really consistent with little ones' behaviour to have an effect and am conscious that this week I have let him get away with stuff I would normally pick him up on. Will look at next week as a new start and try harder next week I think.

Every day is a new day You're right about routine and consistency but if it's any consolation, it's always been an aspiration rather than an achievement in my house as I'm disorganised -- but my children are fine and they have had loads of fun along the way.

Gosh I love sleeping during the day.. shame it doesn't work for you ! x