Celebrity mum, actress and television and radio presenter Denise van Outen is encouraging parents to inspire confidence in their kids from an early age.
The Eastenders star is working with UK kids’ coach, Naomi Richards to support the DryNites Confident Kids 24/7 campaign. It’s all about helping parents recognise the value of boosting confidence and self-esteem in their children both day and night, and providing them with helpful tools and advice to overcome challenges such as bedwetting.
Mother-of-one Denise says:
“I truly believe that from an early age it is important to build the foundations of confidence and encourage kids to believe in themselves.
“My daughter is at an age now where she’s starting to do more grown-up things during the day, such as riding a bike, and learning to read and write. I do everything I can to encourage her but also do my best to make sure she feels just as grown up at night time as she does during the day.”
I too am a big believer in support kids’ confidence though talk, celebrating acheivements and creative play, which is why I’m working with Drynites on this campaign throughout this year.
Drynites are pyjama pants suitable for older children who are not yet able to stay dry throughout the night. They’re discreet, so they can help kids feel as grown up during the night as they do during the day. In my experience, they’re great for covering that transition period between when kids first come out of nappies in the day, but are still working towards 24 hour dryness.
I really believe that most children simply learn to be dry at night when they’re ready, so using pyjama pants means the odd accident is ‘no big deal’ and doesn’t impact negatively on their confidence.
Naomi’s tips to inspire 24/7 confidence in kids
Kids’ coach Naomi recommends some simple, confidence boosting-tools that parents can use with their children round the clock.
Tips for inspiring confidence in the day
Focus on your child’s daytime routine, not on what happened at night
Get them to understand that they have little control over how their body is working whilst they are asleep
Emphasise how well they are doing in other areas of their life and highlight how grown up they are becoming
Ask your child for their opinion or advice on something so they feel like they are being considered
Tips for inspiring confidence at night
Parents should encourage their child to enjoy bedtime with questions such as ‘what story would you like to read’ or ‘what bath toy would you like to play with’. This allows your child to make decisions for themselves which can make them feel empowered
Instead of reading your child a story, why not ask them to read to you? This is a great way of them showing off the skills they have learned at school
Parents should use bedtime to talk to their child about their day and discuss with them any worries they might have
Many children are afraid of the dark, so ensure there is easy access and lighting to the toilet at night
Encourage your child to put their pyjamas and DryNites® pyjama pants in their own storage bag. Each night you can ask them to take out their bed clothes and get dressed themselves
What tips would you add?
This is a commissioned post for Drynites.
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