Research by the UK’s leading discount and voucher code website has found that 34% of parents ‘always’ allow their children to sleep in their bed during the night time if they ask to, 3% of which do so because they feel ‘lonely’. A further 1 in 10 allow their children to stay up ‘past their bedtime’ if they refuse to go to sleep.

A new poll by the UK’s leading discount website, http://www.MyVoucherCodes.co.uk has found that more than 1 in 3 parents, 34%, ‘always’ allow their child into their bed during the night if the child asks, while a further 27% allowed their child into their bed until the age of four.

The research, by http://www.MyVoucherCodes.co.uk,  follows a previous study that found that 14% of parents allowed their children to use bottles until they were 3 years old, 1 in 5 parents kept their children in nappies until they were 3 years and 6 months old and 17% still give their 4 year old children dummies at bed time.

In the new study, a further 59% of the parents asked admitted that they allowed their child to sleep in with them if they had a nightmare and 41% let their child sleep in their bed overnight if they are feeling upset.

3% of parents said they would allow their child to sleep in with them when they themselves were feeling ‘lonely’. A further 47% let their children share their bed if they are feeling unwell.

According to the study by http://www.MyVoucherCodes.co.uk of 1,184 parents across the UK with children aged 5 or under, 1 in 10, 11%, admitted to frequently allowing their child to stay up ‘past their bedtime’ the majority of which, 53%, claimed it was to avoid confrontation with their child.

The results also found that more than two thirds, 68%, allow their child to leave the light on whilst they sleep if they want to and a further 1 in 5, 19%, admitted that their child has a television in their room to help them go to sleep.

Andy Cole, parenting expert at http://www.MyVoucherCodes.co.uk, said the following about the findings;

“When your child is upset, scared or unwell, it is a parental instinct to want to comfort them and have them close by all night.  I wasn’t at all shocked to discover that so many parents allow their children in to their bed when they are truly unhappy in some way. However, I wouldn’t advise bringing your child in to your bed when you are lonely, as that will just encourage them to keep doing so.”

He continued,

“We all know that children don’t come with a manual and all parents handle issues and discipline in a variety of ways. As a parent, you owe it to your child to be responsible and not allow yourself to be controlled by your child’s tantrums or tears.

“If you are experiencing trouble at bed time with your child, there are many books and websites available to help guide you in the right direction of getting to the bottom of the problem.”

LINK http://www.MyVoucherCodes.co.uk

***ENDS***

For more information, please contact Charlotte Horsfall, 10 Yetis Public Relations Agency on 01452 348 211,charlotte@10yetis.co.uk

EDITORS NOTES

Mark Pearson, Chairman of MyVoucherCodes is a regular media contributor regarding online shopping and the credit crunch. At 29, his personal worth is more than £30 million. Mark was previously a trainee chef working for Gordon Ramsay at Claridges, London.

MyVoucherCodes has had sales exceeding £481m in the last year

Consumer savings on online shopping via MyVoucherCodes.co.uk up from £28m in 2008 to £52m in 2009.

MyVoucherCodes is the UK’s most popular discount site.

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