Banana and towel the key to sleep success

Mary-Ann Battersby turned to a sleep workshop funded by The Children’s Hospital Charity in an effort to tackle son Aaron’s sleeping problems — and within ten days the three-year-old was sleeping through the night.

She tracked down the class after speaking to to Vicki Dawson, acting deputy head of the Arnold Centre in Rotherham, who is also the founder of the charity.

Between them, they made changes to the Aaron’s routine — including giving him a snack of a banana before bed and wrapping him in a warm towel — which made all the difference.

Mary Ann said: “Every night Aaron would wake up frequently.

“I just didn't know what to do, I'd tried everything I could think of and nothing was working.  

“I was feeling worn out so when Vicki suggested attending the workshop I jumped at the chance.

“The workshop gave us all sorts of advice — simple tips I would never have thought of.”

Vicki said: “The workshops offer a fantastic opportunity for parents to get expert advice around sleep issues.  

“It is often just the smallest of changes that can make a huge difference as Mary Ann has demonstrated.  

“I’m so pleased that Aaron is now sleeping through the night, it’s wonderful to hear success stories and how the charity has improved parents lives.”

A TV crew from BBC1’s Inside Out series filmed the workshop and interviewed Mary Ann for the programme, which will be screened tonight on BBC1 at 7.30pm

The next workshop is running at Sheffield Children’s Hospital on Friday, May 2.

To book a place, email [email protected].