The House of Tiny Tearaways
Family One: Sleep
problem
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Nicola (28) and Dante (23 months) from North
London
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Nicola is a 28-year-old Nigerian lone parent, whose
son Dante will only sleep when she is with him. If he is put in his
own bed he will get up 10-15 times a night.
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Nicola has spent the last six months on the sofa in
an attempt to get him to sleep on his own.
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Dante is also clingy, has tantrums and will not let
his mother divert her attention from him.
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Nicola is unable to get a full-time job, because son
Dante has only just started nursery.
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The eldest of five, who all live nearby, she is an intelligent,
ambitious and articulate lady with a degree - who is finding parenting
'not what she expected and harder than she ever anticipated.'
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She admits to getting very tired and upset easily. She
is particularly sensitive about the council flat that she lives in and
the fact that she can't provide for Dante as she would like.
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Nicola wants to go back to work as she feels she needs
it for her and also for Dante's sake.
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Dante's problems are putting a lot of pressure on Nicola.
He constantly demands her attention and the sleeping problem means it's
not unusual for her to only get 3 hours' sleep a night. Often things
get too much for Nicola and she will break down in tears.
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