Are You Playing The Lie-In Lottery?

No matter how balanced your relationship was before and during pregnancy, night-time feeds will soon have you trying to win the ‘who’s had more sleep’ game

With only half an hour until your toddler’s bedtime, you’re frantically spooning food into his mouth. Technically, he’s already had his supper – this is just a hearty bedtime snack to ensure that he sleeps for as long as possible. Why? Because tomorrow morning, you are on duty.

After spending the past few years squabbling with your partner about who gets more sleep, you’ve finally arrived at a sensible solution. At the weekend, you take it in turns to get up with your kids so each of you gets to enjoy a morning in bed.

Only there’s a catch. One of your kids’ internal alarm clock is still random, so the trick is to make sure you’re the one staying in bed when he’s up with the lark. Yes, you’re playing the lie-in lottery – and are determined to win.

You’re not alone. Soon you realise how common it is to find that a competitive streak sneaks into your relationship once you’re faced with all the domestic chores and parental duties that go hand in hand with having young children. “We’re always adding up who’s had the least sleep or cleaned the filthiest highchair,” admits Ritika Puri, 31, who’s mum to Aarav, 20 months. She says, “If I know it’s me, I hold on to this and use it as an excuse to get my husband to do something in return.”