I SPEND £1,000 ON MY LITTLE GIRL'S SPA DAYS

Jeri Bradfield, 35, explains why the monthly pampering is essential

- FRANCESCA WOODSTOCK

Reaching out for a cupcake, the joy and excitement on my little girl’s face meant everything to me. I loved sharing Saturdayafternoon tea with my daughter Demi, 12, and as she wiped crumbs from her mouth and flashed me a smile, I could see how much it meant to her, too. ‘Thanks Mum,’ Demi grinned. Her face was still glowing from the pamper session she’d just had at our day spa, and as I admired her perfectly manicured nails, I gave her hand an affectionate squeeze.

For the past 18 months, I’d been treating Demi to spa days once a month, and the afternoon tea was an extra little something, just to make her smile. But while some people might think it’s spoilt, as far as I’m concerned, for Demi, spa days are essential. At the age of seven, Demi started displaying odd behaviour. She’d continuously check the cutlery drawer and count knives, forks and spoons. She never showed any emotion and always seemed to be in her own little world, detached from reality. Her dad Dan and I were concerned. I mentioned it to our doctor and, in 2019, aged 10, Demi was diagnosed with autism.

She’d struggled to make friends and I’d assumed she was just shy, but doctors also diagnosed anxiety. Crowds of people overwhelmed her and she lacked confidence in school and meeting new people.

Demi was happiest when at home, plopping a bath bomb into the tub and pampering herself with a face mask. With four children, our house was always busy, and it was her way of enjoying some peace and quiet away from her big sister, Ellie, 17, and her younger siblings Harper, four, and Jaxon, three.