Supernanny Jo Frost warns kids are being ‘robbed of comfort’ from their dads

For many kids, the best part of going to bed isn’t being wrapped up snug as a bug in a rug, it’s getting to enjoy a bedtime story. Ideally, with voices. But if mum is the one always tucking the little one in, you could be ‘robbing’ your child of the chance to forge a special bond with their father – at least, that’s what Supernanny Jo Frost has claimed. The parenting expert, known for her use of the naughty step, took to social media to explain the benefits a child can experience when their father gets involved in the bedtime ritual and the task is shared by both parents (Pictures: Getty Images)

In a clip posted on Instagram, she said: ‘Mums, bedtime isn’t just your role, let dad do it too. ‘When you rush in every time your child cries for you, you rob them of knowing their father’s comfort and rob him of the bond.’ In the caption, she went on to claim that kids ‘get smart’ hearing their dad read to them, as the so-called ‘novelty’ ‘helps them learn new words’ and allows them to ‘open up their minds and creativity’ (Picture: Getty Images)

Now, we’ve got a few bones to pick with Jo, as do the parents in the comments. Firstly, plenty of dads already do bedtime, it’s not a ‘novelty’ in millions of households. And secondly, let’s not blame mums for ‘robbing’ anyone — it would be nice instead to hear bedtime-reluctant dads encouraged to step up. Despite the nice sign off, it all sounds a bit mum-shamey, and the narrative that mums should ‘let’ dads ‘help out’ with the childcare of their own children certainly needs quashing. But there is some research to back up Jo’s central point. A Harvard University study from 2015 found that when fathers read bedtime stories to their kids, it helps to spark ‘imaginative discussions’. Dr Elisabeth Duursma, who conducted the study, said at the time: ‘The impact is huge – particularly if dads start reading to kids under the age of two.’ If your home situation doesn’t allow for mum and dad to split bedtime duties 50/50 though, don’t panic (Picture: Getty Images)

Eve Squires, a mum-of-four and the founder of Calm and Bright Sleep Support, tells Metro: ‘Bedtime can be a precious time for connection. All children benefit from experiencing nurture, safety and comfort from both parents. That said, we’d reassure parents that children are not “robbed” of a bond with their dad if mum takes the lead at bedtime.’ Eve, who will be speaking at The Baby Show in London in October, continues: ‘For many families, work schedules, breastfeeding, or simple household logistics mean one parent naturally becomes the main bedtime lead. This isn’t something to feel guilty about. Children thrive on love and security in all its forms, whether that’s a bedtime story with Dad, a Saturday morning adventure, or everyday moments of connection. Strong attachments are built across the whole day – during play, mealtimes, school runs, bathtime, even chatting in the car. What matters most is the quality of interaction, warmth and consistency, not whether bedtime is perfectly alternated’ (Picture: Getty Images)

What do dads think? Dad-of-two Grant Ford has noticed his children react differently to bedtime with Dad, rather than Mum. The 40-year-old who lives near Brighton, tells Metro that his children are much more demanding of creativity from him when it comes to bedtime. ‘My wife is way more ritualistic with bedtime than I am, I’m a bit less organised and I think the kids expected a bit more play with me before bed. I have a few games I’ve made up, there are about seven or eight of them and they choose one before we settle down to read a book’ (Picture: Getty Images)

He says they usually then sit together and read a book, but over the last few weeks the kids have been demanding he create the stories from scratch and he has to tell a completely different story each night. ‘There’s a lot of creativity at bedtime, which I quite enjoy, but my wife doesn’t usually have to do all of this. It’s slightly different for her, but I think that’s probably the case with all parents, everyone has their own way of doing bedtime’ (Picture: Getty Images)

However, this isn’t something Luke Matthews, Metro’s senior audience editor, has found to be true with his daughter – although he does think it’s important for dads to get involved with bedtime, especially if they’ve been at work all day. ‘My wife and I split bedtimes 50/50 with our two-year-old daughter and it’s often the only real quality time I get with her in the week due to work,’ he explains (Picture: Getty Images)

‘When I’ve been in the office, it’s the one chance I get to talk to her about her day or have a laugh to forget about mine. Our bedtime revolves around books and we’re lucky that our daughter has been hooked on stories and reading from the start. We visit the library every week or two, take out new books, and read them until we know the words so well they become the screensaver in our brains’ (Picture: Getty Images)