Episodes

Programme 6

Three year old Matthew is spreading misery throughout the Pollard-Morris home.

From dawn till dusk, he subjects parents Trisha and Daren and his three siblings to a soundtrack of whinging, whining, screaming and moaning.

Everyone's sick of his behaviour but when Supernanny Jo Frost arrives, she's got a different diagnosis to dispense.

She sees mum's tendency to mollycoddle Matthew with a diet of baby bottles and dummies as a key factor in the unhappy toddler's problem behaviour. Trisha lets Matthew use dummies through the day and is pacified with a bottle several times a night.

To make matters worse, sibling battles between step- kids Matt and James, 8 mean there is never any peace in the house.

Supernanny is clear. It's time to let these children grow up and take some responsiblity. But can Trisha find the strength to resist her instinct to baby the children?

Supernanny's techniques

THE NAUGHTY BENCH

Supernanny suggests a bench where the children will be sent to if they are naughty in the house, just like the Naughty Step technique. More often than not, they misbehave individually but should they play up at the same time it's big enough for two of them to sit on.

The house is small and the bench can be placed in a well lit alcove under the stairs where they can be seen from the kitchen and the living room.

BIG BOY'S THOUGHT PADS

James, 8 and Luke,12 are given notebooks to write down their thoughts and feelings. The parents get feedback as the children read aloud from their notebooks in the evening. Supernanny chairs the forum – children and parents air their thoughts.

Dad, Daren resolves to watch TV less and act on his promises more, such as taking them all out for bike rides when he says he will.

The family who eats together, stays together

The Pollard-Morris family never eat together. Patricia gives in every night and gives the kids snacks if they don't eat their meal – just to get them to eat something. Francesca sits in a highchair in the kitchen to eat her meals so mum is frantically dashing forwards and backwards between the two rooms trying to make sure they all get fed. Patricia and Daren usually end up eating late at night once all the kids are in bed.

Supernanny's new regime has all of the family eating the same meal, together at the table.

The kids are not allowed to snack on junk before dinner so that they will be hungry enough to eat their evening meal. Jo keeps a watchful eye on Patricia to make sure she cooks only one meal.

To kick start the new regime, Jo encourages Dad to help out at dinner time more often. She also issues Francesca with a booster chair more suited to her age than the high chair she's been using meaning she can eat at the table with the rest of the family.

Patricia is instructed not to give in to the boy's demands and the whole family sit down together to eat the same meal – with great results.

The Dummy Fairy

This is a great way to get rid of a dummy addiction. Patricia, Matthew and Francesca gather up all the dummies from around the house and put them into special dummy bags. The message is no more daytime dummies. The bags are only opened at bedtime when they are allowed them as a comforter.

Eventually they are encouraged to lose them altogether and Mummy explains that because they are big boys and girls now, they are sending them off for the dummy fairy to keep safe forever. They are hung on the tree in the garden and overnight the fairy will take them. The following morning inside the bag will be a little treat to reward them for getting rid of their dummies.

For more parenting tips, read these fascinating extracts from C4' s Little Darlings booklet.