An exasperated mother has revealed how her toddler daughter’s ‘daredevil antics’ have left her exhausted and even forced her to quit her job.
Joanne and her daughter Lottie, three, appeared on Britain’s Naughtiest Nursery on 5star last night, a new series that delves into the complex workings of child psychology.
The mother told staff how Lottie is a ‘danger to herself’ thanks to her love of climbing on furniture and breaking away from her mother to run across the road.
She also gives her mother the finger and uses the ‘f word’ liberally, and after being excluded from nursery, Joanne has been forced to give up her job to look after her.
Viewers were left shocked by the troublesome behaviour of Lottie and other youngsters on the new series, but praised the nursery staff for their ‘patience’ in trying to help them.
Lottie, three, drives her mother crazy with her dangerous antics because she loves nothing more than climbing on high surfaces to ‘explore’
Her mother Joanne said she had to always keep an eye on Lottie because she was afraid her daughter would ‘hurt herself’
‘You are so patient and creative in your approach with the children. Been watching for hints and tips,’ one wrote viewers wrote.
Others said that they blamed the parents for their children’s out-of- control antics.
Another commented: ‘OK you can have the ice cream if you promise me you choose something to eat from the chip shop later” – where do I even start with that?’
One mother watching said daredevil Lottie made her think of her own child.
‘Omg, watching #britainsnaughtiestnursery and Lottie is Alice 10000%,’ she wrote.
Joanne explained to nursery staff that Lottie needs constant attention because she loves to climb on furniture such as chairs, windowsills, kitchen sinks and even on her mother’s washing machine.
Lottie didn’t understand how risky her behaviour could be and put herself in danger by simply exploring
The child wasn’t even deterred by the thought or missing her turn at a game because she wanted to explore by herself
‘I don’t get a minute, I need eyes all around her,’ she said, adding that discipline just doesn’t seem to work.
‘She doesn’t care about consequences, you can take her away from the situation, and she’ll just go back and do exactly the same,’ she explained.
The youngster has already been kicked out of one nursery because of her dangerous behaviour.
‘I was getting called to pick Lottie up maybe once, twice, three times a week,’ Joanne admitted.
Viewers praised the teachers on site for their work, and one noted Lottie made her think of her own child
On top of her climbing antics, Lottie likes to swear, say the f-word and give her parents the finger.
‘You think “what have I done wrong?”,’ Joanne said. ‘I’m absolutely exhausted with it all.’
She started tearing up as she told child psychologist Laverne Antrobus, that she fears Lottie will one day hurt herself.
‘It’s seems to be a real struggle to get to what it is that’s driving her,’ Laverne said.
Child psychologist Laverne Antrobus explained Lottie wanted to explore the world in a more sensory and physical way
Mother Joanne (pictured) explained she was ‘exhausted’ and had to quit her job to look after her young child
But after a few days of observing Lottie’s behaviour at the nursery, the psychologists were able to understand why she was so interested in climbing and putting herself in dangerous situations.
‘Lottie enjoys quite a thrill from climbing and exploring in this way, but she also enjoys the reaction that adults give her,’ Laverne explained.
‘I guess her sense of danger and understanding of risks is not quite there yet,’ commented Jess as the two women observed the child.
In order to help Joanne deal with Lottie’s passion for physical exploration, the two psychologists explained she needed to create a safe environment for Lottie to touch, feel and understand.
Lottie sweared, disobeyed, and baffled her mother with her reckless behaviour and stubborn attitude
Lottie will run away from her mother, cross the road without looking (pictured), climb on windows, tables and kitchen counters
At the end of the episode, Joanne and teacher Jules, who had followed Lottie for the whole week, let Lottie experiment with several boxes full of jelly, which she touched with her feet and hands with complete delight.
It also turned out that the child was more focused on the tasks that were given to her when she had something in her mouth.
Laverne and Jess suggested that Joanne find safer alternatives to replace potentially dangerous objects Lottie seemed to love munching on, such as bottle lids.
Even when told off, Lottie would keep doing the same bad deeds once her mother looked the other way
Britain’s Naughtiest Nursery airs on Thursdays on 5Star