Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter, 1901
Yesterday our babysitter of thirteen years came to visit since my daughter is home on spring break. We started reminiscing of the old days when our kids were toddlers. One story we particularly enjoyed retelling was when my daughter was just over a year old. She had the habit of calling us from her room at all hours of the night. Bleary-eyed, I would stumble to her dark room, lit only by her Peter Rabbit night light, and find her standing up in her crib with her arms stretched out ready for the next adventure. I would quietly whisper to her that it wasn't time to get up yet but that we would play first thing in the morning. Sometimes this would happen more than once per night and I would nudge my husband to take a turn. This became a real problem when we both had to go to work in the morning.
One night, my brilliant husband came up with a solution. He plugged the Peter Rabbit night light into a timer that would automatically turn on the light at bedtime and turn off when it was time to rise. He then explained to our daughter that when Peter Rabbit was on, he would watch over her while she was asleep. When Peter Rabbit clicked off, it was time to get up and play again. It only took one or two more times for her to understand when it was sleeping time and when it was time to get up.
