Suddenly Scared to Sleep

C.,

Introduce her to the magical monster spray that gets rid of all things scary! lol Find a spray bottle and fill it with tap water and let her keep in near her at night. It worked wonders with my son when we had monster problems with him. Another thought is let her watch Monsters Inc. That might help too.

Good luck,
Melissa

When my son went through this stage (for him it was "monsters"), we used a monster spray in his bedroom. We didn't try to convince him that there was nothing there, and we learned pretty quickly that he was NOT convinced that the dog or Mama or Daddy would keep monsters away so we just stopped talking about it. We just got "monster spray" to deal with those darn silly monsters!

When he would cry that he was scared, I'd grab the bottle of "monster spray" (Febreeze) and would let him direct me where to spray it. We also gave him a little squirt bottle of water that he could keep beside his bed just in case he needed to spray some more. This worked like a charm for him . . . and his room smelled so fresh and clean!

Have you tried "monster spray," or in this case, I guess it would be bug repellant? Put water with an essential oil (lavendar or peppermint) in a spray bottle, decorate the bottle, and tell her that spraying it on her pillow and sheets will keep the creepy crawlies away. You might also try giving her a more realistic idea of bugs and snakes, pointing out that they don't want to be near her because she's bigger than they are and they have their own places to sleep.

At 5, they still have some incredible imaginations. My cousin gave her son a spray bottle with water in it and told him it would make all things scary disappear. She really got into with her son and named it something cool and then he could spray whatever scared him to make it disappear. One more option.

My son is going through this also (he is 5) but has really improved on it. These are the things we did - first no scary or things that seem scary books or movies or shows after 6pm - he has a chore chart which he gets stars for things like getting dressed himself, picking up his toys, etc. The chore chart came with one that said "staying in my on bed" :)(obviously we are not the only ones with this problem), so he gets a star every morning he has stayed in his bed for the full night, and last we read a funny or happy story each night before he goes to bed so the last thing on his mind is something happy. We also have a nightlight. And we had the monster spray for about 2 weeks, but he doesn't seem interested in it anymore. Hope some of these help. Good Luck!

Wow...all the responses with "monster spray" are so creative. I just tell my son that there are no such thing as monsters!

I think it is just the age. It started around 5-1/2 or 6 with my son and it winding down now...about 6 months.

For him, monsters aren't the problem. He started in with the bugs but now, for him, it is "skunks" because they are nocturnal. I just laugh with him and tell him he is silly. Then we pray together and ask God for sweet dreams and recognize that He is greater than any fear my son may have and he goes to sleep. Sometimes he revisits his fear thoughts, and I share with him that darkness has a way of making the mundane scary as most of our fears are really just the ordinary shrouded in darkness. I then remind him of his flashlight we keep next to his bed so he can shine light on his fears and remember that Jesus is the light that shines through all darkness and He removes all of our fears when we call on Him.

I am so sorry. Everything gets harder with less sleep. My mom said that I was like your daughter.
Some of the things she did:
"Spider Box" of the wall: They hung a box and every night we would put a cracker in it to "catch" all of the spiders. In the morning my dad or mom would empty the box outside.
"Monster Spray": They gave me a spray bottle full of "monster repelant" aka water that I could spray at the "monsters".
I hope things get better for you.
God bless you and your family

Two ideas to try... One, fill a spray bottle with water, and maybe a drop or two of a favorite essential oil (I Like lavender for this - helps relax the child). Spritz it around her room at bedtime, or let her do it, and tell her it's anti-monster spray. Two, get one of those pretty over-the-bed canopy nets and tell her that nothing bad can get inside.

If you don't do so already, you might want to limit her exposure to TV and video for awhile. Even some revered kid favorites such as such as Sleeping Beauty contain scenes that can make some young children anxious and figure into nightmares.

Good luck. Hope this helps.

Just a word of encouragement... it is SO normal for children to begin to comprehend dangers, then see it lurking around every corner. It is a phase that will pass, but I am sorry it is such a challenge in the meantime. One simple thing that I have seen done is to spray something safe (like a natural air freshener, maybe water with a couple of drops of essential oil,) as a "monster repellant." Blessings to you and yours! :)

Hey C...

Oh my, does this bring back memories of when my son was about that age. He's almost 23 now. Anyhow, he went thru this type of scared to sleep thing at about the same age. I was real big on not allowing peeps to scare my kids with the "boogey man, etc." NOT ALLOWED. I tried to be as careful as I could monitoring what was viewed on tv and the like. A friend of my told me about his little brother having the same prob when he was little and suggested making a spray bottle of "Monsters and All Scary Things Away" spray. Or "Monster, bug & snake away" spray. Doesn't need to be anything more than a little water in the bottle. Add a drop or two of vanilla for smell and when it's time for bed, develop a routine of having her point out where she thinks the monsters are and spray. Once you and she knows that everywhere has been "sprayed", spray around the closet door and bedroom door with the assurances that this is going to help keep the scary things away. It's a phase that they generally grow out of. One day, you'll go to spray and be told that "Mom, there's no monsters in here anymore". Keep in mind though, that innocent movies, even Disney movies, can trigger wild imaginations running wild in sleep. So spray and be diligent. This too shall pass. V.

C.,
Something is really wrong. You might want to take her to see a pediatric counselor. They are really good at dealing with children and sleep issues. To me, it sounds like very early anxiety which can be triggered by a chemical imbalance, watching a "scary" movie or commercial, being tormented by another child or fear of the unknown like going to school.
As a child my sister would say awful things to me like, "you see that spider, in the middle of the night it's going to suck on your eyeballs." That put the fear in me. From a very young age I had anxiety but my parents just brushed it off as lack of sleep or as my father would always tell me "your just being silly" Those are words that should never be told to a child who is afraid.
Besides the counselor, I recommend reading her some short stories that are happy and good. Another suggestion is to let her watch a special movie before she goes to bed. I call them "nice, nice" movies. We did this with our boys a few years ago when they were scared at night. The movie was great because it put them to sleep and they stayed asleep.
If she is scared, listen to her.
I wish you the best and no more monsters for her.

Does she sleep with a bear or lion or some fierce or even magical animal like a unicorn? If not make a special trip to a toy store to pick one out for the purpose of scare away bugs, monsters, and/or snakes, maybe two, one for under the bed and one for above. Make it a snake for under the bed.

Find a story about fierce animals that scare monsters away. Maybe more, and tell them nightly.

Continue to ruffle the bedding, etc. and send in the stuffed animals to do their work. Make it a game and laugh about it.

Have her handle the guardians and make them roar and hiss. "Get out of my room!"

I have heard of people giving their kids spray bottles of colored water labeled as "monster repellant" with the idea that they could spray it themselves when they needed it. The idea I think is to give the kids the power to control the situation themselves so that they can learn to control their imagination.

We are going through this. I think my little girl (4 1/2) learned to be scared by watching certain children's shows meant to help those who are truly scare. She has never been scared of anything (a different concern)and then she started using "scared" as a reason not to go to bed.
I know when she is faking a cry, so it was very hard, but as soon as we stopped all the attention in comforting her, she stopped complaining that she was scared. She was using "scared" as a way to prolong bedtime.
But, of course, not knowing your little girl... Good luck.

My daughter is almost 5 yrs and she has had a simiular fear. I've talked to other moms and it sounds like it happens to a lot of kids around this age. My daughter is scared of her dreams. I think just talking through their fear and letting them know whats real and whats not real can help. I also agree w/ one of the other moms about being a stickler and not letting them get out of bed or giving too much attention to them. Not saying you shouldn't comfort them,just don't let them manipulate you into letting them stay up longer because they don't want to go to bed. Good luck.

You can pray with her that God watch over her and send angels to protect her. You can get a picture of an angel, an angel statue, or some other thing, like a bear, to protect her. Train her to call on the name of Jesus when she is scared. Get her a night light, temporary though, because we need that dark time for our eyes. Leave a light on in the bathroom if that sends enough light for her to see that it is on.

We have used "monster spray" when our kids go to sleep...you can make it with water and scented oil in a squirt bottle, or use a can of air freshener. You can squirt it, or she can squirt it...whatever makes her feel most empowered.

We also gave small flashlights to allow them to feel some control over the dark. I don't care if the batteries burn out fast, it's just worth it for their peace of mind and my sleep!

My stepdaughter had a dreamcatcher hung over her bed for a while to catch the bad dreams.

Praying to keep the dreams sweet and happy and kind, no monsters, etc. also helps!

My 5 1/2 year old started having nightmares and would end up in bed with us. We moved the dog bed and dog into her room at night. End of nightmares!

Also with the monster spray - you can add a little lavender and it will be more calming for your daughter. Maybe "something" is really scaring her. As an adult we generally don't see things like a child does....whether it's our imagination or reality. Also, take a look at what exactly she is watching on the tv too.....maybe her imagination is coming to life in her room. Good luck.

Ok we had this problem when my daughter was younger. My husband had this inspired idea, that worked wonderfully. Get just a regular spray bottle, and fill it with water, when shes not around, and then before bedtime go around her bedroom and spray the water telling her its monster spray. This spray will keep the monsters out. My daughter totally bought it, and would remind us to do this every night. It made her feel better, and she got to choose the places we sprayed. We sprayed under her bed, her closet, and behind her dresser. She slept better, and we had fun doing it. Hope this helps. Good Luck