Bedtime fears

chicsub

We have officially entered the monster phase.  DS talks about the dark, things being spooky, monsters, etc.  We have a light in his room, but he has been crying a lot at night and seems to be genuinely scared.  Although he has also started crying upstairs for several hours and twice this week didn't fall asleep until almost 11 p.m.!  We try to talk to him about it during the day, but that's not helping either.  DH thinks we should just ignore him when he cries, but I feel like his crying is a different kind of crying than just a tantrum. 

Really don't know how to handle this!  It seems like he is also becoming overtired, which I have heard can make things worse with nightmares and stuff.  

Last night when I went into his room and laid next to him I saw him start to make "claws" with his hands and then he was asking me what was behind the headboard of his bed.  He was laying sideways on the bed vs. his head up by the headboard like usual, so I think his imagination is just going a little wild lately.  

How do you handle monsters and fear at bedtime?

boo-bitz

I'm going through the same thing so I am going to peek in on this one later...

Brewtowngrl

We have a huge dog so if DS is nervous the dog checks his room at bedtime.  DS now thinks there are huge bugs in his room that are getting him. We spray "bug" spray in his room.  It could be monster pray as well.  You can use water, but my DS had it in his head that it needed to smell.  We use lavender spray because that is supposed to help sleep anyway.  I just spray it once and then pretend to spray after.  Too much of it and his room will smell like a whore house:)

chicsub

I remember a grape scented monster spray when I was little!  However, then I read that having spray just confirms that there are indeed monsters, so I'm confused! 

Brewtowngrl

I think at this age they are real whether you confirm it or not.  They have crazy imaginations.  I am not going to tell him his "racing friends" are not real.  We tell him the spray makes it so the bugs can't even get in the house. 

chicsub

Brewtowngrl:

I think at this age they are real whether you confirm it or not.  They have crazy imaginations.  I am not going to tell him his "racing friends" are not real.  We tell him the spray makes it so the bugs can't even get in the house. 

Very true!

angelakh

We have a big dog that keeps monsters from coming in the house.  We also talk a lot about imagination and what is real that we can touch and hold and monsters are only real in her imagination.  

AgrippaRidesAgain

I just discovered that DS has been sleeping with a foam sword so that he can chop up dragons at night. I found it under his comforter this morning. It seems to be working, because we haven't had problems with night fears in a long time. Perhaps find something that makes him feel more powerful and in conteol at bedtime? Like a foam sword, lol.