Too scared to sleep

For the past week or so when we put Lily to bed a few minutes later she comes running out crying saying 'scared scared' I ask her what's wrong and she says 'bugs'. I am thinking she can hear the crickets outside her window on the other side of her room as she was pointing to the window when i asked her to show me. Now she just will not sleep in there unless either myself or DH is in there with her, or she is so tired she doesnt notice, or if we just let her cry in there (which i hate doing and have only done it once which was enough for me!) I'm not sure how to get around this. We have tired telling her that they are outside and cannot hurt her etc and she seems fine with that answer until we leave... She is so tired during the day because she doesn't get to sleep until late because of it. Please help!

Do you have a fan in the room? Could you turn it up a bit and try and drown out the noise or has it gone passed actually hearing it? If it's more out of habbit now then maybe you could try taking her outside to see them and then walking around her room and showing her how secure the windows doors etc are so she can see they can't get in?

This is a hard one...erm...no more ideas, sorry!

maybe a little radio or something with some soothing music for her to concentrate on instead of hearing the bugs outside?

I was going to suggest some music too. Poor little love. Hope it passes soon for you guys.

Honestly, i think it has gone past actually hearing them and is now more out of habbit. Her fan is on, she has music playing but she still screams and runs out.

Wouldn't take her outside though as her bedroom is at the side of the house and theres way too many spiders and web etc there. If i did it during the day she'd forget by the night.

I am thinking of letting her sleep in our bed tonight as DH is on night shirt(10pm-6am) so there will be room but i don't want to make a habbit out of that either.

What about "it might be Santa's elves checking up on you to see if you're sleeping"?

That's a good one Kim! Although she is only just turned 3 so i'm not she'll get it yet. Worth a try though, thanks!

What about "spraying" for bugs each time she goes to bed (just using a water spray bottle) and saying the bugs can't get her now? Maybe make a bit of a game of it and get her to spray too? IDK, I have a 3 year old too and was trying to think what he would go for!

I know one toddler was told "it's OK, you don't have to be scared, you have Jesus with you to protect you." Said toddler then was heard to say every few seconds "Are you still there, Jesus?"

I was told just to tell my teddy the problem and it would go away, no need to wake my mother. It worked, I now have a DH instead of a teddy and that works even better! BTW, that year I didn't even wake my mother to open my stocking presents! Just told teddy and got on with it!

lol Ryn as not telling your mum about opening your presents!

Well last night she asked me to put her to bed. But it was somethingh like 10:45pm because we'd just got home from taking DH to work. She didn't make a sound. So hopfully that will continue!