DS1 is almost 6 years old (birthday in a few weeks) and since getting Skylanders for Christmas is having nightmares about monstors. He loves playing the game and we've been talking about how they are pretend and it's just a game but lately getting ready for bed he's in tears (i think he's scared of the thought of anymore dreams). Last night he slept in our room as we'd just gotten back from being away and i wanted him to get a decent nights sleep after many late nights. He was fine with this and wanted to do it again but i've said no, i don't want it to become a regular thing.
Aside from taking the game away what more can i do to get him through this?
we find the same thing if they watch scary cartoons even. it effects kids in ways we forget.
we have a great book called monster bed and its about a monster child who's scared to go to bed incase the humans come lol it helped but we have had to pay closer attention to their viewing / gaming.
When my sister was little she had some "monster spray" I'm pretty sure it was aero guard with the label taken off but one spray of that and she would sleep all night monster free. A spray bottle with water (maybe with some lavender oil for calming and a smell) would do the job.
DS is the same age and his fave soft toy is really a superninjahero that all monsters are scared of, so protects him. Plus he sleeps with me, if needed. Cos even ninja bunnies get scared sometimes. He won't want to snuggle with me in 10 years' time
Butterfly Dawn the book is a good idea, i might see what i can find.
Muppity i love the monster spray idea, i will try that for sure.
The Flying Butter he's gone to bed with Rex (Toy Story) tonight so we'll see how that goes. He'll come to us if he needs to, i don't want my kids to every think they can't, it's just that it's getting a little squishy as he's gotten so big and i don't get the best sleep
I hope he gets a good sleep tonight
ETA: Crazy thing is he loves Dinosaurs, and has watched a few shows that i was a little unsure about and been fine, but this game has really gotten to him...
My DD now 3.5 started talking about monsters, although it hasn't lasted ad friend suggested that you put some food under the bed and if it isn't gone in the morning there are no monsters... Just make sure you have no mice or inside pets lol.
I used to put carpet deodorising sprinkles on the floor around my kids beds and outside their doors. I'd tell them stories about how the monsters would touch the sprinkles and turn to dust and they'd get vacuumed up in the mornings. We also had monster spray which was water & lavender oil. My son is now 18 and remembers fondly the monster sprinkles & spray. It worked!
Hi Lisa & ladies,
I`ve never had any problems with my kids being afraid of Monster`s until now......our six year old thinks it`s funny to torment our five year old about Monster`s and creatures,all made up stuff he has a wild imagination.
I tell our youngest not to listen to him,he is being silly & making things up,lucky for him he`s had no nightmares. kids!
If you do the monster spray idea aren't you confirming monsters are real ? I think it's a cute idea but not necessarily helpful. I'd limit the game to morning time play and just discuss that monsters etc aren't real and nightmares can't hurt you.
I wouldnt introduce the monster spray or any other monster specific protection. To say they dont exist and then have monster spray is a bit contradictory and if they are already worried about the presence of monsters I would think its just going to confirm that they are real.
I would keep re affirming that monsters arent real. The do not exist and there is nothing to be afraid of.
The books and movies, I think, are ok. Many books and movies are about make believe things, the important thing is to know the difference. I would point out that cars dont have eyes or talk, animals do not not talk like us and monsters and fairies are pretend.
I know what ur saying. For master 6 he gets quite panicked so I like the idea that its just there if he needs it. But will think about it more.
He's not a child you can reason with I talk to him and reassure him but it doesn't work all the time.
We have already done protection things on our house as Halloween became a mega deal on the night.
I would be having some discussions about what it is that's happening when he's in bed that makes him scared. (For eg, our DD was scared and it eventually turned out that her nightlight cast moving shadows because of the colour-changing bit rotating). Instead of just saying monsters aren't real, explain about stories and how people have invented monsters to make their stories more interesting. Also, explain about dreams. It's hard to tell a kid that monsters aren't real because if they are in your dream they sure seem pretty real. So a talk about dreams and how it seems real but it's just a kind of story that goes away when you wake up. Talk about the nice dreams he has. Talk about when he's going to bed, he can think about nice things that make him happy and that will help him to have nice dreams. Talk about how nice his bed is and his bedroom and find out if there is something he could have that would help him feel happier. It might be leaving the door open a crack, or leaving a very-low wattage lamp going, or listening to a story or some happy music while he falls asleep.
Thanks so much for the thoughts and opinions ladies.
I understand what you're saying, my very first way of dealing with this was to assure him that monsters are not real, that they are make believe in stories and movies. I have sat with him whilst playing the game and discussed this also. I have assured him he can feel safe in our home and come hop in our bed whenever he feels necessary. He's an emotional (almost) 6 year old about to embark on a huge year and as much as he understands what i'm saying bedtime has still been a little tricky... I see the contridiction in saying monstors are not real yet providing something to keep them away but if it provides some sense of security for him and it's harmless i still just might try it.
Marydean i had actually thought about trying to explain a little more about what dreams are for him and how to make himself wake up if he finds it happening (i still do this occasionally myself) i just haven't had the right moment to do so yet. We've still had a few worries at bed time but it's easing slightly. I made up the spray yesterday and so far we've given a quick spray before bed but we're not placing that much emphasis on it.
The boys have the light on to go to sleep but we turn it off once they are asleep, i've tried leaving a night light on before but i've found the shadows cause just as much of an issue. The door is never shut. We are reading stories before bed and lots of gentle words and reasurance when needed. If i think back to when i was a child and how i would have liked to have been comforted with such an issue, i think i would have liked 'something special' to believe in that made my 6 year old imagination feel safe rather than not. We'll just keep working our way through this
Thanks again ladies it's great to be able to think these things through and get a few other ideas. I really appreciate your help
Butterfly Dawn for me there becomes a point where I'm in more of an awake state but still dreaming and if it's a dream that I don't particularly like I realise and force myself awake so I don't have to dream it anymore.
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Scared of 'monsters'??
kids!
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