Give me your ideas for monsters in the closet

[s_gosney]

DD has been having some nightmares/night terrors lately, so dh picked up a book about nightmares at the library the other night. It's called "nightmares in the closet" or something like that. It's really a cute book and Kylee LOVES it, but guess what? Now she's scared of nightmares in the closet. <sigh>...can't win for losing. :)

So, after a very hard bedtime last night, I'm looking for ideas. She just weaned a week ago, so I don't have my old surefire tool for getting her to sleep. I'm thinking of trying some "monster spray", but thought I'd ask here for BTDT experience.

TIA!

[Ceepa]

DS was scared after a bad dream. He was a wreck for weeks. We tried extra nightlights, walking around with him checking the room before bedtime, practicing what he should say to the monster if it bothered him, reading funny books about monsters, talking about nice monsters like Elmo (yes, I know :P). We even hooked up the baby monitor again just so we could tell him that we were able to hear anything happening in his room during the night.

Sounds like we went overboard? Well, DH and I were desperate for sleep after all the night wakings, you know?

I think it's something that just takes time and mulitple reassurances. Our kids' imaginations really just run wild sometimes and their insecurities take over.

Maybe some of your DD's stress is related to the weaning whether or not she relaizes it? Feeling a bit insecure? Can you give her something of yours to keep in bed -- a shirt that smells like Mama maybe?

It's tough. Hang in there.

-Ceepa

[StantonHyde]

I love the nightmare book and so does DS. When he said he was afraid of the nightmare, I just sort of acted out the story with him. I said, "do you think the nightmare will be crying?" "Why?" Will you have to tell him not to wake mommy and daddy? Will you have to make room for him in your bed? What are you going to have to tell the other one who sticks his out of the closet? That's right, he could sleep in your chair. We did this Over and over again.

I also know someone who bought a huge stuffed animal cheetah and told her DD it was a special monster guard. Then she got a spray bottle with water and labled it "Monster Spray". Everynight, she and her DD would figure out where they needed to spray before bed. And she left teh spray right there in case of an emergency.

[shilo]

seriously. this is what my mom did for my sister and i. a 99cent plastic flyswatter complete with glitter-glue and rhinestones. worked like a charm. a few swatts under the bed, behind the curtains and in the closet before bed, and poof! no more monsters. of course it was left bedside just in case, but really, it was so magical, it usually worked the first time :P.

i love the monster spray! great one too.

hth, lori
Sam 5/19/05 How lucky I am that you chose me.

[Java]

I took Kael to the - what's that place called? - The Teddy Bear Factory and he got to make his own guardian. He choose a jaguar (from Diego) and we put a purple "Bravery" heart in the jaguar and he choose special monster finding eyes to see where they hide.

I've read that we should acknowledge his fears instead of saying "there are no monsters." So, we tell him IF there are any monsters around, they are scared of Baby Jaguar and if he and Jaguar roar really loud before bedtime, all the monsters will run away. Baby Jaguar will watch over you while you sleep so you don't have to worry about anything. His collection of monster-chasers has expanded to 2 dogs and baby Jaguar. Sometimes he sleeps with them, other times they sit on his pillow. He's started sleeping under the top sheet so 'bedbugs' can't see him ("sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite" - boy, that was a smart move on my part...). Just today for naptime, he lined up the dogs and jaguar on his pillow with instructions to don't move them (I usually take them down when he falls asleep) so they can scare away the monsters.

Hope that helps.

[californiagirl]

DD doesn't generally believe in monsters (although periodically we discuss facts like "Wolves only live in big, old, walls -- our house has walls that are too thin for wolves" and "There are no wicked witches in redwood forests".) But somebody brought that book to daycare and she loved it but was worried about it. So she made a gun out of Lego and she and I shot the monsters in her closet (after a long discussion about making sure they were mean monsters and that we couldn't get rid of them by telling them to go away, or picking them up and carrying them, or putting them to sleep and moving them). It wouldn't have been my first choice, but it's what she came up with. And she's allowed to shoot things that she intends to kill, which includes imaginary monsters that are mean, after you've tried humane methods.

[Marisa6826]

We spray for monsters, bugs, spiders and flies EVERY night.

All it is is water in a spray bottle. ;)

It's been a ritual for well over a year now. *sigh*

-m

Oh, and a nightlight helps too

[s_gosney]

Thanks for all the great ideas! DH put her down tonight (still in process, we have a night owl), so I don't know how it went, but I'll definitely be trying some of these if the issue keeps up. I especially like the fly swatter idea as we've had real flies lately and dd has loved chasing them and would be totally stoked about one with glittery gems on it. :) Thanks again!

[Mom to Brandon and 2 cats]

I leave the nightlight on and a flashlight next to DS's bed. EVERYONE knows that monsters are afraid of the light! haha

[trumansmom]

My mother had a "monster catcher" for my little brother. It was a big, old pot with a lid. Every night she would go in my room first while he waited out in the hall. She'd make a whole lot of noise and slam the lid on the pot a few times. Then she'd come out in the hall holding the pot at arms length until she could flush them down the toilet.

It worked for them. :P

Jeanne
Mom to Truman 11/01 and Eleanor 4/04

[Marisa6826]

That is hilarious. Though with the weight of All Clad, I think we'd be dealing with repetitive stress injuries after a while. :P

-m

[s_gosney]

Jeanne, that is classic! :) DD would LOVE this as she's in a perfect stage for playful parenting. My cookware is heavy too, but maybe I could do this in lieu of going to the gym...hmm, multi-tasking monster catching! :) I wonder what our neighbors would think...