Keeping the monsters away at bedtime
As I mentioned the other day, we're having some issues with sleep over at our house – and it's not the newborn. Possibly experiencing anxiety over his new sister or, more likely, trying out his big boy legs, Nate has been getting out of bed. A lot. So I've been revisiting the sleep books. He's been having nightmares and is scared to go to sleep. We realized, based on his recounting of his dreams, that Daddy playing "Monster Chase" with him before bedtime – yeah, probably not a good idea. What to do to undo the damage? Then I got a Daily Candy email promoting this "I'm Not Afraid Monster Spray". It sprays sleep-promoting aromatherapy into the air to convince your child that his or her room is covered in a monster-proof coating. Pretty cool, but $14.95 U.S. is a bit steep for me. Perhaps I'll stick to water in a spray bottle instead.
The other issue some parents and experts have with monster sprays is that it appears to the child that adults also think monsters are real. And well, it's lying and eventually you'll be found out. (Which interestingly, was also the recent and heated topic of discussion regarding Santa!) Rachel had written about some monster-coping skills in the past that I may try out to avoid deception.
What about you? Are there monsters in your house? How do you deal with them?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Catherine 12-06-2007 @ 1:38PM
With my 2nd, I had a magic pencil that I would use to draw a line around his bed in the air, saying "Magic, Magic, Keep Michael safe". Effective for all fears, real or unreal.
With my 3rd son, we read a few books about baby monsters who were afraid of the humans that lived outside the closet. When someone told my son about the monster Frankenstein, I started calling him Frankie-baby, which always made my son laugh.
When my grandson gets scared when he sleeps over, my teenage son tells him he has lived in this house for most of his life and never seen a monster. My grandson trusts my son, so he believes him.
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Michelle 12-06-2007 @ 2:32PM
My daughter went through a stage where she was afraid of the dinosaurs in the room. I would take a flashlight and usher them out of their hiding places in the corners and under the beds, then I would take them out of her room with me. As long as they were out of the room at night, she was fine. She would play with them in there during the day, but at night, out they had to go!
She got her own flashlight *just in case* they decided to sneak back in. And, my mom bought her a HUGE dragon stuffed animal that took up residence at the foot of her bed for a while as her protector. Then it was relegated to the window seat, where it remains to this day.
I tried telling her there were no dinosaurs in the room, but that seemed to make it worse. The monsters are only a phase, and one that is soon forgotten.
Catherine, I read that book about the monsters being afraid of humans. I wish I could remember the name of it, so I could find it before my son goes through the phase!
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Nancy Toby 12-06-2007 @ 2:42PM
1) The Monsters, Inc. DVD is great for "normalizing" monsters. Now my kids hide in the closet with the door closed, waiting for monsters to appear.
2) The Dustbuster vacuums up monsters, too.
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Catherine 12-06-2007 @ 3:50PM
I found the one we read -
"There's a Nightmare in My Closet" by Mercer Meyer.
There are others on Amazon:
- There Is A Monster In My Closet! by Laura Erwin
- The Monster in My Closet by Eric Klug
- No More Monsters for Me! by Peggy Parish and Marc Simont
Oh, and we also talked about the monsters on Sesame Street - Cookie Monster, Elmo, Grover, etc. He knew they weren't scary.
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LS 12-06-2007 @ 4:11PM
"The other issue some parents and experts have with monster sprays is that it appears to the child that adults also think monsters are real. "
I think that it's important to remember that whether or not the adult validates the monster, to the child, that monster is as real as Mommy is. So, which is more important: to not lie to your child and tell him that it's a figment of his imagination, thereby telling him his fears are stupid; or finding some way to side with your child and help him banish the monsters, which gives him his power back?
I'll take the second every time.
That said, we haven't had the Monster Encounter yet, but when we do, I'll be prepared with flashlights, Monster Spray, and whatever else I can think of. Frankly, I think that Magic Line idea is golden, as is the Guard Dragon.
And if you go with the spray - perhaps a little bottle of Lavender or other essential oil will help. Add just a few drops to the water, and presto! scented Monster Juice!
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Karen 12-06-2007 @ 4:17PM
If you are going the monster spray route, just use Lysol and put your own label on the can. Much cheaper than what is pictured.
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Courtney 12-06-2007 @ 6:24PM
We used monster spray about 10 years ago, and at the time I just used water and some of my perfume sprayed into the bottle. The thought was that smelling mommy's perfume in the room would give him comfort with the familiar smell. I just purchased a spray bottle and decorated it with markers.
Whole thing cost maybe $1.00.
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MJBUtah 12-06-2007 @ 7:03PM
We did the stuffed animal thing, we found one at the store that was a "guard dog". He looked really nice but you could curl up his lip so he looked like he was growling. My son slept with him every night. He also had a flashlight.
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Michelle 12-06-2007 @ 8:07PM
Catherine, Thanks for getting back to me about the book! Mercer Meyer sounds like the right author. That book puts just the right spin on the whole thing to be silly and help a child out of the monster stage! I read it to my preschool class and they giggled!
And LS, I wouldn't mention lying too loudly around these parts. . . . wouldn't want to get the militia rilied! Next we'll be perpetuating the myth about a jolly guy in a red suit who lives in a snowy place in northern land. And that would be *WRONG* ;)
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