Lori - posted on 10/25/2010 ( 4 moms have responded )
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My 6 year old has suddenly become scared at night. Waking up yelling for us and will not fall back to sleep unless one of us stay in his room. I have begun sleeping in there so he will stay asleep and not wake his 4 1/2 year old brother who shares a room with him. Has anyone gone through this before. And if so how long does it last? What suggestions do people have to help him get through this time?
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Patricia - posted on 10/26/2010
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I just went through that with my 4 1/2 year old. Every night we go through his room with a flash light and look under the bed in the closet, ect. And I give him a flashlight that is under his pillow so when he wakes up he has it. My stepmom purchased a dream catcher for her daughter and told her it caught all the bad dreams and if the dreams started again she would take the dream catcher down and say it must be full and shake it out so it can catch new bad dreams. Also I purchased the movie Monster Inc. and that seemed to help.
Nat - posted on 10/26/2010
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2
I agree with both responses here. Ask what he is scared of and go from there. My middle child is Autistic, so we had to get a little technical for it to be believable for him. He created a monster trap from a packing box (no, the old shoebox wasnt big enough). But he was in control of what traps and gadgets were involved. It became more about the box than the monster! He only needed the box for about a month, but we still have the box in the shed 4 years later "just in case".
Make sure you give credibility to his fears. Saying "don't be silly, there are no such things as monsters/vampires etc" only fuels their fear. Acknowledge his fear. Explain that TV and movies are actors and special effects, but then ask him how HE thinks he can combat what ever is scaring him (sleeping in mummy's bed til his 21 is not an option! lol).
Louise - posted on 10/26/2010
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Maybe he has seen something on the telly that has spooked him. As he is 6 he can tell you what is upsetting him. If he says it's a monster which is a common complaint then tell him you can help with that. Buy a teddy or a stuffed dog and then tell him that this is the monster catcher so he will be quite safe now. Make a big fuss and tell him that when he is feeling scared to cuddle the teddy and everything will be ok. Tell him he is a brave teddy and will keep all the monsters away. This is worth a shot. I had a monster catcher teddy for my son and he slept fine and eventually did not take the teddy to bed. It seems to be a phase that they all go through. Start with a talk first to see if it is something simple that has spooked him.
Amanda - posted on 10/25/2010
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I wen trhough with my 2 yr old. He was doing exactly the same. He got over it in 2 or 3 weeks.
I asked him what was wrong and he told me. Does your son know what he is afraid of??
My son said there was something scary by the door, so we left the door open witht he light on before he went to bed and I told him that when the light is on all the scareys go away and by turning the light off locks them out. That worked for us.
You could try "monster spray" (a spray pack of water) or a night light. I would try and find out what is scaring him first and then go from there
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