Sleep problems with 4 year old???---Help!!

My son gets up at night saying he is scared. I turn on his nightlight, hall light, check the windows for him, tell him what the noises he is hearing is, give him stuffed animals, rub his back, etc.
He can be up every 2-3 hours some nights. Last night he wanted to sleep in the living room and then wanted me to cover him over and over so I made him sleep on the floor in our room.
I don't know what to do anymore as it is such a struggle to get him to sleep.

Re: Sleep problems with 4 year old???---Help!!

I went through the SAME EXACT thing with my son when he was 4 or 5 (can't remember).

After trying everything I could think of, I finally came up with this.

I gave him a little squirt bottle (like the kind you would use for cleaning) and filled it with water. I put a label on it that read "Monster Spray".

I told DS that when he felt scared, he should spray a little of his "monster spray" and the monsters would go away.

I felt that was better cause I was validating his fears, not trying to dismiss them as being "silly".

It REALLY helped!!

Good luck!

Message edited 1/16/2008 4:07:52 PM.

Re: Sleep problems with 4 year old???---Help!!

Posted by joenick

I went through the SAME EXACT thing with my son when he was 4 or 5 (can't remember).

After trying everything I could think of, I finally came up with this.

I gave him a little squirt bottle (like the kind you would use for cleaning) and filled it with water. I put a label on it that read "Monster Spray".

I told DS that when he felt scared, he should spray a little of his "monster spray" and the monsters would go away.

I felt that was better cause I was validating his fears, not trying to dismiss them as being "silly".

It REALLY helped!!

Good luck!

Re: Sleep problems with 4 year old???---Help!!

It comes out like a fine mist, so it shouldn't be that bad. Unless he goes squirt happy!

I tell ya, that worked for me. He felt like he was in "control" of the monster situation and the best part was that he could take care of it on his own. He didn't need to call for me in the middle of the night!

Ya know what else I used too... before I came up with the water sprayer, I gave my son a small bottle of eucalyptus spray from the Body Shop. It is meant for linens to help you sleep at night or something or other.

I put a sticker of a funny monster on it and told him to spray away.

But then the smell was giving me a headache, so we switched to water.

Re: Sleep problems with 4 year old???---Help!!

Posted by joenick

It comes out like a fine mist, so it shouldn't be that bad. Unless he goes squirt happy!

I tell ya, that worked for me. He felt like he was in "control" of the monster situation and the best part was that he could take care of it on his own. He didn't need to call for me in the middle of the night!

Ya know what else I used too... before I came up with the water sprayer, I gave my son a small bottle of eucalyptus spray from the Body Shop. It is meant for linens to help you sleep at night or something or other.

I put a sticker of a funny monster on it and told him to spray away.

But then the smell was giving me a headache, so we switched to water.