4 year old is scared of monsters in the closet and it is a fight each night to get him to sleep. Any ideas?

Question

we cant get our four year old boy to go to bed anymore. He cries and screams, and sneaks back downstairs and tries to get into bed with us at 3 am. what do you do to get them not to be scared in their own rooms.

Answer 1

You need monster spray. mix water and food coloring in a spray bottle and tell you son it's monster spray and that it keeps the monsters away. Spray the room every night before bed.

Answer 2

I was petrified of monsters in my closet, monsters under my bed, monsters outside of my window, etc. I remember being quite young and wishing I had some more light in my room so I could make out the dark splotches. My parents never got me a night light though. My mom would try showing me that there was nothing under my bed or in my room, but I always thought that the monster was there but he was just hiding, so her effort didn't help me.
When my son was little, the first time he brought up the idea of a monster, I just firmly told him that monsters were not allowed in our house. That was the rule and the monsters could not break it. Thankfully, It was never an issue after that. I know all kids are different, but I do think kids depend on our reaction.

Answer 3

Where did he get the idea that there are monsters in the closet?
Talk to him about it; he may be thinking about something on t.v. or in a story book.
It is hard for little kids to separate fact from fantasy.

If he still believes there are monsters there, try a night-light beside the open closet. Post some happy pictures in his room. Check every inch of the closet with him at night until he sees that there is nothing there, and nothing to be afraid of.
Put a plate of cookies there; tell him the monsters have gone away because if they were there, they would eat the cookies.

Answer 4

Gus,

Hi, just a thought. It's exactly the opposite of what everyone is saying but it give a great explanation of Monsters in the closet.

Grab the movie Monsters Inc. and sit there with him to watch it. It's a great take on where monster come from and it's a fun movie with a great explanation. Your boy will love the movie and I feel he will get over it quickly.

No one else will agree but sometimes you have to explain things to kids in a more understandable way for them to get it. Make monsters fun and it will no longer be an issue.


Hope that helps

Answer 5

I had this problem with my daughter. Honestly, it is a long road to be sure a frightened child is reassured they are safe. Kids have extremely big imaginations, which is not always bad. With my daughter, I always made sure we prayed before bed. Second, if she came to my bed in the middle of the night, I would reassure her, and always tried to move her back to her bed, even if after she fell back to sleep, so she would wake in her own bed, letting her know that nothing happened during the night. A good book sometimes help too, just make sure there is no evil step mother or any other kind of villian. Also maybe putting some glow in the dark stars and such helped, we put them on the wall beside her bed and on the ceiling, bought her a glow in the dark care bear, and told her monsters cant have light.

Answer 6

My little girl went through this for a while. We got some of those self-adhesive posters for her wall - we chose Cinderella and the Fairy Godmother, but you could go with a character that he's into. Then, every night when it was finally time for her to turn in, I'd have a conversation with the Fairy Godmother that went something like this:

Ok, Fairy Godmother, it's time for C to go to sleep, and there are some monsters that are in here bugging her. Now we both know that the monsters just want to play, but C can't sleep when they're around. Would you wave your magic wand and send them all away? Ok, great. Bibbity, bobbity, BOO!

[To C] Are they gone? Not all of them? Where are they?

Ok you monsters, clear out! Now, Fairy Godmother will you keep an eye on C while she sleeps tonight? Cinderella, will you help? Make sure the monsters leave her alone, Ok? Thanks!

Knowing that Cinderella and the Fairy Godmother were watching out for her really seemed to do the trick.

Answer 7

We had a trick that "empowered" our daughter. we would walk down the hall along with her each and every night making as plenty noise as humanly conceivable. we would announce to all "monsters" in her room they had greater suited practice themselves for the main terrible terror that ever walked the earth...a small newborn. Then we would do the "verify" the closets, the textile cloth wardrobe drawers even below the mattress. we would make constructive each and every little thing became shield and as I and her father left the room we would say something like "I constructive pity the undesirable moster who comes out of hiding this night as a results of fact this youngster is hungry for monster meat!" of path there are no monsters a minimum of to maximum adults. yet a 4 3 hundred and sixty 5 days previous's thoughts is far greater ingenious so which you're able to arise with ingenious suggestions. And undergo in thoughts basically in view which you do no longer see it does no longer mean it would not exisit. If that have been genuine we would all be ineffective in view which you could't see air...

Answer 8

i will be honest here. my mom is a very religious Christian. She used to tell me how Satan was real and whatever. i got the wrong impression and thought he could show up in my bed and scare the hell out of me. That was the worst part, that i believed that this could really happen. So it took me longer than 'normal kids' to stop being scared at night. I don't remember when it stopped.......but anyways. .............

The best thing that helped me was having my bedroom door open and the lights in the house on. the only light that wasn't on was my bedroom's light. I had to make sure that i went to bed before my parents. It ensured that nothing could happen to me. That was the key. I could usually then sleep through the night until the morning came. Also, i had my bed up against the wall so nothing could be behind me. I had blankets covered all around me.


lol......

Answer 9

Sometimes a simple light will help, if there is one in the closet turn it on because you know the monsters only come out in the dark. You could also try Monster B Gone! Get a spray bottle put water, vinegar and food coloring in it and tell your son it is monster spray, he can spray it anytime at the monsters and they will go away.

You can not convince him that monsters do not exisist, at this age he really thinks they do and if you try to tell him they do not he will feel like he is all on his own when it comes to them scaring him. Empower him to fight them with the spray.

good luck

Answer 10

try checking the closet. then have him sit with you during the day with the lights out in his room and make up some sort of ritual to get rid of the monster so that he thinks the monster is gone (i.e. light a couple of candles, shut your eyes and chant things like 'go away silly monster') and then put a dream catcher or SOMETHING behind or around his bed and tell him that no monsters can get to him because it's there to defend him. either that or get your pet (if you have a dog) to stay in his room sometimes aswell.

Answer 11

Does the closet have a light in it? Most closets do. You could try turning it on when he goes to bed. Most little kids are afraid of things in the dark when they can't see what it is. Or you could try cleaning out the closet with him during the day to show him there's nothing in there.
Good luck. When I was a little kid I was always scared that there were robbers in the closet at night. It was probably playing hide-and-seek in the closets that made me realize that a closet would be a tough place for a robber to hang out (we had small closets that were filled with junk!). Anyway, being familiar with the closet and all its contents in the daytime might help.