My Child Is Too Scared To Fall Asleep

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When your child is too scared to fall asleep, it can be a major issue, because they either want you to sleep in your bed or they are out of their bed 10 times to get you.   In both cases, your child is losing precious sleep time.

Today we are going to give you some great ways to help your child feel more comfortable and face that fear!  Here is what to do when your child is too scared to fall asleep:

1. Get fun lightbulbs.  They make color-changing bulbs and night-light projectors that kids love!  These things will make bedtime seem less scary, while they are watching characters dance on their walls.
2. Let your child look inside of the closets themselves, but do it in a sneaky way… Try asking your child, “Can you check for any clothes that may have fallen down on the floor in your closet?”  This will have them looking inside of the closet, without realizing what they are really doing: Reassuring themselves that the closets are free and clear of any scary things before bed.
3. Give them a light-up stuffed animal.  They make ones that play sounds and ones that just light up.  Either way, they will help your kiddo feel a little safer, when they are snuggling a light.  Try a Lavender teddy bear, too!
4. Make Bad Dream Spray- a little water and lavender essential oils (lavender helps them fall asleep) in a water bottle and you’ve got bad dream spray.  Spray it around the room to keep bad dreams away.
5. “I had my doctor write a fake prescription. We went to the pharmacy and got a bottle of lavender spray. Every time my son thought there was a ghost, or boogy man, the doc ordered him to spray 2x and lay his head on his pillow. It was ‘boogy begone’ spray. The lavender helps them fall asleep and they are spraying away their fears.” ~Meranda Strickling
6. Talk to them about happy things before bed. Don’t even talk about the scary things.  When our kids seem scared, I’ll tell them, “Do NOT think about puppies, Disney World or swimming.”  It is like telling someone not to eat the cake… it only tempts you more!  They will have dreams of Mickey Mouse in no time.
7. Add a loud fan or noise machine to the room.   It will drown out any creaks that the house makes in the night.
8. Lay down with your child before bed.  This will reduce the stress that they have before bed.  Five minutes is going to make a huge difference.  If your child complains when you leave, start setting a timer so they can see how long you will be there.
9. Hang up pictures near their bed.   Our son has pictures of our family, his best friends and his bike taped on the wall beside his bed.  He looks at it when he is drifting off to sleep.
10. “Try reading the picture book Wake up do, Lydia Lou. It is a ghost trying to scare a little girl who won’t wake up. The ghost brings in things that make noises that rhyme with boo, like a cow, a rooster, a baby, etc. In the end the girl wakes up and laughs. My girls giggle at all the funny things the ghost tries. It makes it silly.” ~Rachel Lowe

Hopefully this will only be a short phase.  Each of our children have gone through this at one point or another, but they have each gotten over it with some reassuring words and patience.

Try to help your child fall asleep during this phase and remember that this, too, shall pass.   Stop by our Facebook page, where we talk about parenting topics like this every day!

 

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