How to Get Rid of Monsters?

You might give him his toy gun, or something with which he could feel like he was defending himself, to sleep with. That can be empowering. I've known of other people who gave their kids "monster spray" as well (air freshner), although my kids would probably spray the whole can and get sick.

Have you watched Monsters Inc. with him? That made my kids like monsters. Then buy some monster toys and play with them and talk to them.

I also like the magic spray idea.

Good luck!

You can always make a "Monster Spray". Mix some type of essential oil w/water in a spray bottle & spray his room at night before he goes to bed. Lavender is great for soothing.

I recently bought a stuffed monster for son. While I was on the website I was reading their customer feedback and saw one mom who used bought one with her son to be his protector monster and thought it sounded like such a good idea. This is a really cool website where you can build-your-own-monster and then the lady who owns it (stay-at-home-mama) handmakes the monster for you. That mom said she sat down and designed it with her son, and it worked well for them, maybe this would work. Mine turned out so great- really really good quality. Be sure to look at the gallery of pics to see what they look like.

www.curlyqcuties.com

You could also get any stuffed animal and make it the "protector" but I thought the idea of designing it yourself and making it a good monster to keep the bad ones away was cute.

Hello T., We too had an issue with mosnters. Our daughter is 13 now and still has bad nights! She has been able to stay in her room and comfort herself since she was about 6, but the scary episodes still, at times, continue. She began to have trouble at about the age of 9 months. We tried everything to help her feel safe and be able to sleep on her own. For us it was a lot of interupted sleepless nights, until she finally got old enough to control herself. She is as it turns out a personality who needs a lot of attention and reasurance. We have two older children and neither of them had any of her issues. Now that she is older and I have figured her out, I will say that I wish I had not pushed her as hard as I did to overcome her fear, of the monsters, none of us could see. I'll be interested to know how you deal with it, and hear what others have to say. Good luck. M. PS. He very well may be missing the security of the closed in crib. He is old enough for a big boy bed, and should get used to it pretty soon. We did use a low wattage lamp next to her bed. The night lights can cast a scary shadow in the middle of the night.

Get a bottle of air freshener, make a label for it that says "Monster Spray" be as creative as you want. You could put something on the label about it eliminating monsters on contact or anything you want. Use tape or glue and wrap it around the can so that the "glade" label (or whatever brand you use) is completely covered up. Just before bedtime take you son in his room and make a big production of spraying in the closet, under the bed. If you feel comfortable let him spray where he is concerned the monster might be hiding.

My son had a huge monster problem in his room and we did this and made this huge production of getting rid of the monsters. I would yank open the closet door and bang bang bang (sound effects for the spray can) I would get them. My son got such a kick out of it that we did this for quite awhile even after he was pretty sure all the monsters were probably gone.

This trick has worked wonderfully for my 2 oldest. Get a flashlight at walmart, target ect that is shaped like a lion or tiger.

http://www.littletikes.com/toys/manely-glowin-animal-flas...

Come up with some silly phrase like Scary things that are scaring me go away!

Before bed, tell your son he is going to scare the monsters away. Turn his lights off in his bedroom (leave a hall light on) and let him shine the flashlight under the bed say the phrase, under the dresser, closet, etc. Until all the monsters have been scared away!

After 3 nights the monster should be gone. Worked AWESOME with my kids.

I've got your answer which other parents have used successfully. Get a squirt/mister bottle. Fill with water and some perfume/scent you can all stand.
Before going to bed, as a ritual, spray where the "monster" lives/hides and maybe sing a ditty like "monster monster go away". Also, have the bottle handy so the child can spray the monster if it is bothering him during the night.
Cheap and easy and proven.
Good luck!

My sitter used to swear that when kids cried out during their sleep like that, then they needed to go to the bathroom. I know a couple of times, I comforted, but didn't make my kid go and he wet the bed...just a thought on that front.

Couple things you might try
* Monster spray (water bottle) for under the bed, closet, etc.
* Very Small flashlight for under the pillow
* Barrier - my son likes to prop a spare pillow up against the bookcase by his bed to create a mini wall beside his head. It makes him feel better to not see around the room at night.
* Turn off the lights and look around to see what it looks like from the bed. A coat on a hanger or a shadow of a toy can look spooky to kids!!
* My son also loves his 'nightlight'. It is a big (10") plastic blue star that hangs on the wall. We bought it at Ikea for a couple of bucks and keep a low watt light bulb in it. It filters the light, but gives the room a decent glow, so it is never dark. Last time I checked, they still sell them.

T.,
Make it fun to go on a Monster Hunt before bed and show your son that there is no monster there, then lock the window and since we are talking about your son's imagination - put a forcefield around his room that will hold out monsters. IF you say prayers you can start talking to him about how God is bigger than any monster that is out there and wants him to feel safe and secure in his room.
I have also found (after 3 boys have been through this stage) that even though it seems counter productive at the time - wake your son up completely - if it means you get him a drink, read to him, something - don't get him active, but get him all the way awake and out of dream state and that can help him settle down and realize there is nothing to be afraid of b/c you are there. My 3 would always settle right back down and sleep soundly after that.

Good Luck - you are right - it is a stage and they will get through it - and so will you.

T.

T.,
I had the same problem with my now 5 yr old. He was afraid of monsters and spiders. I still have a few collector stuffed animals. At the time I had a beagle, Porthos from the new Star Trek Enterprize show I had gotten in Vegas. I had given it to him to protect him. I told him that he would be his protector and friend. To this day he still has Porthos and takes him to bed. My 3 yr old has recently state he same thing, so now he has one of my Eagle's bears. It is not an attachment that they carry everywhere, just to comfort them when they sleep.
I hope this helps

S. J
_______FIGHT LYME DISEASE
www.ShazzArtisticVisions.com

You could try "monster repellant". It is really air freshener but have your son tell you where the monsters are and tell him that you have some spray that will keep them away. If they are in the closet or under the bed, spray there to keep them from bothering him at night. Best wishes!!

When I was little my folks would always read to me at bedtime. When I was scared of monsters they would shine a special flashlight under the bed, in the closets or any place else I felt the monsters might hide. The other thing that we did was when I said my bedtime prayers I would ask God to keep the monsters away. I would always add it to my prayers but I don't remember my folks doing the flashlight bit long. God Bless and Good Luck!

Wow. I have never heard of monster spray. That is a rather cute idea. My dad had "evil monkey" hunts with me. I would never want my mom's help, and would stubbornly stay up until Daddy got home. We would arm ourselves with things out of the kitchen like wooden spoons and hunt those evil monkeys.

My son had monsters, and we did the same thing with him. Just try to make whatever "monster eradication" ritual you have fun and check his nightlight. If it is in a bad spot, the glow can cast some pretty scary glows. One thing I did with my son was to have a radio/cd player going with soothing music. It helped alleviate the sense that he was alone.

monster spray of course:) Put water in a squirt bottle and make sure you squirt it under the bed each night. Let him fill the boottle up..mayb eadd something to it that won't harm anything. I used a Liquid organic cleaner from my business. None the less, let them mix it and be a part of it.Anytime they are scared at night, they can squirt the monster. Hope that helps

As others have said, we too took imaginary steps to get rid of the monsters. My son thought the monsters were in his closet. I asked him how we should get them out of there, and he said, "shoot them." So I pretended to blast them. I would ask him where they were in the closet, blast them, and then close the closet doors so that any new ones could not come out during the night.

Sometimes there was a baby monster in there that he didn't want me to shoot. Only the adult ones :)

I would just go with this. Ask your son how he thinks you should get rid of the monsters, and as long as it doesn't involve you sleeping with him, try and work it out. You may go through this off and on for about 6 months, but my son is about to turn 4, and he doesn't talk about the monsters anymore.

my son used to get "night terrors' he would start screaming like someone was hurting him and i raced in to pick him up. That is actually the worst thing you can do. They are not awake and you coming in there is actually scary because they don't recognize you. So we let him cry until we can tell it's an "awake" cry. If he makes it to that point then we go in, but he usually doesn't. Just makes that horrible scream and goes back to sleep and doesn't remember it the next morning.

also, a flashlight makes a great monster gun. You shine it at the monster and he disappears!

That is a hard one. I am not sure you can make them go away. You just have to continuously assure him that there are none and do whatever it takes to make him feel secure. Lay in there with him, sleep with him for a night or two.... it may help to ask him what you can do to make it better.
Good luck.

I just went through this with my daughter. I found a spray that smelled good and told her monsters did not like good smells. Two days of spraying and the monsters where gone.

The other mom has a great idea. This one is very similar...Place a flashlight in your sons hand. A small one of course, since he might want to sleep with it. Tell him that when the monster comes, turn on the flashlight and shine it in his face. Tell him monsters are scared of light and it will make him disappear as fast as he showed up.

if hes still sleeping when you go in there just rub his back dont try to talk to him. its a night terror. my daughter did this and i had no idea what was going on. but i learned about them and sure enough thats what it is. as for the monsters get a spray bottle (dollar store) put a label on it that says monster spray and fill it with water. and have him spray it around his room before bed time. assure him there is no such thing as monsters but if their were this stuff would keep them away! good luck!

The key here is making him think that the monsters are not in there anymore. If you tell kids that they are not there in the first place, it doesn't fly because they know the monsters ARE there lol. You can try several things. You can 'escort' the monsters out in lots of different ways. My suggestion would be to get a box and dramatize the monster getting in the box, let your child see you do this and box up the monster and leave the room with the box. Psychologically, he thinks the monster is gone. I used to call the monsters out from under the bed and literally watch them walk out after being scolded, my kids always had a smile on their faces. Just be creative in convincing him that the monster have left the building!

Hmmm, if he's always had a nightlight... try telling him the monsters afraid of the dark, and the monster will be afraid to come out if its off? Turn it off, stay there at the door a while to be sure he buys the story, if he doesn't fall asleep soon though, might have to try a differnt tactic. Might work though, and being in compete darkness is supposed to help one sleep better anyway. If that doesn't work, try spraying a lavender scented "monster repellant" on the bed. Lavender is also suposed to help one have a better quality sleep.
M.

T.

Sorry to hear your little guy is having such problems. I have used this trick before and it usually works. Get a spray bottle clear if possible (do it where he doesn't see you) fill it with water you can add food coloring to it if you want. When you put him to bed take the bottle and say okay we are going to make the monsters go away from your room and then give a few sprays. You might even let him spray a couple of times that way he may think he is in control. Hopefully that will help.

B.

I'm a divorced mom of two great kids a son 22 and a daughter 17. I work as a paralegal and an independent Avon Representative.

Does your son watch cartoons at all? I know this sounds crazy, but even the most innocent cartoons can scare children with an overactive imagination. When our son was your son's age, he had nightmares about TWEETY BIRD!!! (you know the episode where tweety turns into a "dr jekel/mr hyde" character?) I sort of agree with the moms who say that if you start using "monster spray" or whatever, then you are basically telling them there are monsters. Of course I know that the monster spray does work for some kids and you might use it as a last resort. But if this is happening in his sleep, then it has to do with his subconcious and spraying something might not make a difference. I would try cutting out tv for a few days - or at least limit it severely - and see if that helps. Talk to him alot about real and make believe, and use examples he can relate to. And if you pray with him, then pray for him to have peaceful sleep - not to "keep the monsters away" because, again, you are saying there ARE monsters. Make sure he has a favourite stuffed animal to sleep with and maybe even play soothing music at night while he sleeps. Good luck!

When my daughter started mentioning monsters, she thought of her own way to get rid of them. This involved her daddy or I getting the monsters under the bed, or wherever, and then putting them outside. She would usually tell them bye, and then close the door behind her. This helped her not be afraid of monsters, and feel safe. We now do this routine for our 3 yr old son, and it works for him too. So see if there is a way he wants to get rid of the monsters, and let him help =)

If the lamp works, leave it. Why is it a pacebo? This is a stage rhat he will outgrow. Make monsters a good thing, they are there to protect him now. There are tons of books about monsters, some very funny. We loved our monster books, the best of course was, Where the Wild Things are. My kids just loved the whole concept. So, start reading some good books and talking about the nice monsters. Good luck. Oh, and I was going to suggest his very own flashlight that you can turn off once he is asleep.

Either close up the monster in a box (jewelry box or something like it) or pray for Jesus and the angels to come down and guard over him so the monster can't come. We have had success with the second approach.

Hi there - we too have had this problem at times with our 5 year old. What I've come up with was to take a bottle of my body spray and spray it in the bedroom. I tell my little one that it's "monster spray" and it seems to work, because after I leave the room, the scent is still in the air and by the time the smell fades, she's had time to fall asleep.

Hope that helps!

We got an aerosol can of air freshener in a good scent and made a new label for it, "Monster Spray - kills all monsters" and would spray our daughters room each night. The loved the smell and it reassured them. It really worked. You can even let your child do the spraying and it empowers them to do something and take control of their fears.

Hi T.,
I haven't had time to read the other responses, but every magazine article I've read on this says telling your child "It's not there." Doesn't work b/c obviously they are very much believing their imagination right now and and arguing with them just allows them to stregthen there position that yes, there really is a monster in here.

So, what you do is kinda like play along... All of us moms are actors a little, right? Well, put it to good use here: Come in and say 'Really there is a monster, then look under and do something like Ah, your right! he is right there! Hurry quick grab him! He is trying to get away! Then you can do a couple things A.) fake wrestle him to the ground and then open the window and fake kick the monster out the window or B.) come up with something like Do you know what monsters really don't like?? girly stuff... Let's keep a perfume bottle around and each time he comes we sprits him, he'll melt away like the wicked witch.

I hope you get the idea here and just no matter how frustrating and annoying it can be use your imagination to fix his. Also, this may mean you have to get up several times and kick the monster to the curb, but at least he knows A.) mommy is here for me when I need her B.) I can go to her when I am scared about anything. C.)That he is safe in his own home.

Hope this works!! Special blessings from God to you,
Amanda

p.s.
We always say bedtime prayers too. I feel they help to calm the day from business that stirs dreams and fears. Here is my favorite:

Matthew, Mark, Luke and John
Bless the bed that I lay on.
4 corners to my bed.
4 Angels 'round my head.

I am very much a realist and a Christian. I believe that children are much better with the truth. My son was having trouble sleping. Grammy gave him a special angel figurine that we put on his shelf, were he could see it. I know your son is not waking up, but if you are a believer I would have him say his night time prayers.... let angles watch us through the night until I wake in morning light. Tell him that Jesus will be there with him if he gets scared. BTW my son loves the little angel in his room, and has even asked "Will the angels watch me through the night like that angel does?" I hope you find a good soloution that comforts you both. God Bless

I have known people that use a water spray bottle as "Monster spray" be wary that this may reinforce the idea that monsters are real. Also, making the family pet the champion can be very effective. (Monsters are afraid of fido)

I sense another issue-
Sounds like he is having "Night Terrors". Very common for this age, children can appear to be awake but not fully "there" and are frightened & inconsolable. It varies for each child.

In my experience, being over-tired when going to bed exacerbates the problem. Try bumping the bedtime a half hour earlier & having a longer transition time (bath stories etc)

This is a developmental stage, at this age children become aware of their vulnerability. Many children have a fear or obsession with death and dying. (Worried about mommy or daddy dying) They will out grow this.

I don't know that there is much you can do while a child is experiencing night terrors. Just comfort them, keep them safe & ride it out. Most children have no recollection of their "waking events"

This will not last forever, hang in there!

P :)