sleep help: My son is afraid to sleep in his own bed. - Help.com

More nights than I care to remember I lay in bed with my little daughters till they feel asleep. They eventually got used to sleeping in their Big Girl beds.

Hazel,

How old is he? What’s he afraid of? When mine were little I put some Vinger & H2O in a bottle labled it monster spray & we used it in closets, under beds. IT really works. Good Luck

A Friend

Also= just in case - you may want to censor what he is watching/seeing? A lot of cartoons, etc are really violent - movies too. I’m sure you are/do….but its amazing how many seemingly innocuous cartoons/movies can be kinda creepy…

the nightlight worked for my little sister when she was younger, my parents said it was a special light that drove monsters away. They let “Santa” give it to her with a special note about its’ monster banishing abilities.

the bottom line is his feeling of security at night. All these things have their own side effects… monster rituals reinforce the fact there ARE real monsters… mom or dad can keep them at bay… but NOT me! Night lights… they impact the ability for a good sound nights sleep (potentially waking the child in the middle of the night), and can create some pretty nasty shadows. I’m not saying they don’t work… they can, and I’ve used some of them. I’m just saying. Talk to the child as an autonomous human being, try to explain they will be fine that mom dad… (and siblings if there are any; and if so GREAT) all sleep alone in their grown up bed, and nothing hurts them.

Around the age of 8 children start really getting into school, and creating things; personal industry. Try making it a fun task where you ask the child what would make then feel safe at night in bed. Then build it! Let them build it with you. They will take pride in their creation, and you will have successfully helped the through a normal part of child development.

well… explain that to him and ask what else might work… trust me, his imagination will fly and truly challenge you. If he wants a big dog, can you take a recording of the dog barking so you can play that before he goes to bed? Or they do make those sensor alarms to protect homes that will sound off with a dog bark or such. After you’re boy gets settled, you can use it to protect your home!