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Conference moira::parenting_v3

Title:Parenting
Notice:READ 1.27 BEFORE WRITING
Moderator:CSC32::DUBOIS
Created:Wed May 30 1990
Last Modified:Tue May 27 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:1364
Total number of notes:23848

148.0. "Nightime Fears" by DUGGAN::PEARSON () Tue Jul 17 1990 20:58

    Zachary (2) is waking at night fearful and telling me there are "tigers
    on the wallpaper." I heard of a bedtime story book about this that
    helps allay the fear. Can anyone give me the title and author or suggest
    something similar? How did you deal with nightime fears?
    
    Thanks!
                                                            
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148.158378::S_BROOKIt's time for a summertime dreamTue Jul 17 1990 21:328
    Try getting a hand spray type bottle with a bit of water and something
    to give it a little smell.  Introduce it to him as "Tiger repellant"
    or in words he'll understand.  Spray it around the room with him before 
    he goes to bed and see what happens.  They tell me it really works!
    
    Good luck!
    
    Stuart
148.2Their imagination is working overtime!!MAJORS::MANDALINCIWed Jul 18 1990 09:0022
    My son also went through a spell like that a couple months ago. He was
    a little over 2 then. His nanny hates spiders, bugs, frogs, snakes, etc
    and he learned it from her making such a stick about them. When he
    started running down the hall in the middle of the night into our room 
    saying there were frogs and spiders in his room, I figured we really
    had to work to change his attitide (and his nanny's behavior in front
    of him in terms of "bug reaction"). I started showing him bugs all the
    time, sang the Itsy Bitsy Spider alot, told him to tell the spiders to
    go home because he wanted to sleep, we tell the frogs to hop out the
    window, etc. It somehow worked because he doesn't wake up afraid but
    will occasionally say "look, frog under my bed - go home you silly
    frog" and that is the end of it.  Maybe pick up a book on tigers (a
    sweet story about one, not one where the tiger is fearful) and read it
    together. It might make him realize that tigers aren't that bad. I
    think by allowing my son the "talk" to the imaginary creatures in his
    room, he developed a relationship with them that he could control. He
    may still wake up thinking there are frogs and spiders in his room but
    he doesn't come running down the hall.
    
    The real fear stage lasted maybe 2 weeks off and on.
    
    Andrea                                              
148.3FDCV07::HSCOTTLynn Hanley-ScottWed Jul 18 1990 12:288
    _Franklin in the Dark_ is a good book which I've mentioned in here many
    times - about a turtle who's afraid to go into his shell to sleep
    because he swears he sees monsters lurking.  Through the story, he
    meets a number of animals with different kinds of fears, who all have
    something to help them (i.e. a polar bear afraid of the cold, who wears
    a snow suit when no one is looking).
    
    
148.4Put the child in charge!CSG001::RYANWed Jul 18 1990 15:235
    We just went thru a mini-stage with Marc (2.5). We used this toy,
    a clear tube with a liguid in it with stars and sparkles, as a "magic
    wand". He used it to make all the "monsters" disappear. This is
    similiar to the spray bottle suggestion and worked like a charm.
    JR
148.5There's a nightmareUSEM::MARCELLINOWed Jul 18 1990 18:336
    Another book we've found to be really good is THERE'S A
    NIGHTMARE IN MY CLOSET. - Get ready to read it a million times!
    8-)  It's great to just use the book as a starting point for
    discussions(?)
    
    Lynn
148.6Try Shadow methodNRADM::TRIPPLTue Aug 14 1990 13:1912
    AJ went through a fear state only briefly. He kept saying he was afraid
    of his rocking chair.  He had only recently gone into his own room and
    big-boy bed.  After we realized the problem was the nightlight creating 
    shadows on the ceiling, instead of the "monster repellant" method or
    even trying to reason with him, we decided to show the positive side of
    shadows by doing the old finger animals; the bunny, kitten, dog, duck
    etc.  He no longer has fears, and in fact is quite proud that he too
    can make his favorite shadow animals.
    
    Good Luck
    Lyn
    
148.7super idea (.6) !SHIRE::DETOTHWed Aug 15 1990 08:564
    what a brilliant idea... pity I didn't think of that a long time
    ago...!
    
    D.