My 4 year old girl started chewing her nails about 4 months ago - she also moved her pillows half way down her bed and last night was upset about her bed being heavy and would crash through the floor. She has watched Scooby Doo and Monsters Inc and I have told her a few monster stories at bedtime - I am devastated as these now seem to be the cause of her concerns, fears and worries when she goes to bed at night. there will of course be no more monster stories but has anybody else had the problem and know the best way to reassure her that the world is not really full of monsters !!! Devastated Father
Don't be too hard on yourself. My son got freaked out by Monsters Inc too and went through a monsters stage. He is 7 now and over it. However my daughter is 3 never seen Monsters Inc or any other monster story and is scared of monsters. I am sure she will grow out it too
Just reassure your child, look under the bed together etc and maybe have a nightlight on as the monster thing is probably related to scared of the dark.
My 4 year old son was going through the nightmares for a while. They lasted a couple of months but I don't let him watch Scooby Doo anymore. I would just start to limit the TV that your daughter watches and in time they will go away.
hi there,
we recently have had the monster issue arise in our home with our two year old daughter. i babysit my 3 year old cousin(who is terrified of monsters) and she will tell my daughter that there are monsters outside. my daughter started standing at the windows and shaking saying there was a monster outside. one therapist we read about online said to tell children that there is no such thing as a monster. i didnt think this was the correct way for us just because the kids watch sesame street and other programs where they might see one. how can they not be real if they see them is what we thought a child might think.
with our daughter we would comment on how adorable the little monster was and tried to make it more of a lovable thing than scary. with a two year old this seemed to work. with an older child i have had many parents who have had a child write the monster who they think is under the bed, in the closet or wherever
a letter. in this letter was an explaination of why they were afraid and to let the "monster" know that they didnt like them being there. the letter was put under the bed at night and in the morning the child would look under the bed and find a letter from the monster telling them that they were very sorry that they may have scared the child, they just liked all the fun toys and thought it was cozy there(or what ever reasons they thought of). the "monster" then told them that they have moved on to a new place(like a beach or wherever your child might accept is ok). The "monster" then gave them their best wishes. Of course the letter could include anything that you might think would help your child think that the "monster" is now gone. This seems to have helped so many of the kids. Its kind of silly but it may just work. I think it makes the child feel more in control of a situation that they may feel and gives them a way to be a little assertive. Hope this may help a little
thanks Gina for your reply......the monster issue has subsided considerably since I made the post but if it rears its head again I will use the letter idea as it sounds spot on.....thanks and happy new year !
