DD is once again having sleep problems. She seems to be scared of the dark. I've tried everything I know to do and nothing seems to be working. She goes down for her nap fine, which is why I believe she is scared of the dark. When I try to put her down at night she procrastinates..."read another book, mommy", "rock me, mommy", etc. When I put her down, I make sure she has her favorite toys and her blanket. I make sure all three nightlights are working, and her music is on. She is fine until I kiss her goodnight, then she looses it! She screams hysterically, and jumps out of her bed. She not only does this at bedtime, but will also wake up in the middle of the night doing it too.
Tonight I read a sweet book about a boy being afraid of the dark and God taking care of him, to her. She really seemed to get it. She told me God would keep her safe. I also gave her a spray bottle to scare away any "monsters". She seemed perfectly fine, until I said goodnight, then the same thing. I'm at my wits end, I don't know what to do. I've tried staying w/ her, I just end up sleeping beside her crib on the floor, and she's such a light sleeper I usually end up there all night. I've also tried CIO, which is hard, because if she is truly scared I want to support her...but she will go to bed fine for other people which makes me wonder. Does anyone have any words of wisdom? I could use some advice. Thanks

Angelia
mom to bgb oct '02

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Angelia
mom to bgb oct '02

Angelia,

My daughter is almost 3 and we went through a terrible period where she was afraid to go to sleep. She didn't want to sleep in her bed without one of us OR she would need to sleep with us in our bed. This went on for about 3 months and we weren't getting sleep. I watched the nanny 911 show one night and they showed how to deal with this. When it's bedtime, you put them in their bed do their story or whatever the routine is. Once you say goodnight that should be it. Then starts the crying...you then go in a say it's time for nightime and don't say anymore than that. To start, if she is climbing out of the bed or standing on it, first put her back in. Then you should sit on her floor or chair where she can see you but don't look at her or talk to her. Periodically, if she is crying, say to her that it's nightime and it's time to go to sleep. Say it in a calm tone but don't look at her. She can see you and that is all she needs. You may have to stay there for hours until she finally goes to sleep. The next night you sit maybe in the doorway and do the same thing. The next night you move outside of the room and do it. The idea is to get them comfortable with you being further away, but they learn that you are still there for them. I may have not explained this perfectly, but that is the idea. The main thing is, you can't give in (you or your spouse)
or your back to square one. You have to be on the same page before you try it and know there is going to be a lot of crying. Especially the 1st night We broke my daughter in 2 days. It was torture to listen to her cry but it worked. If you buy the Nanny 911 book it should be in there. I'm sure someone may correct me on some part of this is basically how it works. Also, my pediatrician taught me to do the same thing when she was about 18 months and it worked. I forgot about it until I saw the Nanny show and was amazed how it worked again. I think kids slip back into the bad habit if you let them sleep with you once. So you have to be careful not to do that.

I hope this helps some.

Angela

Thanks for your input. It's just funny that I'm the only one she does this to. It took me an hour and a half to get her to bed tonight, and I ended up letting her CIO (about 20mins). I will try the Nanny 911 way tomorrow night. Hopefully we can begin making some progress. Thanks again.

Angelia
mom to bgb oct '02