How Do I Get Rid of Monsters?

Paula

11 years ago

How do I get rid of Monsters? Every single parent knows there comes a time when you ask yourself how do I get rid of monsters? How do I get my child to stop thinking there are monsters hiding in the closet or under the bed? How to get rid of monsters is something you will get good at. Trust me.

We have found several ways to get your child to sleep again. At one point my youngest was super convinced there were monsters hiding in her closet. Luckily that passed, but not without a bit of work on our part. Here are our tips to get rid of monsters.

The Preschool years are a wonderful period of magical thinking. The developmental phase that comes at 3 and lasts sometimes to age six when school becomes a full-time pursuit and occupation, is a great period of superheroes and princesses. Firefighters, pirates and archeologists often filled my living room and yard when my kids were preschool age.

For a preschooler, anything is possible. Play is creative and often still structured by Mom and Dad. TV, movies, gadgets and computers begin to become more integrated in daily life. Skills are growing fast and independence from Mom and Dad is a goal kids sometimes don’t even know they are barreling towards.

[tweetthis]The preschool years are a wonderful time of magical thinking that can also lead to things like monsters in the closet.[/tweetthis]

But with magical thinking also comes the concept of monsters. And the monster hiding in the closet. You might ask yourself: How do I get rid of monsters more than once during this time. This requires creativity and a whole lot of thinking like a kid.

So how do you manage the monster in the closet? Or the Boogie Man in the bathroom? You know your child best, but there are several tools we have used over the years to set our daughter’s fears at ease and help us all get a good night’s sleep.

[tweetthis]There are several tools we used over the years to get rid of monsters.[/tweetthis]

Table of Contents

Toggle

How do I Get Rid of Monsters?

1: Monster Spray:

Fill up a spray bottle with water and use it nightly to banish the mythical monsters. Make it a fun routine. Be creative. The potion can have a bit of lavender in the water or a calming aromatherapy essence or oil to help create a soothing atmosphere.

[tweetthis]Monster Spray is one way to help banish monsters from the closet.[/tweetthis]

2. Movie Magic:

The great thing about this age group is the ability to start communicating and listening. Even now, when my daughter, 9, has a scary idea in her head before bed time, or sees a frightening character on TV, my husband talks about what’s real and what’s not. A trip we took to Orlando when my daughter was 4 helped her to see movie magic for real at Universal Studios. We often talk about movie magic when she still asks: Is the shark on the package for JAWS real? “It’s movie magic,” is an explanation she likes and understands. “Is Harry Potter real?” Movie magic.

[tweetthis]Have a conversation about movie magic and it might resonate with preschoolers afraid of monsters.[/tweetthis]

3. Find a Guardian Stuffie:

Ainsley has the biggest Pablo from Backyardigans still in her room. She got that one Christmas from Santa and he is a massive pillow stuffie that was once the same size as her. One night when she was really struggling, I gave him the power to kick monsters out of the room. Some nights I would talk to Pablo and tell him keep her safe overnight. Pablo has magical powers and he chases bad dreams and monsters away. In fact, Pablo gets rid of monsters.

[tweetthis]Guardian stuffy? How does that work to banish monsters?[/tweetthis]

4. Create a quiet space that’s calming:

Close the closet, remove anything that makes a shadow on the walls, that might be interpreted as a monster. No TV or Youtube after dinner, and no scary books or fairytales. At our house the conversation and after dinner activity is toned down so the kids can easily transition to sleep. Monsters are a lot less likely to show up when my daughter is reading calmly. You might not even need to ask How do I get rid on monsters on nights when they are thoroughly exhausted from swimming lessons, diving lessons, or martial arts.

[tweetthis]A calm quiet space after dinner is necessary for sleep to be smooth.[/tweetthis]

5: Monsters Inc.

Monsters Inc., has a great little message in both of the movies and some adorable toys too. I asked my daughter, 12, what helped her and, without prompting she said – the scene in Monsters Inc. where the orange monster has to get decontaminated because he got touched by a human sock. “Monsters would be more scared of you than we are of them – if they existed,” she said.

[tweetthis]What my daughter said when I asked her what had helped her banish monsters in the closet.[/tweetthis]

So, there you have it: playing with Monsters Inc. toys and talking about monsters being afraid of humans, or chatting about movie magic are all tools that you can use if you have to banish the monsters from your home.

How to Be a Monster Tamer?

This preschool stage can be so much fun. It was honestly one of my favourites in some ways. The creative play is so adorable at this developmental stage. Sometimes you need to get creative on the same kind of level.

What is your trick for getting rid of monsters?