Next Step Therapy Blog: Dealing with the Monster Under the Bed

Joanne Bauer

Joanne Bauer

Published March 18, 2015 4:11 am
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nsttSENECA, Pa. — Amy Kaltenbach, Administrator of Next Step Therapy, submitted the following article: “Dealing with the Monster Under the Bed.”

It is very common for toddlers to become afraid of going to sleep in their bedroom due to the monsters under the bed and in the closet. You really can’t blame a little person for deciding that perhaps it would be in their best interest to have a parent in the room or to maybe sleep in bed with mom and dad.

Fortunately, a child who believes whole-heartedly in the monster is bright, imaginative, and going through a typical developmental stage that will eventually pass. How long this phase lasts, and how much sleep you get during it…..well, that is the question.

Thirteen years ago, when my oldest was three, he began crying before bedtime, afraid of monsters. I don’t do well sleep deprived. I tried reasoning (which is pretty much a waste of time with a terrified toddler.) I tried to wait it out. Finally, I remembered something I had read in a magazine*, and decided to try it. And, it worked. Instantly.

So, dear readers, I share with you this miracle cure:

I went to the dollar store and purchased an empty spray bottle for ninety-nine cents. You know the kind of spray bottle that the beautician uses to spritz your hair for a trim? The kind of bottle that you mix up your own cleaning solution in? Yep, bought that. Took it home, wrote on a piece of paper “MONSTER SPRAY” and taped it to the bottle. Filled the bottle with water, and put a few drops of my husband’s aftershave in it.

At bedtime, I sat my son down, apologized that I had let the monster issue go on for so long, and introduced him to the “Monster Spray” that I had conveniently found at the store that very day. I explained to him that it was like bug spray, in that it killed existing monsters and the smell kept other monsters from visiting. Please understand that this was all spoken with great sincerity and a straight face.

The relief my little boy displayed was priceless. We sprayed under the bed, both closets, and anywhere else he believed a monster could lurk.

“Smell that? It smells good to us humans, but monsters hate it.”

My little one crawled into bed, and fell immediately asleep.

By the second night, my little guy was spraying for monsters by himself. He agreed that it worked fabulously…not a monster in sight. We sprayed every night for several months, and I recall refilling the bottle once….and then, one night, we forgot to do it, and never needed to do it again. Just as quickly as the monsters had appeared, they had disappeared.

If your toddler is dealing with monsters under the bed, I implore you to get some “Monster Spray” today! Bedtime is so much nicer without an ogre or a Cyclops to muck things up.

*At Nextsteptherapy.net, we like to give credit where credit is due. Unfortunately, I read about this idea 13 years ago in a magazine and cannot remember the reference. If you are the brilliant soul who came up with this idea, please forgive me!

Amy Kaltenbach, Administrator
Next Step Therapy, Inc.,

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