Someone With A Toddler PLEASE Help?

[Pete Incaviglia]

My two-year-old daughter just woke up hysterical. She obviously had a nightmare. She says there are caterpillars in her bed. She won't sleep in it. At all.

She wanted to sleep on the floor, which I was okay with. Then, when the lights went out and door closed she freaked again.

She's now sleeping in our bed with my wife. I'm gonna sleep on the couch. I have a bad, bad feeling about this.

What do I do?

I told her tomorrow "daddy will get rid of all the caterpillars" and "mommy will buy some caterpillar spray for the room."

I told her she can help us.

I also thought of buying some pipe cleaners at a craft store and putting them in the bed for me to remove in front of her.

How do I solve this problem and fast - so she doesn't think our bed is her bed tomorrow?

 

[YGBFKM]

Don't have a toddler, but that sounds like night terrors. I had them when I was a kid off and on (no caterpillars were involved), but they never lasted more than a strange night here and there.

 

[outofplace]

It's one night. Don't panic yet. But yes, telling her that you and her mommy will get rid of the caterpillars should help.

 

[Pete Incaviglia]

I thought it was a night terror too.

She did this once before. She was inconsolable.

I just read about night terrors, the article said they occur in the first third of sleep, which is the case tonight - four hours into a 12-hour sleep.

Problem is, my wife woke her from the terror when she found her on the floor (I was two floors down in the basement).

I'm hoping we can make it through tonight and she forgets about it tomorrow.

Her favorite aunt is coming to visit, so that should help.

 

[MonsterLobster]

For some reason, I don't know if the pipe cleaners idea is a good one. But it might be a good idea to have her watch you take off all the sheets, wash them and inspect under the mattress, no? It seems like kids just like to be reassured.

I'm about a year behind you with the kid, so I look forward to this sort of thing in the near future.

 

[crimsonace]

Night terrors are awful. When he was 1-2, we discovered our son would have them when we visited a Chinese restaurant, or were around a lot of Chinese people (we adopted him from China at 15 months), probably triggering latent fears of the orphanage.

Some "experts" say the best thing to do is let the kid cry it out, but I've never been capable of doing that. I just hold him while it goes on (we put an old couch in his room in case we need to stay with him for the night, because rule No. 1 has always been that the kid never gets to develop the habit of sleeping in our bed).

Wash the sheets, in plain view, just to reassure her.

 

[MonsterLobster]

Night terrors are awful. When he was 1-2, we discovered our son would have them when we visited a Chinese restaurant, or were around a lot of Chinese people (we adopted him from China at 15 months), probably triggering latent fears of the orphanage.

Some "experts" say the best thing to do is let the kid cry it out, but I've never been capable of doing that. I just hold him while it goes on (we put an old couch in his room in case we need to stay with him for the night, because rule No. 1 has always been that the kid never gets to develop the habit of sleeping in our bed).

Wash the sheets, in plain view, just to reassure her.

My parents are adopting a girl from China in the fall. She will be about 2 1/2 when they get her and they're really worried about how tough it's going to be on her. I can't imagine the confusion for a kid that age getting adjusted to something so different.

 

[Smash Williams]

For "caterpillar repellent," put water in a spray bottle and use that. If she seems freaked out about it tomorrow, when you clean off and shake off the sheets, you can spray them with that before you put them back on. You can also leave the spray bottle in her room in case she needs a nighttime boost.

 

[Pete Incaviglia]

Late night/early morning update. I'm not in bed, yet.

My daughter, a chatty little catty, just kept talking in our bed. My wife had a enough. Faked a phone call to my sister, who is to visit tomorrow, and said "Don't come. Your niece won't go to bed."

My daughter leaped out of our bed and made a bee line to hers.

Problem solved.

Just like that.

Kids. Unreal, man.

Although, when she called for me to tuck her in, she still said "Tomorrow you find caterpillars?"

I told her yes.

 

[fishwrapper]

Get a water bottle. Add a couple drops of perfume or cologne.
Go around and spray the hell out of the room.

 

[beanpole]

She may like being part of the solution (I have a 4-year-old).

If Beansprout had this issue, I'd tell him that that caterpillars don't like rabbits or birds or bears or something -- then draw a picture and help him color it, and help him put on the wall next to the bed. It should reassure him because he'd know that *his* picture is keeping the creepies away.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

Get a water bottle. Add a couple drops of perfume or cologne.
Go around and spray the hell out of the room.

Great idea. Then get a stuffed animal and put it in a chair in the room and give the stuffed animal the water bottle. Then tell your kid that "Teddy is in charge of keeping the caterpillars away."

Another one, is if you have a security system in your house, have her watch you set it and tell her, this keeps all of the caterpillars away.

 

[T2]

Simulating caterpillars with pipe cleaners doesn't sound like a good idea to me. If she actually sees wormy things in her bed, won't that visual experience reinforce her fears, which until now have been only imaginary?

 

[Iron_chet]

It does not sound like night terrors which is more trance like. It sounds like bad dreams.

We had the same issue with our 2 year old only it was with "monsters in my room"

I had her show me where the monsters were and in a loud voice said "MONSTERS GO AWAY" and then had her repeat it.

We also moved the bookcase where the monsters were hiding to show that there were no monsters.

FWIW she grew out of it.

 

[Ace]

Pete,

I would have a discussion with her today about caterpillars and remind her that they are nothing to be afraid of. They don't hurt people and they turn into butterflies.

And maybe draw some butterfly pictures.

 

[Webster]

My daughter had the whole bad dream thing -- we told her that there were no monsters, but if they ever came back, they were afraid of the light and we gave her a little flashlight to keep by the bed.

 

[Oggiedoggie]

Get some gummy worms, put them on the bed and tell her, "Don't worry, Daddy eats them!"

And put away a little cash for later therapy.

 

[slappy4428]

Get some gummy worms, put them on the bed and tell her, "Don't worry, Daddy eats them!"

And put away a little cash for later therapy.

By later, you mean August, right?

 

[qtlaw]

My boys are older now (11 & 8) but yeah I admit I overreacted whenever they had a problem thinking we were setting the wrong precedent allowing them to sleep with us. These things were almost always 1 day things and they got over them. Good luck.

We never had a caterpillar infestation but who knew that 100 monsters could fit in a closet?

 

[Pete Incaviglia]

Things were as normal as could be today. Nary a mention of caterpillars - or any other sort infestation or invasion.

Went straight to bed when asked — actually asked "Is it bedtime yet?" at one point.

Kids never cease to amaze me.

Thanks for all the help and suggestions. Loved the one about Teddy standing guard.

Also loved the gummy worms reference — and, of course, Slappy's response.