Big Worries at Night
If you’ve a little one with big worries at night, these worries feel very real to them, as though they will turn into reality when left alone.
First off, please allow at least an hour off and away from screens before bedtime. Have reading and snuggling time, even quiet music playing, instead as they unwind from the day.
When you’re lying with them before sleep, letting them feel the safety of your arms, talk with them about their worries. Let them share. Don’t make light of them or shoo them away as ridiculous.
Instead, tell them how to take their worry out of their head and replace it with something that feels better and more comforting.
You can be silly and come up with an image that makes them giggle (like their pet turtle riding their new bike over a rainbow). Or maybe it’s remembering a memory or envisioning a scene that warms their heart (real or unreal).
Let them know the worries will always try to come back and take over but that they can take them out of their heads and replace them with something more calming.
This takes lots and lots of reminders and of course, lots of repetitive practice!
