New To Parenting Forum...

[IVE-TRIED-IT-AL]

Hi Parents

I'm new to this forum, I've been having some frustrating issues with my 4yr old daughter & thought maybe someone else has had these same issues. So I thought I'd try out a Parent's Forum to see if any other parents may have some advise that would help me.

 

[IVE-TRIED-IT-AL]

About 9 days ago, my daughter was in the bathroom when she heard a mouse in the wall, ya know that scratching sound they make. So she called me in there, asked what it was & I didn't think to much about it so I told her oh it sounds like we have a mouse. She then became panicked, I explained to her it was ok they couldn't hurt her & that we'd caught it soon. As of that day she will not go to the restroom by herself, take a full bath only quick baths & will not sleep in her room without getting up numerous times. I feel like I have a baby again, I started off trying to explain to her there was nothing to be afraid of, the mouse was not in the house & our dogs or the traps we set would caught it soon. We did caught the mouse like 2 days later. We showed her we caught it hoping it would make her feel better, but no it didn't. I started off trying to be understanding but it's now become frustration, exhaustion & don't know what steps to take next! I've reminder her constantly the mouse is gone, nothing to be afraid of, mommy, daddy, sissy, the dogs & God are all watching over her she is ok & nothing to fear. We even took her to the pet store to show her some people have mice as pets, they will not hurt you their kind of cute even. Nothing has worked, she wakes every few hours, it's a battle to get her to stay in her bed. I've had to give in a few times & sleep with her on the couch because we needed sleep. I know it's not good to let kids get into a habit of sleeping in our bed so I'm doing my best to stay firm & help her with her fear, etc. But once we caught the mouse & it continued I don't know if she's really scared or just trying to sleep with us now. I've never had to deal with an issue such as this, any suggestions? Thanks

 

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It sounds to me like she's really scared.

Waking up frequently is not something a kid can fake, it means that it's on her mind and she really is scared.

Try and have one of the dogs sleep with her maybe?

A fear for mice can be very, very real. I've known a grown man who was absolutely terrified of mice. I once heard him scream badly because he saw a mouse.

 

[akmom]

Everyone wakes up several times per night - from infants to adults. We just don't realize it because we fall back to sleep so quickly that we don't remember it. Infants sometimes persist with the night awakenings, even after they outgrow the need for frequent feedings, because they have not learned to self-soothe and fall back to sleep without a parent or other crutch (pacifier, etc.).

If your daughter has gotten into the habit of contemplating fears instead of falling back to sleep during these routine night awakenings, then she may very well develop infant-like sleep habits. Perhaps the level of comfort and attention that the mouse fears garnished have encouraged that panic-and-seek-comfort response. It's important to re-establish the return-to-sleep response, to make sure she is getting enough rest and functioning properly throughout the day.

Some kind of sleep training is probably in order. Reinforcing the behavior by letting her sleep in your bed won't help, but stopping won't necessarily fix the problem either. At this point, if it has been going on awhile, it's a natural reaction to waking up at night (which we all do) and it'll take time to establish a new response. Kim West's "The Sleep Lady Shuffle" is a good resource if you want more specific advice on sleep training. She covers techniques for infants up to five-year-olds.

 

[IVE-TRIED-IT-AL]

Thank you both for your suggestions, I will definitely look into the Sleep Lady Shuffle. Like you mentioned, I feel like I have a baby all over again. Praying if I keep reassuring her all is good & at the same time keeping her in her own room that time will eliminate her fears.