There are no monsters under our beds

And there’s nothing scary in our natural organic mattresses

We talk a lot about how important sleep is for our health and our ability to tackle everything on our to do lists. It’s good to remember that sleep – and the quality of that sleep – is also incredibly important for children of every age.

One of the common obstacles keeping young children from a good night’s sleep are the monsters lurking under the bed, the ghosts that emerge from the closet in the dark and the zombies scratching at the window panes.

“Part of normal development is imagination, and for younger children the ability to tell the difference between real and imaginary is not yet developed, Lisa Meltzer, an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at National Jewish Health and an Assistant Professor of Family Medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, points out in an article posted on Sleep.org. https://sleep.org/articles/theres-a-monster-under-my-bed/  “In addition,” she says, “all rational thought is gone when a child (or adult) is tired at night.  So simply telling your child that there is no such thing as monsters will not work.”

Sleep.org – which is powered by the National Sleep Foundation – focuses on the positive benefits of sleep health and provides information on how to get a better night’s sleep.

If your little one is afraid of the dark or of the creepy crawlies that lurk there, it may be harder to get him to go to bed at night, throwing off his regular bedtime routine. And, of course, that means he’ll be up late and won’t get as much sleep as you know he needs. And that means that in addition to the monsters under the bed, you may find yourself having to deal with the horrors of a tired, cranky child having a major meltdown while you’re at the grocery store.

Here are some DOs and DON’Ts from Meltzer and Sleep.org that will help you slay the monsters:

• DON’T let your child sleep with you or climb into bed with her until she falls asleep. Be warned – if you’re sleeping on a luxurious Hastens mattress or Pure Talalay Bliss mattress from Natural Sleep Mattress, they’ll be even more tempted to climb into bed with you! “This simply teaches the child that by saying ‘I’m afraid’ they will get extra attention from you, resulting in long bedtime routines and disrupted nighttime sleep for everyone,” Meltzer says.
• DO acknowledge what your kid is going through. “it is important to validate your child’s fear without saying he or she is wrong,” Meltzer explains.  “Something like, ‘It sounds like you are really scared right now,’ tells your child that you are listening to their feelings.”
• DO plan a bedtime routine that makes sense for you and your familu. 
• DO help your child take control of his fear.  Meltzer has some great suggestions on how to do this. “First,” she says, “have your child create signs such as ‘No Monsters Allowed’ or ‘Monsters Stay Out!’  They can hang these on their door or the walls to tell the monsters to stay away.  Second, use ‘monster spray’ (or witch, ghost, or boogeyman spray) to keep the monsters away.  This is a water bottle (or air freshener) that is labeled ‘Monster Spray.’ Your child can then spray this around his or her room to protect him or her from monsters.  Simply tell your child that monster spray keeps monsters away the same way that bug spray keeps bugs away.  Or you can say that monsters are allergic to this spray and they don’t like it because it makes them sneeze.  Children can use their spray as needed both at bedtime or if they wake during the night.”
• DON’T let your kids watch scary TV shows or movies or play scary video games. “They will often keep these images in their heads at night, helping to increase their fears, Meltzer says. And remember, as Meltzer points out, “Even the news is scary for young kids.”

We’d like to add a suggestion to the list – create a fabulous bedroom full of light and love for your child. To ensure they get a healthy quality of sleep every night, we also suggest you include a dream bed equipped with our Organic-Cotton Quilted Deluxe one-sided mattress made just for kids. It features comfortable support and is made with luxuriously quilted organic cotton fabric for a more ‘grown-up’ mattress feel. We also offer lightweight Organic-Cotton Classic Baby Crib Mattresses and natural organic bedding.