Ever since Havoc was a toddler we have been doing various things to combat fear of the dark, fear of monsters, and bad dreams at bedtime.
The monsters thing was fairly easy.
Monsters are afraid of cats you see.
And we have plenty of cats. Including Nefertiti.
Nefertiti is anti social. She hisses at everything. She doesn’t like people or dogs or other cats. She HATES monsters. The boys were scared of Nefer so it’s easy for them to believe monsters are as well.
Now they are dubious about the existence of monsters.
The problem with the dark was solved by a short string of holiday lights hung along the ceiling. Replaced ever 4 months as the bulbs burn out.
Sometimes you can find me in Wal Mart in June lamenting the lack of availability of holiday lights.
The bad dreams though, they took some work. We tried a number of things I can no longer recall before settling on “Good Dreams Spray”.
Someone had suggested Monster Spray when we were first having monster problems but the suggestion involved letting the boys have a spray bottle by their bed all night long & that’s not an option.
But it did lead to the Good Dreams Spray.
GDS is a one time spray, used at bedtime to encourage good dreams.
It’s actually some hippy dippy natural, healthful non aerosol essential oil room spray that comes in assorted scents to promote different ‘environments’. I got it at Whole Foods in 2002, used it a few times as a room spray, found it wasn’t much for lingering scent-wise & stuck it in the closet where household products go to die. (aka the bathroom closet)
I recalled it, about a year or so later, when I was trying to think of something to use for the GDS.
It’s lavender scented & supposed to ‘encourage positive relaxation’
Positive relaxation?
As in “You will absolutely positively be relaxed” or as in “Relaxed with good thoughts”
It made me tense, seeing as the scent faded in 5 minutes & I like lingering ones.
But as sympathetic magic spell it kicked ass.
A couple of pumps over the beds & the boys went to sleep happy & had no bad dreams
And it was good.
For 7 years.
One can of room spray lasted 7 years!
I certainly can’t claim I didn’t get value for my dollar.
But now it’s almost empty and I can’t find it anywhere, so now I have to find something else lavender scented to use.
Because we still get regular requests for GDS at bedtime, usually a few times a month.
Really, I thought they’d’ve outgrown it by now.
I’m thinking of getting some little lavender pillows instead.
Or maybe make some sachets to stick in their pillowcases.
Good Dreams Pillows
What do you use to chase away the bad dreams?
10 comments:
You can make your own lavender spray - use any spray container - the existing one will work if you can take the top off to fill the container. Fill with water and about a quarter of a bottle of lavender essential oil. shake before use to distribute the lavender essence.
We have one of those press-on closet lights next to Aiden's bed that he can use to turn on if he's scared, and give himself a way to self-sooth before he begins waking up the household if it's really bad. We have to change out the batteries every so often if he goes back to sleep without remembering to turn it off, but it's been good for him for helping shake off the bad feelings, and self soothing (he's always had a hard time with that)
Yes, Helena is right, it's straightforward to make your own spray. If you put a touch of white vinegar in the bottle, it will help disperse the oil in the water; or you can use a drip or two of shower gel / handwash, just to help the lavender oil not to keep settling out too much. A good shake and it should spray nicely. You may even find the scent lingers longer than your original spray too. Good luck!
By the way, don't put too much soap into the mixture, as a string soapy solution will sting the boys' eyes if it gets into them.
We used a dream catcher for my son - hung from the ceiling in one corner of the room. At night, we would "turn it on" by giving it a spin. I think he was asking me to do this until he was 12 or 13! We even brought it with us when we traveled. I think I let him pick it out, but I don't remember.
Rinda
For a delightful lavender scent, use Crabtree & Evelyn's lavender spray (I use the soap, lotion & linen spray!) ;-)
We pray. But that works for us in a way that I don't think would work for you! So maybe go with one of the other suggestions :-)
What a super awesome idea!!! I bought some spray from bath and body works a few years ago, but I don't know if they still have it. I have a friend who creates vegan bath and beauty products. I bet she has an idea of how to make something similar that is all natural. If you're interested let me know and I can tough base with her.
Even as an adult I sleep with a dream catcher tied to my bed post. I gave one to my father for the same reason. They seem to work for us.
Caldrea sells a line of lavender pine scented cleaning products including a linen spray. They're available online and I believe I've recently seen Caldrea products being sold at my local Target.
I used to be an avon rep and they did a lavender sleep spray, If they still make it you can order it from Avon online if you don't know anyone that does it. Hugs Crystal xx
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