My daughter is scared of crocodiles. Any advice?

myauntfanny

Every few nights my daughter calls me in and says she's worried about the crocodile coming to get her. I know some people on here have small children (she's three), what do you say to them? I tell her there's not really any crocodiles, but it doesn't seem to help.

Corvin

Let her watch Steve Irwin, the croc hunter. She will get an education about crocs and have a laugh or two. Just the thing to break her fearful pattern.

Corvin

Nina

Give her a ticking clock. Tell her that as long as that clock is ticking no crocodile will come near.

Wind up the clock every night just as she gets ready for bed.

Don't read her the story of Peter Pan.

Nina

GentlyFeral

I love the internet. I googled "children fear monsters" and this was near the top of the page:

http://www.nncc.org/Parent/uc.fears.html

a couple excerpts:

Accept your child's fears as valid. Support your child any time he or she is frightened. Use a matter- of-fact attitude and some reassuring words. It's OK to explain that monsters don't really live under the bed, but don't expect your child to believe it.
Show your child how to cope. Young children can learn some coping skills that will help them feel like they have more control of their fear. Learning how to take deep breaths, using their imagination to turn a scary monster into a funny monster, or keeping a flashlight by the bed after lights are turned off are all good examples of coping skills. Reading children's books about scary situations such as going to bed in the dark or having an operation in the hospital also can be helpful.

GentlyFeral

FlyingHighNow

I'm serious here. As long as you don't live in crocodile or alligator country do this:

Take her all around your house looking for crocodiles. Look in your yard for crocodiles. Look in your car for crocodiles. Everywhere you go for a day or two look for crocodiles. Show her there aren't any crocodiles and tell her they've all left to go back to the jungle. They don't like it where you live because it makes them homesick for the jungle or the swamp.

In addition get a spray bottle and fill with water with a little fragrance, one she likes and add a little food coloring, red and blue to make lavendar or another color she likes. Put a lable on it that says, "magic crocodile spray." Keep it in her room. Spray it at night and leave it for her if she needs it. Tell her that not only does it make crocs turn nice but it also makes them go back home to the jungle or swamp.

The above methods worked great to remove monsters from my kids rooms and convince them no monsters lived anywhere near us.

Flyin'

bikerchic

Everyone has such good advise! I'm going to try some of them for myself, lol. I have a fear of monsters whenever I leave a closet door open I have nightmares with large creatures standing in the door looking at me and talking to me. I've done this ever since I was young. I have Craig trained to shut the doors now, lol.

Flyin' I love this idea and it works my daughter has done it with her kids:

If that doesn't work then get a spray bottle and fill with water with a little fragrance, one she likes and add a little food coloring, red and blue to make lavendar or another color she likes. Put a lable on it that says, "magic crocodile spray." Keep it in her room. Spray it at night and leave it for her if she needs it. Tell her that not only does it make crocs turn nice but it also makes them go back home to the jungle or swamp.

I think I'll try monster spray, but so far keeping the door shut has worked for me. I'm afraid of crocodiles too which is why I live where they don't. I totally understand her fears myauntfanny and I hope some of these ideas will work for her. Hugs!

Kate (who's not too old to believe in monsters)

myauntfanny

Thanks everyone for the support. That helps.

Nina

Don't read her the story of Peter Pan.

Too late. Cover Up Ooops.

Gently Feral

It's OK to explain that monsters don't really live under the bed, but don't expect your child to believe it.

That's what I suspected.

Bikerchic

I'm afraid of crocodiles too which is why I live where they don't.

LOL. Well, we have no crocodiles here, except at the aquarium, which together with Peter Pan was possibly a mistake. Now I feel bad, I wish I'd been smarter. But I don't see even now how I can avoid exposure to anything she might be afraid of. Kid's books and movies are full of scary things.

bikerchic

LOL. Well, we have no crocodiles here, except at the aquarium, which together with Peter Pan was possibly a mistake. Now I feel bad, I wish I'd been smarter. But I don't see even now how I can avoid exposure to anything she might be afraid of. Kid's books and movies are full of scary things.

Keep the closet doors shut so the crocs won't get in!

I thought maybe you lived in the Everglades or something, LOL

Kate

GermanXJW

Get her a sleeping suit by Lacoste. ;-)

Special K

With my kids it was always a "wolf"...

compliments of the Three Little pigs story ..

Before they went to bed I'd make a big deal of going through all the rooms upstairs to check for any wolf. In closets and under beds. I even used to take a rope to lasoo the wolf and drag it out of the bedroom and down the steps and put it out the door . I used to talk to the wolf as I took it through the house.. that it couldn't sleep here and that it needed to go home with it's mommy and daddy wolf,.. far far away.

The kids used to laugh at me and say there was no wolf. But after awhile they would join in and it would be a big imagination story and I would have to give the wolf food and stuff before he left.

worked for me.

Sincerely
Special K
p.s. I was gonna say stay away from peter pan movie, but I see it's too late. OOPS

My daughter is scared of crocodiles. Any advice?

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