A Bed Box for Bedtime Anxiety

We've had a hard time with Jackie staying in her room at night or wanting me to stay in her room with her until she falls asleep. One of the members of our therapy team came up with the idea of giving her a bed box full of activities and toys she was only able to have if she stayed in her room without me. I gathered a bunch of special items together and put them in a bedtime only box for her. Let me show you what's in her current bed box!

I gathered things we already had as well as buying a few other things. I tried to find special things particularly interesting to her so it's exciting every time the box came out. We also gave her a choice every night: did she want me to be in her room with her until she fell asleep or did she want her bed box? Ninety-eight percent of the time she chose the bed box. Normally when she chose me staying in her room with her it was because she was having a particularly hard time and needed some comfort. We honored that and I still stayed in her room with her on those days.

I made sure I changed things up over time, so she didn't get bored with the items in the box.  One to two times a month, I would go through and switch out the basket, giving her completely new things to play with. I kept a stash of stuff in a bag in her closet that we used whenever we needed them. She loved the bed box. Did she still come out of her room sometimes? Yes. But, did she spend more time inside of her room than outside of her room? 100% yes. I would call it a success.

Jackie is six now and we don't need to use the bed box anymore. She just naturally plays with all of the toys in her room when she needs to, which was the ultimate goal. I do keep a basket full of fidget toys and special interest stuff in her room she often plays with at night when she is having a hard time going to sleep. Every now and then, she will ask me to fill up her bed box and give her the toys to play with which I'm happy to do. Overall, it was a fun thing for her and a great way for me to get some space in the evenings. I would suggest the idea to any parent of a child struggling with bedtime anxiety.

A Bed Box for Bedtime Anxiety | Shop