Obsessions now ruining sleep! Any strategies I can try? (rather than the begging/getting stressed one I currently use)

[used2bthin]

dd has a rather complicated medical history and is steroid dependant and a few months back her dose was upped and it played havoc with her sleep. Its now sorted but the bad habits have remained.

She wakes twice a night for a wee, I can try taking her before I go to bed and possibly save one of those trips but it isn't really that that is the problem it is more her obsessions.

She takes keys to bed as she was obsessed with keys a while back and so now wakes whenever they or her toys fall out of bed and wants me to come in and pick them up. She will get up and come in to me to get me to do it so its not about wanting to stay in bed, its just she thinks that is what happens, once I do something once I have to do it every time or she gets really stressed out.

And now she is really really wound up by marks on the wall, she got upset one night about a chip in the paintwork and out of exhaustion i stupidly put a sticker over it. She was happy with this and went back to sleep but evey night now she worried that the sticker is coming off and last night was up two hours stressing over the other marks and wanting me to cover them with stickers. Tonight it took hours to get her to sleep for the same reason, she seems genuinely upset about it and says I not like my room.

Any ideas/ This is really hard to deal with and follows on from various other obsessions, the inclusion teacher and ed psych said it is because her world is confusing she hangs on to little things that seem familiar to her they make her feel safe so I don't want to be harsh with her but need some sleep!;

[used2bthin]

meant to say she is almot 5 and has specific language impairment which severely affects her understanding and also she can't really say whats bothering her so sometimes its guess work.

[Jodianna]

Why not leave a little basket by the bed, each night say goodnight to the keys and put them in the basket. It should soon become routine. As for the stickers, again, leave them in the basket and tell her if she doesn't like anything to put a sticker over it.
If she's not feeling safe in her bed, then create a safe area in her room, there's no law that says she has to sleep in a bed, we did cushions on the floor for a couple of years, six until about eight, it stopped him waking every time his books fell off the bed, coz they were already on the floor next to him!
Good luck.

[used2bthin]

Thanks jodianna, god plan with the keys, and interesting about safe places-her room is too small atm it literally fits her furniture with a small spce in middle but we are movng soon and she will have more space thank goodness so I will be thinking very carefully about how to have a calm sleep inducing room (with immaculate paintwork )

I can't really let her put more stickers on as we are moving and don't want too many pulled off bits.

I am going to have to say something tonight tokeep her in there-I have just put her pillow at the other end of the bed so she is away from the marks that were scaring her but there are marks all over the place so she will start about them when she notices. Oh and we took her in our room to show her that there are marks here too its fine they arent scary etc but it doesnt seem to have worked.

[Jodianna]

You poor thing, I have one that still doesn't sleep well and she's fifteen!
Anyway, talked to DH last night, and he reminded me, we used to make up stories about things that scared her. I remember her being terrified of moths so we made up a story about how they earnt their colours by being kind to children and then they became beautiful butterflies! Perhaps a reassuring story about the marks, or a funny one might help.
The other option is a bit of paper blu tacked onto the wall, and put the stickers on that, just to distract her.
Hope things improve on the move.

[used2bthin]

Thank you I do too. That is a great idea about paper for stickes I will try that I think and fingers crossed she doesn't keep getting me up obsessing over that! I will try a story about marks-am not sure if she'd understand but I have been trying to say they are just where people have bumped the wall.

DD also hates moths. I know where that came from in my case I am terrified of them and she can tell!