Normal?

[DeleteOrDecay]

My eldest dd turns 5 in a few weeks. About a month ago, she arranged some of her cuddly toys on her bed to make a sort of frame around her pillow, she likes pulling her duvet over to make a sort of little den type thing. It was quite cute at first, but she’s very particular about it and they have to be set up in just the right way.

Didn’t mind this at first but it is now getting to the point where she is waking up in the middle of the night and freaking out if one of her teddies has fallen off her bed and/or she can’t find it or arrange them exactly the way she wants in the middle of the night. It means I am having to get up pretty much on a nightly basis to sort it out and calm her down. I’m having broken sleep pretty much every night for the sake of a few teddies that have to be placed exactly right or she won’t go back to sleep.

Is this sort of thing normal??? I’m getting a bit fed up with the nightly drama to be honest.

Is she stressed about something else? It sounds like she doesn't feel in control of something in her life.

I was wondering if it was something like that but I can’t really think of what exactly and if I asked her I’m not sure she’d understand what I was asking if that makes sense. She started school recently but she loves it there and she went to the nursery attached to the school so it’s not like it’s unfamiliar surroundings or anything.

It started off as something cute, one of those things but now I’m worried that it’s a symptom of something bad

I don't think by itself it's something bad, if she seems completely fine otherwise. Maybe she's made this a habit now and is unable to admit the toys aren't going to stay where she wants them to or think of a different place to keep them. Do you think you could talk to her and say the toys can't live there any more as it's making her upset so she can have one toy in bed at a time? It might make it easier if it's not her admitting defeat but both of you agreeing it's not working and coming up with a new plan. She could just be a very determined person!

Why are you allowing this to go on? Take the teddies off her bed at night-time and it'll stop.

It's normal. Mine would take loads to bed given the chance then arse about all night with them. Let her choose one for sleeping and the rest can live somewhere else in the bedroom

Buy a mini bed for the teddies so that she can put them to bed and then go to bed herself.

Thanks for the replies, I will try either telling her the toys can’t live there at night anymore (doubt that will go down well) or getting a dolls bed or something which I think she’d love a lot more!

She screams bloody murder if I refuse to put the toys back at night and she shares a room with her younger sister so it’s not ideal.

I do worry that there might be something else going on at times but I’m not sure if it’s just me over reacting or not.