Don't know where to start DS is 8 and worried about clowns at bedtime

[Midlifemission]

DS has always been a tricky sleeper - from baby to now !
Recently we got to a situation where bedtime was taking most of my evening with him getting upset , taking ages to fall asleep and then some
Nightmares waking him and bringing him to our room.
He says he can't stop thinking about clowns and they scare
Him so much he can't sleep.
A couple of months ago I decided to make life easier for all of us and he has been sleeping on a mattress in our room.
It's ok but I need to sort it really. He is at an age where we will have cubs sleepovers and a school residential so I don't want to just leave things as they are for too long.
I don't know where to start - he is a worrier and so I need to go gently . I have the
Book 'what to do when you dread your bed ' but don't seem to find the energy to do anything and the weeks slide by. Wondered about using father
Christmas as an incentive but maybe that's something else he will
Worry about !
Any advice ? Anyone else deals with
This ?

Sorry to hear this. Probably not the best help but my DD7 has nightmares about once a week and I always bring her into bed with me, we cuddle till she feels better. I ask her if she wants to tell me what her nightmare was about, write it down, or give it to her worry eater. I've also used dreamcatchers (the string ornament things you hang up) to help reassure her her bad dreams are just dreams and they'll be caught and not come back again. I'd always acknowledge and name the fear, rather than try to downplay it. Good luck

He may have been talking about penny wise at school? And looked it up?

There are lots of clips on you tube etc

My son worked out how to go on Netflix and use another account, watched penny wise and didn't sleep for months!

We lock all the accounts now with a pin no

It will pass with a lot of reassurance my eldest son sleeps with the light on due to anxiety he is 13 soon and still it continues some people think I'm being soft im not he can hold out with zero sleep WAY longer than I can light on means we get sleep light off we don't

I've had to deal with many a meltdown over sleep with my youngest screaming about squids we live nowhere near squids why he thought they would show up here I don't know 😕 he fell asleep and woke up screaming about them too the joys of having a child with "communication difficulties"

Fingers crossed you find a solution you might be able to get away with being firm showing there are no clowns drawing the curtains etc

@Theunamedcat maybe with your youngest there has been talk about the show Squid Game on the playground. It would be a rare kid that would be allowed to watch it so they probably make stuff up about it to scare each other. There are no squids in it but a kid might have made up something about squids.