Rollo and his Bedtime ‘Monster Manual’(the hardcover book) weren’t created to simply entertain and play.  No, he’s not just ‘another’ bedtime story or plush toy. This NightSpryte was born with a MISSION: To scare, all who dare, to go BUMP in the night.

Below is a summary of our research in the fields of childhood development, psychology and bedtime anxiety, and how we incorporated our findings into
Rollo’s Sweet Dreams Gift Set.

Nearly 50% of children between the ages of 2 and 8 experience bedtime fears

We all know someone who has suffered from bedtime fears, or we have had to deal with them ourselves (David and I often employed the NightSprytes while growing up) but when you look at the actual numbers from today’s experts, it’s quite surprising.  From WebMD, “Childhood fears are a common experience, but a new study of children shows that nearly 50% exhibit symptoms of anxiety.” 1
And while such fear has for some time been associated only with children ages 2-5, Professor Patricia Sheets, of the U of Alabama at Birmingham, teaches, "Nighttime fear….is a normal developmental stage that goes on much longer than parents expect, up until at least age 8 or 9." 2

Not only are bedtime fears natural, they actually may signal cognitive advances

 “Early childhood fears, ‘according to William Bernet, Ph.D., a professor of psychiatry at Vanderbilt University,’ are a normal part of each child’s development and may even signal a leap in cognitive abilities.” 3

It is great news that the experts and professionals agree that this is a normal stage of childhood, and that it may, in fact, even provide parents with a good sign of cognitive development…

...but none of this offers any comfort or security to the
millions of scared kids out there.

Fortunately, when we examined the great variety of remedies offered by those in the fields of pediatric psychology and child development, we found that there are only THREE fundamental concepts that they virtually all agree upon.
The experts’ advise parents to employ all three in concert with one another (The Three-Pronged Remedy) to help their child deal until he or she simply grows out of this stage. 

The THREE-Pronged Remedy

1.         Don’t Dismiss the Fear – EMPOWER your kids

“Recognize that the fear is real. As trivial as a fear may seem, it feels real to your child and it's causing him or her to feel anxious and afraid.” 4 It is especially important to, “Never belittle the fear as a way of forcing your child to overcome it. Telling your child, ‘Don't be ridiculous! There are no monsters in your closet!’ may get your child to go to bed, but it won't make the fear go away.”5

“OK, so in reality monsters don't live inside the closet. They still, however, are found in the dreams.  But give a child an empowering image, and he just might be able to chase that monster away,” says Alan B. Siegel, a California psychologist and author of ‘Dreamcatching: Every Parent's Guide to Exploring and Understanding Children's Dreams and Nightmares.’  
- The Washington Times 6

Here are the second and third prongs of the solution, summed up best as suggested by the American Academy of Pediatrics3 :

2.         “Establish a pleasant routine that may include READING, singing…” 7

Dr. Bernet notes, “a regular evening bedtime routine can help. Brush teeth, read a gentle bedtime story until the child becomes drowsy,” 8 and the folks at parentcernter.com agree when they suggest ,“a gentle story or a few poems.” 9

3.         Allow your child to take a favorite ‘COMFORTING OBJECT’ to bed each             night…

…like a safe plush toy.  “Such comforting objects often help children fall asleep -especially if they awaken during the middle of the night. 10

Again, parentcenter.com concurs, “Encouraging your grade-schooler to sleep with a beloved toy or blanket (reminding her she's not too old for this) may help, too.” 11

The Sweet Dreams’ Rollo the NightSpryte Gift Set

So, monsters beware! 
We’re arming parents with a sing-song, rhyming tale about Rollo the monster smasher…. And when parents have finished reading for the night and they’ve wished their kids ‘Sweet Dreams!’ and turned out the lights, they will leave their little loved ones in the capable,
loving hands of a professional,
a NightSpryte.