Is your child afraid of the dark and what you can do to help.

Is your child afraid of the dark?

As babies grow into toddlers and become more aware of their surroundings, they often become more afraid of the dark, especially at night when they've said their goodnights and are alone.

 Equally, as your child transfers from a cot to a bed and is toilet trained, you may become more fearful of him or her moving around at night without you, particularly if there are stairs or large pieces of furniture close by on which they could hurt themselves.

When bedtime beckons, you may want to consider some of the many items available that address this very real fear experienced by babies and toddlers, and make light of the dark!

1. Comforters - From a very young baby, your child may develop a strong emotional attachment to a soft toy, a blanket, or even one of the many character comforters developed especially for the purpose.  As a newborn your baby may be soothed by the very special mummy and daddy smells that it takes on.  However, over time, the comforter will take on that extra special 'x' factor, that only your child could explain.
 
Don't underestimate your child's attachment to the comforter! 

And do make use of it! 

The presence of a familiar and much-loved comforter may soothe a restless child back to sleep before they have even roused enough to disturb you!

2. Bedtime Stories – Make sure you know the content of stories you are going to read before you read them, particularly at bedtime.  No one knows your child better than you, and some children are much more sensitive than others.  What might be a funny story to one child may create fear in another, particularly after you are gone and they are left alone in their bedroom.

There are some delightful children's stories filled with comforting thoughts for bedtime. 

Why not try 'Tell Me Something Happy Before I Go To Sleep' by Debra Gliori, or 'Guess How Much I Love You' by Sam McBratney to name a few.

3. Night Lights - Night-lights come in many sizes, shapes and forms.  Some are designed to emit a soft glow all night; others gently fade out over a period of time until it is off altogether. Some are battery operated and can be used anywhere; others use mains electric.  Many are designed using popular children's characters, or pretty colours and pictures to fit in with a young child's bedroom and furnishings.   

If space is an issue, Plug-In night-lights are designed to provide a soft reassuring light directly from the plug point, and fulfil the very useful job of covering exposed sockets. 

Try night-lights in your child's bedroom, or to light a dark hallway or landing.

* NB – There are children’s comforters available on the market now that cleverly incorporate a luminous glow or night-light with a soft toy *

4. Musical Light Displays – Many mobiles and musical cot-side toys project pretty moving images and coloured lights onto ceilings and walls.  Especially useful for younger babies, these night-lights are effectively combined with a very useful sleep cue – music.  If played regularly, a musical toy can be a signal to your child that this is bedtime, and time to go to sleep.  Usually designed to play for a set period of time, baby often feels drowsy watching the play of lights on the walls, and drifts contentedly off to sleep before the show is finished!

For an older child, you may want to replace the cot toy with a more appropriate night-light.  However, once established, the musical sleep cue is very effective well into early childhood.

5. Glow in the Dark – Glow in the Dark wall stickers and mobiles do just as they say when the light goes out.  Once energised by a light, perhaps during a bedtime story, it will glow softly in the dark for some time. 

Many cheerful Glow in the Dark shapes are now available to brighten a dark room including stars, teddy bears and smiley-faced stickers, as well as mobiles in many shapes and sizes; and although many traditional Glow in the Dark items emit a soft, greenish glow, now there are multi-coloured items available too!

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Make use of what’s available, brighten up your frightened child’s dark bedroom, banish the night terrors, and make bedtime happier for everyone!