Helping Kids to Not Be Afraid of the Dark

Every young child has a fear of the dark. In their sweet, fun-filled imaginations also lurk made-up monsters in the closet or under the bed. The younger your child, the less that he or she can separate their fantasies from reality. As a parent, soothing a young child at night is not an easy task. For one, the child just doesn’t buy our rationalizations that monsters are not real. Here are a few things a parent can do to acclimate their child to the dark.

1. Make the bedroom night friendly. If your child believes there are monsters in the closet, clean out and arrange the closet so it is neat and tidy. Leave the closet doors open when the child goes to bed at night. The same goes for the bed. Many children believe monsters and strange things live under the bed. Keep toys, clothes, and other things that can form shadows out from under the bed. Have your son or daughter get on the floor and look to see there is nothing under the bed before hopping in bed.
2. Light up the room just a little. A child’s bedroom does not need to be pitch black. There are several fun ways to introduce a little amount of light. You can purchase a glow-in-the-dark light switch cover and outlet covers. A small night light will illuminate a small area near the bed. You can also purchase wall and ceiling stick-on stars and planets. These absorb light during the day and emit a small amount of light at night.
3. Clean things up outside. Things such as tree branches or bushes outside a window can induce fear in a fertile imagination. A simple solution could be a window shade. You could also trim away branches that could rustle in the night against window panes.
4. Mentally prepare your child for things that go bump in the night. Understanding that you’re not dealing with a fully rationale human being (yet), talk with your child about his or her fears. Ask about the monsters and other things they think may be outside the window or under the bed. Then do your best to provide justification to your child on how they will be okay through the night. Overcoming the fear of the dark is just a part of life. Learning to overcome this fear will build skills to help your child overcome other fears as the mature into adulthood.

Following these guidelines along with preparing a fun bedroom environment with a glow-in-the-dark light switch cover and small night light will help your child drift safely to sleep every night.