It is the age-old question, why is your little one afraid of falling asleep, and what can be done to help ease their fears? With my boys, they have each been through phases of being afraid at night time. Some of them have been scared of monsters, and Z had a real fear of dinosaurs at bedtime when he was a toddler!
Since getting a good nights sleep is so important, it’s always been important to me to deal with these bedtime fears so that they can overcome them and relax getting a good night’s sleep. I hate the thought of them lying in bed feeling scared!
If you child is afraid at nighttime, here are some ideas you can try to help deal with bedtime fears. If you have some other tips and tricks to help out, share them with us in the comments at the end of the post!
With the darker winter evenings upon us, children’s lighting brand GoGlow® has conducted a survey to find out about children’s bedtime fears, and it is as simple as fears of what is lurking in the dark.
Asking 1,000 parents, the survey revealed monsters as the main reason under fives were afraid of the dark (67%). With fears of the dark at an all time high in October when the clocks go back and the nights become shorter.
So as the evenings become darker, it is no surprise little ones imaginations run wild with fears of what hides beneath.
HOW TO BANISH BEDTIME FEARS!
Seven in ten parents make a special effort to walk around their child’s bedroom to prove there are no monsters hiding. With three quarters of children getting out of bed to seek reassurance from their parents, the survey went on to find night-lights were the most reassuring solution that helped stop scary shadows.
If you are looking for a way to ease your little ones fears of the dark, children’s sleep expert and founder of Millpond Children’s Sleep Clinic, Mandy Gurney has a fun tip to help:
“If your child is afraid of the dark, offer them the reassurance of a night light to have nearby when they need it. You could even play hide and seek, in the late afternoon, using a GoGlow® torch, so they realise there’s nothing to be afraid of.”
This Winter, GoGlow® is on hand to help banish monsters. A lighting range with extra sparkle, GoGlow® encourages nighttime know-how and its Night Bright range offers a safe and soothing 2-in-1 nightlight and torch that can be popped down for a night-long glow or lifted up as a torch.
When children are surrounded by their favourite character friends, scary monsters are a thing of the past.
Z was sent a very cool Dusty GoGlow® pal which is perfect for allowing quick access to light if needed. When you press Dusty’s tail, his eyes light up in a soft glow allowing your child to see around them. This is really handy for Z since he is in a high sleeper bed, if he wakes up in the middle of the night I would like him to be able to have some visibility rather than trying to climb down from his bed in the dark.
His Dusty is really cute, as well as offering a light source it also offers a friendly face and a bit of comfort at night time.
My friend Jenny at the www.thebrickcastle.com has also been using some of the Worlds Apart Go Glow products with her little boys. You can read her review of the Planes Safe and Sound Lumiglow Stickers and Cars Go Glow Night Beam Tilt Torch here to see how these products helped her boys to sleep when they developed a fear of the dark after a traumatic family event.
If your child has a specific fear of monsters you could also try making a monster spray like this one from Happy Hooligans.
If your child’s bedtime fears are due to some more deep seated anxiety rather than the usual “monsters” then these 8 surefire ways to calm an anxious kid from Idealist Mom could be really helpful. And what about getting high sleepers so that your child can invite their best friends for a sleep over and forget about their fears? They can make it into a little tent and have lots of fun with some lights and bedtime stories full of adventure!
This glowing sensory bottle from would be amazing for bedtime calming too!
A good bedtime routine, and some quiet quality time with a parent reading bedtime stories can definitely help too. For some extra ideas for bedtime stories, check out this huge list of book recommendations for toddlers and preschoolers.
Don’t forget to leave your solutions and ideas for banishing bedtime fears in the comments, so that everyone can benefit from them!
Image: Image of a frightened girl with flashlight Shutterstock
Anna Marikar, mum of four and seasoned blogger, has spent over a decade sharing her parenting journey and passion for kid-friendly crafts and free printables.
Her easy-to-follow craft ideas and practical parenting advice have transformed In The Playroom into a cherished resource for parents.
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