Bedtime fears

After a busy day exploring the world, your toddler’s last great frontier can be their own bedroom at night. Fear of the dark and of being left alone at night are common problems for toddlers, as her vivid imagination may enable her to believe all sorts of things while she’s lying in her bed waiting for sleep.

 

To help ease her fears, try:

 

• Making her room as snug and friendly as possible
• Putting a night light in her room if she’s afraid of the dark
• Playing a little soft music when you turn out the light – she’ll concentrate on listening to the music instead of listening for scary noises
• Avoiding anything too scary – TV, books and games – as these may just feed her fears
• Sticking to a routine in the evening. Her bedtime routine should be relaxing and make her feel calm and peaceful before she goes to sleep.
• Talk through her night-time worries with her and try to pinpoint the source of her anxiety. If your child has the occasional nightmare, she may resist falling asleep for fear or having another one. Your reassurance should help her.
• Make sure that she’s tired at night so she’ll fall asleep quickly. If she seems to have trouble falling asleep she may need to have a little more physical activity during the day.

 

 

 

This article was written by Ella Walsh for Kidspot. Sources include Raising Children’s Network.