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I remember being afraid of the dark. Once.
I stayed overnight at my dad and grandma’s house (which rarely ever happened) and there were bags in the corner that created some very scary shadows for a girl with an overactive mind. Even as an adult, I can remember that night.
Luckily, out of three children, Blake has been the only one to be afraid of the dark.
We don’t tease. We don’t fuss. We don’t make a big deal out of.
In fact, we use these ideas to help kids who are afraid of the dark:
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1. Nightlights. I remember growing up, we had nightlights in the bathrooms at night so you can ‘find your way’ in the dark.
K had a nightlight in her room when she was a baby, and B has gone through a few nightlights in his lifetime.
A fun way to have a night light is to have a marquee light in their room. It gives off less light than the bedroom light and more light than a nightlight. Plus it makes super cute bedroom decor!
2. Twilight Constellation Night Light
3. Flashlights. We have had mini mag flashlights, dollar store flashlights, character flashlights – all kinds of flashlights that I have found B sleeping with on more than one occasion.
4. Flashlight Friends
5. Leave a light on. You could leave a hall light on or the bedroom light on or both until you go to bed.
We do a mixture of both for Blake. Usually it’s just his bedroom light but there have been nights that both the hall light and his bedroom light have stayed on until I check on him and go to bed.
I turn them off when I check on them and because he’s already asleep, it doesn’t bother him. He usually sleeps through the night, but there have been occurrences when he wakes up and will turn the lights back on.
6. Monster Spray. If it’s monsters that make your child fear the dark, create some Monster Spray by putting water in a spray bottle.
When they see a monster, they can squirt it with monster spray to make them go away!
If your kid is afraid of the dark – talk to them. Ask them what they are scared of and go from there. Chance are, one of the above ideas can help.
It could be shadows too like it was for me. Simply removing items that create scary shadows or using a flashlight to “shine away” the scary shadows work too!
Do you have a little that is afraid of the dark? Have you found something that works well for them? Share it in the comments!
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Great tips! We have always had a wave light for the ceiling and we have one of those star ones too! Great purchases
Oh what is a wave light!? I want lights! I love the constellation lights!!
I can relate to this article. I was one of those kids afraid of the dark. Great information!
This is a very good post. My youngest was afraid of the dark. We did a couple of different things for her before she grew out of it. We left the light on, lots of night lights. I even slept with her for a while. When I finally found out why she was scared, we fixed it and I’m happy to say, she has been great for a few months.
I am glad you were able to find out what was causing her fear and fix it! I’m not sure my son is actually afraid or if it’s part of his anxiety. He is fine with the light on and we just turn it off, but it is definitely something we are keeping an eye on!!
Great tips! I grew up having fears in the dark. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you! We always had night lights growing up! There was always a secret stash!
These are great tips! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you!
I think all moms should have monster spray on hand!
I agree!!
we have a five year old that sleeps with the light on. full on, all night. it really doesnt bother me, although i know she doesnt need it. nightlights tend to give off a shadow so that hasnt worked.
I never thought of shadows with night lights! Blake has a marquee star as his bedroom light and uses that. We turn it off when he falls asleep and it stays off unless for some reason he wakes up in the middle of the night.
The monster spray is super cute! TBH I’m still kind of afraid of the dark. We leave a light on in the hallway and then I use a sleep mask to help me fall asleep and not get bothered by the light.
I can definitely attest to my anxiety giving me a run for my money some nights in the dark! We keep the tv light on for the toddler and I take a flashlight when I go around the house in the dark. š
I love this post! I can relate so much from when I was a child. I remember leaving the hallway or bathroom light on, having a night light, leaving the tv on, and the closet door had to be closed lol! Now I hate sleeping with anything on and it needs to be quiet.
So funny!! We leave the tv light on for our 4 year old now so darkness is weird for me! LOL
We have the constellation animals, an elephant & ladybird. They really are fab – and yes – I want one too š¤£ Xx