Some children find night time and darkness difficult. Keren offers her top tips to counter these anxieties.
This article first appeared on www.KensingtonMums.co.uk
- Have fun and play with your child in the dark to counter any associations of fear. Make tents, dens and tunnels, and play hide and seek in the dark to create a positive experience.
- Use your imagination and be creative to normalise night-time and darkness. For example, talk about animals that live in the dark and visit them in zoo. Encourage your children to play around this theme.
- Identify an anxious child’s security object to support their emotional anxiety and sooth them through the night
- Choose a child-friendly nightlight for the bedroom.
- To relax and calm down before bedtime, establish a restful ritual, including reading books in a low voice. Gradually reduce the amount of light in a room for a period of screen-free time with dimmed lighting.
