Help...ds all of a sudden petrified of nightime, dark, etc...

[nearlychrimbo]

nearly 5 and has always needed someone to sit whilst he nods off and sometimes wakes in the night but will go back to sleep.

All of a sudden he seem petrifed at going to the toilet or upstairs on his own. Last night he woke and was almost shaking as he wanted me to say with him whilst he slept. HE didnt drop off for an hour

He is genuinely scared so it doesnt seems right for me to be hard on him.

Ive had a little talk with him today and explained that Mummy and Daddy are always here and there is nothing scarey in the house, its his house which is full of nice things etc...

Have you experienced this at all? I know it will pass but Im a bit concerned

Yes I been through this, and my Ds2 is still a little scared of the dark and he is now 10yrs old!!

I used to lie with my Ds too. Although he is a little scared of the dark it is the being left alone that scares him most.

After his bed time story and warm drink, stay with him and keep a low light on through the night.

I don't lie with my Ds2 anymore and haven't done for a while, but he still needs a soft light to go to sleep with.

He will grow out of it, they all do!

I read the subject line and thought "I bet he's four". This is an absolutely classic age for developing fears.

I don't have any quick answers, but it is something that many children go through around this age (my DS isn't having exactly the same fears as yours, but he is having frequent bad dreams, generally about DH or me leaving him forever and going to live somewhere else, that leave him very distressed) and it will pass in time.

yes, same here too - have to keep a low light on while he drifts off and a light on during the night in case he wakes up.
We're constantly having to reassure ds that nothing will come in through the windows and there's nothing scary about his room or the house and it's our home etc., etc but he's still worried if it's dark or if there are shadows so leaving a light on is an easy enough remedy.

My little girl is almost 2 and has suddenly got scared of the dark too. My theory is that it started when the clocks went back recently and it was dark walking home from nursery, and crucially, when she went to bed. A Hallowe'en outing to see fireworks didn't help at all, so now she cries at the dark night and needs to be reassured there are no more fireworks. Poor pet.
So I've put in a little plug-in light to give a bit of a glow.

I hope it passes, but to be honest I hate the pitch dark too, and need some kind of light when I'm in bed, even through the crack of the door, or from a street light. I'm 38.

You're positive you're not 4, weebump?

Professor, I'm a 37-yr-old-won't-sleep-in-the-dark-wuss so not sure about your theory! (but I may be 4 at heart...)

Light on and reassurance.

Weebump my sister took tealights on safari in africa as they turned off the generator at 1am so no lights at all and she was in her 30's at the time!

DSD started crying in the night frightened of monsters and the dark from the age of 4.
We asked DSD where the monsters were and what dark places she was frigtened of. She showed us in her wardrobes, under her bed and so on.
We bought DSD some fairy dust (confetti type stuff you can buy from Tesco) and some fairy lights. We arranged the fairy lights on her headboard. We then went round her room. Firstly sprinkling fairy dust to shoo the monsters away in all the dark scary places and then leaving them a little present to show them we were really their friends.
DSD was then allowed to sleep with her fairy lights on low. She was happy to try to be friends with the monsters but reassured that the fairy lights and fairy dust were also there to protect her just in case.
Job done, not had any problems since!

DD 2years 3months also has a light on low all night, guarded by a veritable army of teddies!
No probs so far with her, but I can see us investing in more fairy lights and fairy dust as she gets older.

Thanks for reassurance. I know he will grow out of it but its so hard to see him so genuinely scared.

WE have lumaloves(sp.) in every room.