Fears are normal parts of life for anyone, and this includes young children. Fears can arise when trying something new that you have never experienced before or when something is unknown. Some parents expect their children to not have fears but fears develop for them, just like for other children. Unfortunately a fear of the dark is often very common among toddlers.
Why does a toddler develop a fear of the dark?. Why does your child's anxiety level go up when the light does down? Plenty of children are absolutely convinced that there is something lurking in the dark shadows of their room. Typically it is tough to know exactly why the fear has developed. The fear could stem from a specific incidence or it could just suddenly develop. There are a few theories of why toddlers develop a fear of the dark that parents may want to consider:
Sense of imagination. Often the fear of the dark evolves around the same time as a child's imagination. Around the ages of two and three, kids start to imagine but lack the ability of distinguishing reality from fantasy. As night time is usually quiet and fairly distraction-free, it is normal for a child's mind to wander. His or her imagination starts running wild and conjuring up scary ideas, explaining why a child who is well-adjusted during the day becomes more vulnerable at night.
Television. Television has been proven to be a terrible offender when it comes to a fear of the dark. While a tv show might not be scary to an adult, it can in fact be terrifying to a child as the sounds and sights on tv are very stimulating. Parents who don't limit how much and what children watch on television might have children who develop a fear of the dark. Even if the show is a cartoon, many scary things happen in the dark which your child may translate into his or her world.
Books. Some parents are not careful about books their children read. Usually books are thought of as safer than television but books can have some pretty scary images in them as well. Images in books can provoke a child's active imagination and stir up other ideas that can haunt a toddler who is lying in bed alone in the dark hours later.
Light-hearted discipline. Parents might say something along the lines of "If you don't behave, the boogeyman might get you" to their toddler without even thinking about the negative connotation this sends to a child. It might seem like a light-hearted comment to make but this comment might re-play in a child's head later on in the dark, when it is possible that a boogeyman could be lurking in the shadows of his or her room.
Dos and don'ts when your toddler is afraid of the dark.