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Suddenly afraid of the dark?

theemctheemc
in Toddlers: 24 Months+

My DS is 2 years and 4 months old.  Since sleep training him at 10 months, he has always gone to sleep very well.  In the past 2 weeks he has started to stall at bedtime by asking for more books, taking his time getting into bed, etc.  For the last 3 nights he has started to say "dark, dark" right before I walk out of the room and then crying when I turn the lights off and shut the door.  I don't go back in there and listen to him crying/whimpering on and off for about five minutes before he goes to sleep.  Do you think this is a stall tactic?  Is it possible he's been having nightmares and is afraid of the dark?  We have a small night light next to his bed but he still seems to have developed a fear of the dark...

 Anyone with a similar experience?

 

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Re: Suddenly afraid of the dark?

  • WiggleBabyWiggleBaby

    i dont know how vocal your LO is but my DD was talking a ton by 2 yrs old and i think it was around your boy's age that she started being afraid of things like shadows on the wall, and astronauts (i have no clue why she thought they were in her room, and in the bathtub, etc...)  after a couple months it passed, thankfully!

     for the stalling, i think a sign hanging on the wall with the simple steps of bedtime (along with pictures of each) would be helpful.  then you can go through each step one by one and he'll know what is coming next (and that he can't have one more book etc).

    i lay with DD till she falls asleep so i dont know about the crying problem before bed.  i know my friend gives her son a flashlight by his bed, maybe try that?  or one of those glo-worms or something to hug?

     

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  • Tabby2727Tabby2727

    Hannah just started this too!!  She's all of the sudden affraid of the dark (won't go in a shaded area, bathroom unless the light is on). The past 2 days she keeps saying Swiper the Fox is up there and she's scared.  I told her nobody messes with my baby and I'd beat him if he were in the house (momma bear protecting her cub). She giggled a bit.

    I did take her upstairs and opened doors, rooms to prove to her Swiper wasn't up there.  She's super tired the past 2 days so it wouldn't surprise me if she's over stimulated/tired to fall asleep.

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  • Smores730Smores730 member
    we've somehow avoided this issue until the last couple of months. The flashlight thing has helped a lot! At TRU they have flashlights that come with interchangeable discs that project shapes on to the wall. We have the Toy Story themed one and she really likes it.
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