Bedtime fears – the dark, monsters under the bed, and sleeping alone – are all common at this age. "He would panic when he was standing on the sidewalk if he saw one ant walking toward him," she says. Right from the first day he came home, I have noticed that if the room is completely dark, he SCREAMS blue-murder the moment he stirs. A fear of the dark usually lasts for a few weeks to a few months. When Children Are Afraid of the Dark. Could my 4 month old be afraid of the dark?

However, children can be fearful of situations or objects that adults don’t find threatening. Babies seem unfazed by darkness; if their mommy is holding them, it doesn’t matter much whether it’s night or day. They may have always been scared – or they may have no fear for a long time and then suddenly, inexplicably develop one. But, once your baby has had day and night sleep clearly separated and your baby is no longer a newborn, a darkened nursery can do wonders for your baby’s napping! Fear is a completely normal and important part of anyone's development, especially at a young age.It's that internal alarm that goes off whenever we sense potential danger and feel the need to protect ourselves. 0 to 6 months: Babies can show signs of fear at loud noises given they are unexpected and surprising. Many young dogs tend toward shyness during adolescence, at about 4 to 5 months of age.

OK I might be imposing adult logic here but I can't think what else it could be. Until my kids were around 18 months old they all went to sleep in pitch black and didn’t make a peep. However, kindergarten children can be scared of natural elements, such as fire, wind, and the dark. Ginny Kress, a Lakeville, Minnesota, mom, recalls that her 18-month-old son was afraid of ants. Some fears are common and normal at certain ages. They tend to start around age 2 and may last until age 8 or 9. They need to feel safe before they … What kids feel afraid of changes as they grow. The sources of fear may change as the child matures.

Posted on 26-10-2012 at 3.03AM.

Hi Marianne. Parents can help kids feel safe and learn to feel at ease. But may be aware they can't see,hear as much. For example: Infants feel stranger anxiety.

When babies are about 8–9 months old, they can recognize the faces of people they know. Through the day, he is reasonably good at self-settling. At four months old your baby's development will be speeding up. Your 4 month old baby development milestones.

What Do Kids Feel Afraid of? Put your baby to bed drowsy, but awake. Who’s right? It's very common for children to be scared of the dark. When children do not have a full understanding of the causes and effects of these elements, they can use their powerful 5- and 6-year-old minds to create both imaginary and real scenarios related to these fears. When settling your baby, be gentle and calm, reassuring and soothing. A dark, quiet and comfortably cool environment can help encourage your baby to sleep. The loss of physical, visual and auditory contact with their adults can also lead to alarm because the parts of the brain responsible for object permanence are not fully developed. For the same reason that the light establishes your baby should be awake, it can be difficult for your baby to sleep in a light room, once she becomes more social (which begins around 6 weeks old when she may smile at you!


Don't think they can actually be afraid of the dark as they have no concept of being afraid of the dark.

When children do not have a full understanding of the causes and effects of these elements, they can use their powerful 5- and 6-year-old minds to create both imaginary and real scenarios related to these fears. I do think if you are not careful you could end up with a child that is scared of the dark. So sorry to hear of your disturbed nights :(:hug::hug: As others have said it could be a grwoth spurt which occur around 7-10 days, 2-3 weeks, 4-6 weeks, 8-9 weeks, 12 weeks, 15-19 weeks and 23-26 weeks and 9 months. ). This article will discuss whether your baby’s room should be light or dark at nap time and why. Along with improved senses, they will likely be going through the early stages of speech development and may even have the early signs of their first teeth.