Melnyk Hines
consultant and owner of Sweet Slumber Solutions .
Beware of frightening images . As kids wind down after a busy day and the quiet of the night sets in , they may begin to replay scary images in their heads that they saw during the day in books , movies , video games or on the evening news . Pair those visuals with the strange night-time creaks of the house and a shadow suddenly appearing to move across the wall , and you ’ ve got a wide-eyed kid at midnight .
Limit exposure to violent images and turn off the news when your youngster is around . According to a 2016 study published in Frontiers in Pediatrics , exposure to repeated images of terrorism in the media can negatively affect a child ’ s emotional health . “ These almost live events can cause feelings of unsafety , hopelessness , and helplessness , which are often externalized by conduct problems ,” the researchers write .
But alarming images aren ’ t the only source of terror .
“ These kids are quite imaginative . They imagine all sorts of things in the dark that aren ’ t there ,” Sosland says .
Young children often can ’ t distinguish between fantasy and reality . If they imagine a monster in the closet , in their mind it must be there .
“ Fears are not necessarily something that can be reasoned or rationalized so reassuring them tends not work because they just look for more and more reassurance ,” adds Sosland .
Switch on the light . If your kiddo can only fall asleep if her ceiling light is on , relax . Over time , dim the light . Gradually move toward the soft , warm glow of a lamp , then a closet light , and finally a night light that is yellow or orange in color .
“ Salt lamps are a great example of a soothing hue ,” James says .
But avoid “ bright or blue lights which stimulate the brain to produce cortisol , a wake-up hormone ,” she says .
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