Taming your fear can make you grow.
Fear is often associated with something new in the child’s environment. This is why at each age new fears appear, in particular the fear of monsters or the dark around the age of 18 months when he was able to sleep in the dark until now.
What’s going through your child’s head?
Whether it appears spontaneously or whether it is linked to a bad experience, the fear of monsters, very often associated with the fear of the dark, actually hides the fear of being alone. Around the age of one and a half, children begin to develop their imagination, which leads them to create and personify their fear through forms that they imagine.
How can I help her overcome her fear?
At first, do not make him believe that monsters exist, on the contrary, be honest with him by explaining to him that they are only the fruit of our imagination in books, in the cinema or on television but not in reality .
If he asks you, you can possibly check once under his bed or behind the curtains, but if you do it every time, you might give him reason to be scared. Instead, let him know that you’ll come see him when he’s asleep to check that everything is going well.
If you can’t reassure him, give him a sense of control by coming up with an idea to fight the monster. Even if he uses for example a toy or his comforter to protect him, it does not mean that you reinforce the idea that monsters exist, but you show him that since his plan will never be put into action, it shows that they don’t exist.
Remember that it is important for a child to have a comforting ritual before bedtime to secure themselves. After the bath, you can for example set up a story or quiet games, with a small night light that you do not turn on systematically, rather let him choose to do so or not.
If, despite everything, he wakes up frightened at night, take the time to comfort him quickly, get him to talk without interrupting him, then help him come back to reality by making a difference with his imagination.
Find out more: “Fear of the dark, monsters and nightmares: How to reassure your child?” by Françoise Devillers and Lyliane Nemet-Pier, Albin Michel editions.
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