R Nitelight

[Todd]

Serious question here for once from me.


Do you think using nightlights with children is a bad thing? like does it instill a fear of the dark if we constantly assure them with some small source of light. Should we leave our kids in the dark to over come this fear, that can grip them in thier adult lives.

 

[KillerMuffin]

I won't have a nightlight in the house. We use a 5 gallon aquarium. Not only does the light help him sleep, the sound of the water is soothing.

Yes, I think it's perfectly okay to allow a child to have enough light to sleep by, not expect them to be adults and take it like man before they're ready. Childhood is supposed to be idyllic, not surrounded by horror. Pitch blackness can be horrific, and the separation from parents is hard enough to deal with as it is.

 

[Todd]

That sounds very reasonable KM.

At what age would you ween a child off of a light night stimulus?

 

[morninggirl5]

The teacher in me as to answer. Keep the night light. Don't know how old your children are, but most will gradually give up the need for a night light as they get older. Fear of the dark is actually very normal, logical, and appropriate for preschool children if you look at it in terms of where they are developmentally.

Ok, Ok, trying to get rid of the teacher jargon, but the point is.... it's the kids whose parents help them overcome their fears (with a nightlight, vacuuming up the monsters, spraying "mummy spray") who give them the message that they can take control of their fears and handle them. Those kids who are expected to "get over it" are the ones who get even bigger fears. (The messgage they get is, "even mommy and daddy can't handle this and I'm just a little kid, so it's way too hard for me")

A really cute picture book that addresses night lights and fears is called Franklin in the Dark... shows that we're all afraid of something.

 

[KillerMuffin]

I don't intend to wean him off the light. He'll do it himself when he's ready. He can reach the aquarium light all by himself, it's up to him whether he turns it on or not. He doesn't always use it.

I'm not going to terrorize my child by forcing him to get over a legitimate fear. Not when I see no purpose in it.

 

[DarkAngel]

Thats not true.... in some cases the child will still grow up with the fear of the dark.. I for one know of a lady who is 21 and still is scared of the dark snd needs some form of light to go to bed by.

But hey I know nothing