No, babies younger than 2 years old, do not have the fear of the dark. In some cases, it is not long after we walk into the youngster’s room that they begin to cry.
This is common when sleep training is starting. You can interpret this as a short-term sign that they are starting to learn when to go to sleep.
The crying is not caused by the dark in their rooms or something in their room that they don’t like. It is simply because they are upset to be left alone in their bed.
So, are babies afraid of the dark? Babies that are younger than 2 or 3 years old, cannot be afraid of the dark.
But the fear might appear at this stage when the child is old enough to start to imagine, but still too young to differentiate fantasy from reality.
We often hear from parents that their children are afraid of the dark and often need sleep with a nightlight on or underneath their bed.
As it turns out, there is some evidence that infants have an innate preference for light over darkness, which could contribute to this fear of the dark phenomenon.
At what age do babies get scared of the dark?
It usually appears at the age of two and covers a period of preschool years. But this is not strict. The fear can also occur when kids are older. The time length for this phenomenon can also vary, but it usually lasts from a couple of weeks to a few months.
In reality, sometimes it can be different. Some babies are frightened by the dark at some point in their first year.
Developmental stages differ from child to child. However, most children are scared of the dark around 18 months to 2 years old, and it usually goes away when they are in preschool.
It’s common for small children to be scared of a dark room or an unfamiliar closet – especially kids above the age of two.
This is because they can’t understand why it gets dark at night and may not remember what happened there during the day.
Do babies get scared at night?
They do. Most babies get scared at night because they are alone and they hear things. But are babies afraid of the dark?
As stated above, not really. The good news is that it’s common for your baby to have some minor sleeplessness in the first few weeks of life. And it’s usually pretty easy to help them out.
The majority of young babies do not have night terrors. Most of the crying they do at night isn’t related to them. This is when the baby is at the early stage of its life, up to 18 months approximately.
After that, around the age of 2 or 3 babies can have nightmares because they are able to start imagining. In the preschool stage, when children are 3 or 4 years old, these types of night terrors are most common.
Should babies sleep in the dark?
The less stimulation in your child’s sleeping area, the better. If the room is darker, the baby will be calmer and settled.
Another good thing about the darker room is that this way a child is learning that it’s time to sleep. If you set the light level in your child’s room to the same level when it’s time for sleeping, it is more likely to sleep better at night.
Should babies sleep in the dark is a very common question, right next to are babies afraid of the dark?
Well, babies have a natural need for a nap. However, their sleep cycles are different from adults and they’re more sensitive to light.
It’s often advised that babies sleep in the dark, with either a baby-friendly nightlight or black-out curtains to keep out light.
On the other hand, there is evidence that shows better sleep for infants when they sleep next to light sources during periods of frequent awakening or in their parents’ presence at nighttime.
The decision on what approach is best will be made by each family based on gender, individual preferences, and type of sleeping problems as well as how much environmental noise is present in various locations in the home.
What are babies most afraid of?
Naturally, infants have only two fears. They are afraid of loud noises and falling. In the first two years of babies’ life, their brains grow rapidly but with still undeveloped nervous systems. That’s why they can construe falling and loud noises.
Therefore, are babies afraid of the dark? Not really, they are actually afraid of being away from their favorite person and the noise that might occur in the sleeping area.
Babies seem to be afraid of the dark as well and besides things that might make a loud noise. They are also afraid of being alone or separated from their parents for too long.
Another fear is falling downstairs or off of a bed. You can see many babies cry when they are going through these fears.
Summary
A phoneme about being scared of the dark is pretty popular amongst the kids. They have a tendency to cry when they go to sleep, especially if there’s no light. Therefore, are babies afraid of the dark? No, not really.
If the baby is younger than 18 months, and they cry when it’s time for sleeping, it’s probably because the baby is missing their favorite person, and doesn’t want to be alone.
Children naturally have fear of loud noises and falling, so these two can also be the reasons for crying during sleeping time.
When the child is in the stage of 2 and above, approximately to the preschool-age, they can develop this fear.
They are able to imagine things but they cannot differentiate reality from fantasy, and that’s why this fear occurs. This will probably end at the age of 5 but sometimes it can vary.
That’s why it’s sometimes good to leave a little night light on, respond with positivity and love, and make their environment pleasant by using essential oils that are safe for babies, or anything else that can comfort them.
