Last yr at Disney my daughter would go on anything(well not really rollarcoaster type things).. This yr, if something was dark inside she wouldnt go on it. Like she also use to love "The Pirates of the Carribean", this year, she wouldnt go in, because the walkway was dark.. She hates the 3D stuff too now. She wouldnt go on the Buzz Lightyear Ride either...
When we were at Universal, they have a new Shrek 4D ride... I was so excited to go on it, I thought she would be too. As we have the movie and shes seen it over 20 times... But, she cried the whole way in the first room(as it looked like a dungen and was kind of dark). Then they bring you into the big room, and me and her sat on the stationary seats(me because Im pregnant). She wouldnt put her 3D glasses on, and cried during most of it. I felt so bad for her. I asked her why she liked her Shrek movie at home. She said it was because nothing came out of the screen at her...
She will be 5 in July, and this past year has really become afraid of the dark. At the first hotel we stayed at in Georgia. She Cried bloody murder when we turned the lights off to go to sleep saying it was too dark. So my husband put the bathroom light on, and she went happily to sleep.
Is this normal at this age from going from not being afraid of the dark, to suddenly being afraid?

By Tink on Sunday, May 9, 2004 - 05:37 pm:

My ds turned five in April and about 6 months ago he suddenly became afraid of the dark. He now has a nightlight which he has never needed and for a while he wouldn't go into a room if he couldn't reach the light switch from the doorway. To be totally honest, I'm not that tolerant of it and so we would send him on errands into a room just so he had to get over it. The dark at bedtime is a little easier to deal with and we just added a nightlight to his room, but it was terrible the first night the bulb burnt out and we didn't have a replacement. I was told it was a developmental "thing" and he would outgrow it. Unfortunately, it "spread" to my older dd and she needs a nightlight now, too. Oh well, there aren't that many high school graduates still using a nightlight, right?

By Trina~moderator on Sunday, May 9, 2004 - 06:15 pm:

See the article I posted here:
http://www.momsview.com/discus/messages/23/23648.html

Quite normal. It's a developmental stage where their imaginations get the best of them. The article above explains it better.

My DD is turning 6 next month. We went to WDW this past November, and she FREAKED during all the 3D shows (Bugs Life, Little Mermaid and The Muppets). Something about the 3D really spooked her. We didn't bother trying any more after that. She did OK during the Buzz Light Year ride but wasn't thrilled. We had to keep the hotel bathroom light on for both kids! LOL!

By Debbie on Sunday, May 9, 2004 - 07:08 pm:

Both of my dks sleep with nightlights and we always have to leave the bathroom light on when we are at a hotel. Actually, my oldest(who just turned 6) has 2 night lights, so his room is pretty bright when he sleeps. I think it is very normal behavior. My oldest really freaked out at Disney around age 4, he wouldn't go on any dark rides. Now, he is fine with them. It is pretty normal behavior for them to go through these stages. I bet next time you go, she will be fine

By Janet on Tuesday, May 11, 2004 - 11:29 am:

My oldest dd (now 14) went through a period at about 10 or 9 when she couldn't go to sleep unless every light in her room was on, I kid you not. That child had the overhead light as well as her bedside light on...it was amazing how she could fall asleep, but she did. Made me crazy! But she eventually grew out of it, and now it's just a funny story. I think it's pretty normal. Kids begin to realize at that age that the world isn't such a safe place, and if they're sensitive (like my dd is), it's easy to become fearful, especially in the dark. I remember spending a lot of energy trying to pinpoint her fears, and she just wasn't able to articulate them. I would say to just reassure your dd, don't make fun or belittle her fears, and go with it.

By Cheerio on Tuesday, May 11, 2004 - 11:55 am:

We just gave our daughter who will be five in July a flashlight to keep by her bed in case she needed some light in the middle of the night. It's one of those pen lights that you have to keep pushed in for it to light up. We did the night light thing and it was lighting her room up too much. If she awoke during the night, it was enough light to arouse her and she started staying awake for an hour or two each night. It's not that she's afraid of the dark so much as it is the bad dreams she often has about bugs. Now that we are spending more time outside and the bugs are active, she often wakes up at least 4 or 5 nights a week with nightmares. Funny thing is she's really not that afraid of them during the day, although bees freak her out. The little flashlight trick so far has been working. We told her if she has a bad dream she can turn it on to see that there aren't any bugs in her room. They also make kids flashlights with an automatic shut off feature that you could try too if the night light thing bothers you. I think I slept with a nightlight in my room until I graduated high school. Now I can't stand any light when I am sleeping. She'll be fine!

By Janet on Tuesday, May 11, 2004 - 04:41 pm:

Janet, your post made me remember the very first dream my oldest dd told me about--she was about three maybe. She woke up just crying her little heart out, and when I asked her what was wrong, she wailed, "There are ladybugs on my toes!" She'd been dreaming and it took forever to convince her there were no ladybugs on her toes! LOL