What Fears Would Keep a Child From Getting Out of Bed at Night?

Scary Experiences

• A small child may have had an experience at one point causing him to become irrationally afraid, keeping him paralyzed in his bed at night. According to Jodi Mindell with The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, these types of fears are common in preschool children. These experiences can range from an encounter with an aggressive dog to a meeting with a schoolyard bully. Either way, your child is allowing his dark bedroom to enhance his fear, keeping him afraid and incapacitated in his bed.

Scary Sounds

• Children's imaginations often get the best of them at night. Your child may hear the sound of crunching leaves outside her window or hear a noise inside the house and imagine it's a burglar invading her home. She may have seen news of burglaries on television or heard you and your spouse discussing a burglary in the neighborhood. This can trigger fears that will cause her imagination to run wild at night, making her afraid and scared to get out of bed.

Imaginary Monsters

• Younger children often fear imaginary monsters hiding under their bed or lurking in their closet. Your child may have watched a television show with a scary monster and is convinced the monster has taken residence in his bedroom at night. He will become scared to get out of bed, convinced the monster will jump out and grab him as soon as his feet hit the floor.

Darkness

• A general fear of darkness can overwhelm children as they lay in bed at night. Your child may not get out of bed because she fears the unknown. She is scared of what she cannot see hidden in the darkness. This fear may be amplified when she runs into something on her way to the bathroom or she sees something move in the room, such as a mouse or a pet.