Mom shares genius way to help kids scared of the dark

Scores of children around the world suffer from nyctophobia - fear of the dark. While many grow out of their fear as they age, it can seem like a neverending nightmare for parents and children dealing with the phobia.

Christine Luna, a mom in the US, decided to try something a little different to help her four kids, aged between two and nine, cope with sleeping in a dark room.

While researching online, she found a genius tip to solve the problem. She saw a video of someone using glow-in-the-dark paint on rocks.

Christine decided using the paint on her children's bunk beds would be a great idea. She roped in her two eldest children to help draw fun designs on the bunks using the glow-in-the-dark paint.

"Painting my kids’ bunkbed with glow-in-the-dark paint absolutely worked. Now, they aren't scared of the dark, and we all sleep better," she said on TikTok.

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Christine's followers shared some tips of their own.

"I painted the light switch covers in my house when my kids were little with glow-in-the-dark paint so they could find them when they needed to use the bathroom," one woman wrote.

Another mom commented: "I’ve upgraded to those LED strip lights that stick to the beds/wall now. They have a remote to control brightness and you can set a timer. My boys are 14 and 11 and still require night lights."

Some suggested using the paint on opaque colours like white to help it absorb better, making it glow even more. Others recommended using a UV black light to charge the paint after you are done.

Speaking to People magazine, Christine says glow-in-the-dark paint is an affordable way to help kids with their phobia.

"I bought the paint on a rainy Sunday afternoon and spent some time with each of them individually. I asked them what would make them feel safe and comfortable in their beds. We decided on simple, familiar shapes like smiley faces, polka dots and zebra stripes — things that would help them relax," she said.

Christine shared a video of what the paint looks like in the dark.