At what age do children typically develop the ability to regulate their feelings of fear, such as fear of being left alone?

Children typically start to develop the ability to regulate their feelings of fear around 9 months of age. This is a significant time in their emotional and social development, as they begin to show attachments to caregivers and exhibit distress when separated from them. By this age, they can also begin to express their feelings more clearly and start to show some understanding of separation anxiety.

As children around this age grow and their cognitive skills improve, they start navigating the world more confidently, yet they still rely heavily on their caregivers for security. The development of emotional regulation includes learning to manage feelings of fear and anxiety triggered by situations like being left alone. While some children may show signs of this ability slightly earlier or later, 9 months is generally recognized as the age when many children begin to demonstrate a noticeable capacity to cope with fear, particularly in relation to separation from their primary caregivers.

Recognizing the nuanced emotional states in themselves and their caregivers becomes more apparent to children at this developmental milestone, which is why this age is significant in regulating fear.