i hold her close to me, soothe her, name the feeling, and talk. in my opinion, the feeling that a child feels - fear - is real, so i never question it. we talk a lot about what caused the fear. is it a belt - a snake, lying under the bed? is it real? is it a snake? can we take a look? just one step and carefully? just to make sure if it really is...
i pretend that i am also scared.
i comfort and reassure him that i am with him and he has nothing to fear.
depending on the circumstances—if the fear is justified, for example, if an unfamiliar dog is approaching, i pick them up; but if they are afraid of the dark, we take a flashlight, talk, play with shadows, and so on.
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i explained that there is nothing to be afraid of, nothing will happen to us.
i try to protect him, and when he feels safe, then we try to talk.