Usually nightmares happen for no reason, but sometimes they can be the result of some sort of change or stress in your child’s life that may have unsettled them, such as moving house, changing schools or the arrival of a new sibling. Here are some tips for helping your child get over a nightmare and sleep uninterrupted…
You can’t prevent nightmares, but you can take steps to encourage sweet dreams. To help your child relax when it’s time to sleep and associate bedtime with safety and comfort, be sure they have a sleep routine that helps them to slow down and be calm before bed.
Avoid scary movies or TV shows just before bed and keep the scary bedtime story for another time, especially if you know it’s triggered a nightmare before. Make sure older siblings aren’t winding them up or telling them scary stories too!
Hang a dream-catcher above their bed and tell them any nasty dreams will be caught before they can get to them.
Worry dolls are a traditional Guatamalan method of helping children get to sleep. Have your child to tell each doll anything that may be worrying them before they go to bed. The idea is that the doll takes the worry so the child can forget it.
React quickly if you hear your child having a nightmare. Go straight to them,give them a cuddle and make sure they are awake and out of the nightmare.
Don’t ask what the dream was about unless you want them to go back to sleep and have another nightmare. Just tell them that they had a bad dream but they are awake now, it’s all gone and they can sleep peacefully.
Sometimes it helps to put a new dream story in your child’s head. Ask them to go back to sleep thinking of playing at the beach or doing another activity they enjoy.
Check that your child isn’t feeling unwell. Fever can sometimes cause bad dreams. Mr they could be suffering from disturbed sleep due to pain or illness.
If your child is convinced there is a monster in the wardrobe or under the bed, it’s fine to take a quick look, show them nothing is there and close the door, but don’t let it escalate into a full-on search of the bedroom that takes all night. The idea is to quickly close down any concerns they have and move on. Change the subject, give them their favourite teddy and encourage them to go back to sleep.
Some children who have a lot of bad dreams can be reassured by a new “dream” teddy who has come to help them sleep and stop bad dreams.
It may seem easier to let your child sleep in your bed for the rest of the night, but you are setting up the expectation that any time they wake up, they can come and sleep with you. You are also suggesting that their room is not as safe as yours. Instead, sit with them in their bedroom until they go back to sleep, then quietly leave. If you’ve kept it brief and calm, your child should easily drift off again.
Consider getting a night light so that if your child wakes during the night, they can see that they are just in their bedroom and not in some scary alien world. They are more likely to be able to put themselves back to sleep without waking you.
In the morning, follow up on the dream. You may be able to ascertain if there is something they are worried about or a change in their lives that is causing the nightmares, then you can deal with this directly. You can also help them see that it was only a dream – nightmares often seem much less scary during the day. Ask your child to invent a new story or ending to the nightmare to change it in their heads so they don’t have it again.
If there is new stress in their life, such as parents breaking up, moving house or the death of a pet, make sure you work hard to help them. Deal with it by talking it through and offering ways of coping with the changes so that they don’t have to try to process it all in their dreams.
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