How To Handle Your Child In Case Of A Nightmare
Nightmares are common in toddlers of ages 2 to 6. They are typically the “bad dreams” which occurs several hours after sleep. More specifically, nightmares occur during the Rapid Eye Movement (REM) phase of the sleep. A nightmare triggers a feeling of anxiousness and fear in the child thereby making it difficult for them to go back to sleep. They tend to cling to the parent and refuse to sleep alone.
After the child experiences a night mare, they are very scared and upset. It then becomes the responsibility of the parent to soothe them. Given below are some of the steps the parents can take in order to soothe their child:-
Parents should not just ignore the anxiety of their child by asking them to simply return to their bed. The child feels even more scared and alone and this can have a negative effect on their psychological health. The parents should also not tense up as it makes the child think something is definitely wrong. Hence, the best thing to do is to calmly listen to the child when they talk about what they have seen and reassure them that everything is fine.
If the child has dream of, say, monsters in their room, offer to go and check together for such monsters. Once the child is reassured that no such things are there, it will be easier for them to cope with the aftermath of the nightmare. Traditional methods like singing a lullaby, hugging and kissing the child, patting the child till they go to sleep etc. work well. These actions soothe the child, and the physical presence of the parent makes the anxiety go down. When the child refuses to go back to sleep, the parent can offer to stay with them until they sleep again. This relaxes the child.
Parents can also give their child their favorite soft toy to sleep with. The theory behind this is not to allow the child to feel that they are alone. Telling them that the toy will keep them safe reassures them to a great extent. Reading a happy bedtime story before the child goes back to sleep is a good way of taking their mind off the bad dream they just experienced. It also leaves happy thoughts in their mind which is conducive for a good deep sleep.
Points to remember
- Nightmares should not be confused with night terrors during which the child remains unresponsive but might thrash around in bed and babble. The best strategy in this case is to quietly observe as the child naturally goes back to sleep.
- It is important not to allow the child to sleep with the parent after every nightmare. This convinces them that nightmares are unnatural and they develop a habit of being afraid of their own room and bed, which is often very difficult to break.
- Setting up a proper bedtime routine, and a calm and relaxing surrounding induces a good sleep. Lullabies or bedtime stories trigger happy thoughts in the child’s mind thereby stalling off nightmares.
Nightmares are a common part of childhood. By following the proper ways of soothing the child, both the parent and the child can go through it without much trouble.
