Children having nightmares

I am not sure as i have not experienced this yet.. Sometime my daughter wakes up and cries, but i dunno if she's having nightmares yet. she cant tell me yet anyways.. I wonder what kind of nightmares a 2 year old has.. i'm curious.. Is it something that she's watching on tv causing her to have a nightmare ? My hubby son was here once and just before bedtime my hubby's friend was here wathcing some dinosaur show, and i think that gave him bad dreams.. and he was about 3.. I would try the relaxation cd, maybe the kind with the rain and the light bird sounds.. that helps me sleep! I bet as her mom this breaks your heart doesn't it that she wakes up screaming and you can't do anything about it.. it sure would break mine!!

I wonder if there is something about the age 2 that causes them to have nightmares? My daughter is also 2 and she wakes up shouting in her sleep, she is usually shouting stop it stop it. I think the relaxation cd sounds like a good idea and well worth trying, I mean if she doesnt get any better and it still keeps happening perhaps you could have a word with a health visitor or someone just to get some ideas of what else you can do. I've been told that lavender is a good thing to help aid restful sleep, so maybe some lavender in a bath before bed or something like that. I hope she grows past it soon, its not very nice for them is it?

i have the book "what to expect the toddler years". here's what it says: "As adults, at least, we have the advantage of being able to awaken realizing that it was "only a dream." Young children, w/ their relatively limited experience, aren't as good at distinguishing between a dream and reality, and don't have this advantage. when a toddler wakes in the middle of the night, the wild animals, ghosts, monsters or other frightneing creatures that may have been besetting her in her dreams are still real and threatening. Several factors can bring on bad dreams: stress (due, for ex., to family discord or tension); change(nightmares are more common when there is a new babysitter, a move, daycare, new bed, room etc.); pre-bedtime excesses(excitement, activity or food); illness(a fever or certain meds can provoke a frightening dream). But he most common cause of nightmares in young children is an improved memory and growing imagination unchecked by reason. and as a toddler's imagination becomes more complex, so do her nightmares. the simple, unsettling images of her less-mature nightmares become more clearly focused, and thus, more frightening. things to help reduce the risk of night mares: Keep the time before bedtime tranquil. avoid roughhousing, scary TV, or videos, or scary books. don't pretend to be a "big bad wolf" when you come to take her to bed, don't play the tickle monster, when you're tucking her in. --After she wakes up, ask her to talk about her dream. it might help her feel better. help her express herself if her vocab is limited. --tell her it's safe. a nightmare will make her feel vulnerable and afraid. she needs reassurance that she's not in danger. let her know that dreams aren't real, just like storybooks or makebelieve. --SHOW her it's safe. turn on lights in her room to show her it's ok. get her a night light. if she's afraid "something is in her room, do a 'monster check'. --make sure she feels safe when you leave her. she feels very small compared to the nocturnal nasties that firghten her, and needs all the reassurance she can get. --In the mornings, reinforce that she's safe. Nightmares are often more memorable than other kinds of dreams, and even if a toddler doesn't remember all the details, she may wake up next morning w/ a nagging feeling of anxiety. let her talk about her dream. Praise her for have the courage to go back to sleep. --if you know of a stressful situation in her life that may be contributing to the nightmares, do something about it." Ok--that's a paraphrase of what it says. then there's night terrors which includes crying, screaming, thrashing, eyes open, sweaty. If she has one of those, don't wake her or touch her. If that fits more w/ her, let me know and I'll give you more info on it. also, i've personally met kids who've had bad nightmares because of spinal problems. If your tactics aren't working, you may want to have the doctor check her back. If her back is not aligned properly, it will cause some bad nightmares and screams. Other medical problems may contribute, too. If she can tell you what they are, listen to her and help teach her that it's not real. I wish you luck. :)

My son had night terrors when he was 2, he would tell me about the man in the wall. Finally, one day, during the day, I asked him about the 'man in the wall', he showed me the face he saw in the paneling, it was a stretch but I guess it could have been a face. I explained to him that we had a big dog, a 125 pound doberman at the time, and that she would bark and let me know if something was there and that if she was scared, he should call her. This seemed to work for a bit, but that weekend, I painted the paneling and ended the problem. I guess I had it easy, I would say a night light would be a great idea, we had one and my son had a security blanket that also helped. The cd might work, but I think I would stay away from any sounds of water - especially if she is potty trained or you are trying to train her.

I guess if it is any consolation this is the sign of a healthy imagination - though no comfort to you as you struggle to comfort/bring peace to your child's night hours. I well remember as a child being terrified of noises in my bedroom (actual noises that could be rationally explained but not sufficiently for my imagination) not being taken seriously prolonged my terrors and left me with an adult fear of birds. So my advice is to try to find out if there is a specific thing real or imagined that is frightening her and causing the dreams and if so deal with it. Like someone else said the silliest thing to an adult be it noise/shadow/whatever can be exploded within a young child's mind into the worst imaginable outcome. Reassure and take their fears seriously ............ wait till their teens then it will be you having the nightmares lol teens

You can help by making sure that he avoids exciting or overstimulating bedtime stories, television programs, or videos at bedtime, any of which may put the idea of monsters or aliens into his head. If he seems afraid before he goes to bed, reassure he that the house is safe and secure, that you are there for him, and that only friends or family can come into the house. Cuddle and reassure him, then tuck him back into bed when he is feeling more secure. If you make him feel safe, he will usually sleep soundly again after a nightmare.

does she go to daycare? maybe there is someone at the daycare that really scares her. or maybe she is watching something that she isn't suppose to be watching.(to scary for a little child)maybe someone is playing a little to rough with her? i think that maybe if you put a little nightlight in her room with the calming music(but the music might scare her too if she isn't use to it, she might need some time to adjust to it)give her a "safety" blanket or a dolly or something to cuddle with at night. alot of kids like those "safety" things at night. just some suggestions. i have 2 year old som myself so he woke up sometimes screaming and i jumped out of bed before about to have a heart attack.