Bad dreams

[tasha41]

My daughter (4.5) has been having a lot of bad dreams. She is afraid of the dark right now also so I do leave her bedroom door open with the hall light on. I have reassured her that she is safe and I'm nearby- my bedroom door is right across the hall and I'm often awake for several hours after she goes to bed.

She is only 100% content if she sleeps in my bed or I sleep in hers. I usually sneak out of her room after she's sleeping soundly, but I want everyone to sleep through the night again (especially as she is in school now and we have to get up at 7am Mon-Fri!)

I'm trying to ensure she doesn't watch anything with monsters etc- but she LOVES Scooby Doo (we don't have that channel, she sees it at my mom's) but I can't think of anything else that could be scaring her (apart from her imagination).

Any advice?? We have a dream catcher in her window and a night light also.

 

[RachA]

I think it's most likely to be her imagination rather than what she's watching. My son is a bit of a scardy-cat but he loves scooby do and has done for ages but its never bothered him.
He does go trough phases when he wants the light on etc because he's scared but we do insist that at night the light stays off (I cannot sleep with the light on-I've tried in order for DS to not be scared but I was awake the whole time the light was on). He has it in when he's falling asleep.

For us it seems that he is disturbed for a couple of nights and then is fine for a few months do maybe your daughter will settle down soon. Has she just started at school? Maybe this is worrying her or it could be that she has so much going through her mind that she dreams about stuff and then when she wakes up she thinks it was a bad dream even if it wasn't.

 

[Kate&Lucas]

I find bloody telly adverts are the worst for putting stuff in Lucas's head. He has some really disturbing dreams and I find he has them mostly when he's been exposed to "adult" television. I only watch lighthearted sitcoms when he's in the room, but he's pointed out the adverts a couple of times as things he's seen in his dreams (usually trailers for more violent shows). I limit what he sees now and TiVo everything so I can skip the ads.

Other that that I find that just the fear of nightmares gives him nightmares, if that makes sense? Sometimes he refuses to go to sleep because (in his words) "I have bad things in my head". So I've bought a bottle of multi vitamin liquid and told him it's 'bad dream medicine', if he thinks he's going to have a bad dream I give him a spoonful before he goes to bed. It's worked so far

 

[celiatass]

I think you just need to console her every now and then that she is safe. But if she still has these dreams then consult a psychiatrist.