No parent likes being woke up in the middle of the night by their toddler crying, especially when those tears are a result of fear. However almost all toddlers have nightmares occasionally and a rare 5% have night terrors. Understanding what causes night terrors and nightmares in toddlers can help prevent or at least lessen their occurrence.
The first step is to identify which nighttime bane is causing your toddler to wake up crying, this means understanding the difference between a nightmare and a night terror.
A nightmare in a toddler:
-Occurs later in the night once dreaming has begun.
-Will be remembered the next day by your toddler.
-Causes fear and/or clinginess in a toddler immediately afterwards.
What to do if you determine your toddler is having nightmares:
When a nightmare occurs go to your toddler and offer comfort. Physical comfort is especially helpful, stroke his/her back, run your fingers through his/her hair, etc. You can try to explain that it was only a dream but chances are your toddler won’t understand what this means as realty and fantasy a re still a bit fuzzy to most kid’s this age. It will help to talk about the dream and let your toddler attempt to express their fear.
You can prevent nightmares by keeping a good bed time routine and by being careful to avoid things that may prompt nightmares such as scary movies. If your toddler does experience a nightmare don’t feel bad, it is likely nothing you personally did wrong these things are just a fact of childhood.
What to do if you determine your toddler is having night terrors:
Unlike a nightmare a toddler in the middle of a night terror should not be comforted, touched unless he/she is about to be hurt (ex/ hitting head on headboard.). This is because your toddler is not actually awake, attempts to comfort him or her may result in disorientation and an even more frantic and fearful result. While I know it may be hard to listen to your toddler cry out as my toddler some frequently has night terrors it is better to stand by offering comfort in calm words waiting for the night terror to subside.
As what exactly causes night terrors is not known there is not really anyway to prevent them. You can ensure your child has a set bed time schedule and try to make sure they get ample sleep for their age. You may also speak to your pediatrician to be sure a physical condition such as sleep apnea is not causing the problem. Some children outgrow night terrors though the condition does occur in adults.
