A popular topic lately has been nightmares. So let’s talk about em!
Nightmares are a dream, a very scary dream that wakes you and leaves you frightened and full of dread. The nightmare begins as an ordinary dream, but then towards the end it turns frightening. These happen in REM sleep.
Many experts tell us that night fears are common among children between two and four years old. Monsters, thunderstorms, shadows, barking dogs… and many other events over which we have no control can frighten our children. So how should we handle it at night to avoid it becoming anything more than a just a nightmare? Here’s a few tips!
* By responding to your child of course! Offering comfort and reassurance that the fear is not real.
* A good way to explain this to a toddler could be to say ” it’s only your mind telling a scary story… but it’s just a story! It’s not real so don’t worry.” By leaving it at that, it doesn’t validate the “story” as being real.
* You want to avoid discussions at the time the problem is taking place, because your reasoning at the time calls attention to the problem and thus reinforces it.
*Praise them! When there is cooperation like staying in bed, praise the specific behavior. “Thank you for staying in bed!” Or “thank you for trying to sleep”!
*Last but not least, avoid TV time before bed!
Have a great weekend! 
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?Next week’s sleep tip…night terrors!?
