Banishing Night Terrors and Nightmares
Activities before Bed
Be sure that your toddler is not watching scary movies before going to sleep. Really, television before bedtime is not a good idea anyway. This can be a cause for bad dreams or trouble falling asleep.
The Dark
Possibly your toddler is just afraid of the dark. I recall being afraid of the dark at a young age. It is not a good feeling.
Sleep Schedule
It is important to get your toddlers on a sleep schedule. Then their bodies can get into a routine of going to bed the same time every night. According to baby center.com, allowing toddlers to go to sleep late creates over fatigue. Try to have a regular routine. Be consistent with this sleep schedule. There may be times when on holidays or visiting relatives possibly out of town, the schedule is off, but as soon as you are back home, try to get back to a regular routine.
Reading a story
Allowing your toddler to lie in bed as you read a bedtime story will allow your toddler to relax. Also, allow your toddler to pick out a bedtime story from his favorite books. It gives your toddler a feeling of some control. Do not be surprise if your toddler picks the same book out on several nights. That is okay, because your toddler will have favorite books that he or she likes over other books.
Toddler’s room
Be sure that your toddler’s room is not too hot or too cold. Some toddlers cannot tolerate a lot of heat.
Security
Sometimes toddlers want a security blanket. Others may like a favorite stuffed animal or baby doll to take to bed with them. Do indulge them with this.
University of Michigan Health System states that the Rem (rapid eye movement) stage of sleep is light sleep and the stage when you are an infant or child is most likely to wake up. The NREM (non rapid eye movement) stage is deep sleep. In normal sleep a child cycles between light sleep and deep sleep.
Night Terrors
Night- Terrors-children.com states that a child might have night terrors when they have been sleep deprived or sleep routine has been broken. The night terrors might be a dream about having their life threatened. They also state that stressful situations can cause night terrors in children. Does your toddler have trouble sleeping?
The Truth About Night Terrors
Source:
Night-Terrors-children.com
Medical University of Michigan Education
baby center.com
More from This Author:
Tips For Better Sleep For Toddlers (listed under Toddlers Good Night Sleep)
5 Top Parenting Mistakes (Listed under Good Parenting)
Jesus For Kids (Listed under God)
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