Can toddlers have nightmares?

Question

My daughter is 20 months old and always sleeps thru the nite. But 2 nights ago, she woke up crying. I tried all the obvious stuff, and nothing calmed her down. And she didnt feel feverish or anything. I finally brought her in bed with us, and she calmed right down and went to sleep. Shes never slept with us since I weaned her at 12 months. I cant imagine why she would have a nightmare. Nothing scary on TV, and no one fighting around her or anything. Is it normal for a toddler to have a bad dream and be scared by it?

Answer 1

Night terrors. I had them myself as a kid, they're fairly common. It's a kind of nightmare where the person having it is very upset, maybe screaming or crying, but can't easily be awakened out of it. Most of the time the dreamer won't remember it the next day. Very scary, but harmless in the end.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_terrors

Answer 2

Yes anyone, any age can have dreams or nightmares. If it continues you can purchase some Homeopathic Kali Phosphate 6X from the Health Food Store. Succus the Bottle and place 2 or 3 globuals on the child's tongue. It will disolve in a couple of minutes (there is no taste). Give 1 hour before Bed time. You and your husband or any other children can take a dose every once in awhile. A good tonic for the nervous system.

Answer 3

A person doesn't have to see or hear something scary to have a "nightmare." Dreams are just your mind sorting out information and storing it away while you sleep, and as your brain works to do so emotional centers often get stimulated -- sometimes in ways that make you feel good, sometimes in ways that make you feel bad. Toddlers are processing a LOT of information every day as they learn so much so fast, and these kind of "night terrors" are fairly common. Nothing to worry about, they usually just happen occasionally and then stop happening later on. Many researchers think they stop when the brain learns to better deal with "difficult" information and situations, things which provoke a negative emotional response. It's normal :)

Answer 4

If she seemed not to be able to hear you like she was still asleep I would say, too, night terrors. We went through this last week with my 18 mo old granddaughter and a ton of people on Y!A were SO very helpful! It's awful and I am happy to say she has not done it since last week. Lexie has also has had real nightmares where she wakes up crying (and screaming) but actually wakes up and calms down.

Answer 5

DO NOT take her to bed with yoiu. She is having "Night terrors" No one knows what causes them some theories are that they are unreleased energy other's say over active imaginations in toddlers. Children usually outgrow them over time. But if you start taking her to your bed you will have another problem on your hands. Leave her in her own bed. Just go in, comfort her if she wakes, most kids do NOT wake up unless the parent is there to wake them, they will shout, cry, my sister would actually get OUT of bed, walk around to the other side and get back in, and not be awake. If parents leave them alone the child will go right back to sleep.

Answer 6

Honey at ANY age a kid can have a bad dream it is more then likely that yes she is I used to have them all the time when I was little and sleeping with my mother did help and she can get them from anything like if she heard mommy and daddy having a dissagurement that can do it or anyone eles aguring can cause nightmares

Answer 7

Anything can become a nightmare for a child, even a small child! Sesame Street to Clifford the Big Red Dog! You NEVER know what their little brains can come up with. My little one goes through phases of nightmares. I had them horribly when I was a child as well.
So yes, it is possible.

Answer 8

Absolutely they can. What you think is scarey is different to what they find scarey. And whatever makes them cry while awake, can make them cry if they're dreaming about it.

Both of my kids have had whats called "night terrors".... my daughters was worse, and it seemed to last forever. What that is, is a series of repeated bad dreams that cause her to scream for hours. Waking her up would cause her to remember them, so we had to sit and wait it out. And it seemed like it took forever to get her to calm down. But when she woke up, she was fine, no memory or effects at all.

Its pretty common with toddlers.

Answer 9

Of course. And maybe it was something that wasn't scary to YOU, but she found frightening.
I have a 22 mo old and a 5 year old. They both have had nightmares. Usually my 22 mo old can't tell me what frightened her (one time she did wake up crying and saying BUG), but sometimes I'm amazed at what my 5 year old gets scared about b/c it seems so silly to me. Of course I don't tell her it's silly, I just comfort her. But now there are nightlights in her room and visits to Mommy and Daddy's room on occasion :)

Answer 10

my2 y/o does this too.i can only imagine what could be scarying him.it could be a dream that theyre all alone and cant find their mom.something as simple as that can scare a little one.i remember when my kids were just weeks old and would wake up from a dead sleep crying like they had a bad dream.its sad but all you can do is console them and let them know it was just a dream