2.5 yr old..nightmares..HELP??

Question

My 2.5 yr old son has had a headcold for about a week. It started last friday, he had a fever that night, but since that broke he's been in good spirits during the day, but he wakes up at night crying and screaming. We assume these are nightmares. There's nothing new happening around him. No extra stress. He hasn't been eating anything out of the ordinary at bedtime. I'm wondering is this just a stage? Did your kids have nightmares? Not sure what to do. Losing a lot of sleep nighttime. He's fine when we are with him, but I don't want him sleeping with us nighttime and we don't want him used to someone sleeping with him either.
What to do what to do!!!

Answer 1

It does actually sound like night terrors. However, it could be nightmares also. Even infants have nightmares. The cold could actually be a stressor that triggered the start of this. It is normal and will not hurt the child. The easiest way to tell if it is a night terror or a nightmare is to answer these questions. Does your child acknowledge that you are there? Can you calm him? A nightmare happens when the brain is "awake" but the body is still asleep. A night terror happens when the body is "awake" but the brain is still sleeping.
If it is a nightmare, calm him and let him know you are there and that he is safe. Safety is important. I would say stay with him until he goes back to sleep (or close to it) and then go back to your bed.
If it is a night terror, you are not supposed to wake them, and it is very difficult if you try. You should just watch him and make sure he doesn't hurt himself. This is very hard to do. Your instincts as a mother are to go to your child and hold him to make it all better. This is bad to do if it is a night terror. He won't understand it is you (because his brain is asleep) and will think that that is someone hurting him.
My son is 2 and a half and has been having night terrors. Sometimes really bad, other times not so bad. It is something that they will eventually stop doing. It doesn't hurt them and they won't remember it in the morning. It is kinda like what happens with a sleepwalker. I included a link to a good web page that may explain it better than me. Good luck and have patience!

Answer 2

It is most likely just a stage. Just make sure that he hasn't found a new way to get through the night. Can he tell you what he's dreaming about? If not, a new night light (even if the old one is fine) can work wonders. Remove anything in his room that is looking at him while he sleeps. Even the friendliest smile can look creepy when it is dark and you are already scared. Large things like vacuum cleaners and big teddy bears are better left in the living room at night. If he does have a nightmare, I have found the best thing you can do is repeat the nightime routine. Go immediately to him and turn on the light. We all want the light on to just check things out after a bad dream. Sit with him and encourage him to tell you the story. Don't tell him its silly or that there is nothing to be afraid of, he's not stupid, monsters are very much something to be afraid of. Show him that he is fine, you are fine and there is nothing in the room that there shouldn't be. Then repeat you nightime routine (maybe a bit truncated). Read him a book (a really nice one, stay away from Dr. Seuss they are wonderful books but have drawings of strange creatures, make sure the book is really mundane.), sing a song then kisses hugs, and extra room check and its into bed. This little routine helps reset his brain to sleep mode. If you don't have a bedtime routine, its time to get one. Keep it inside 10-20 minutes so that you can do it EVERY night. Many people give their kids a bath as part of the routine but then if the child can have the bath, nighttime is a lot harder. We give our kids baths as needed after dinner but make sure they are not part of the bedtime routine we always do something else before bed. This has really helped us, when we are with family for a holiday or in a motel on an adventure, we have the bath as an extra tool to help them settle into bedtime. If we can't give them a bath that night though, it is not a crisis and we still get some sleep.
You are right, never start a ritual you don't want. Don't go lay down with him or invite him to your bed. Your goal is to help him find a way to get through these himself (with lots of help now) because there is gonna be a time when he has a nightmare (at college, after he moves out etc) and there will be n one else home. He needs a toolbox of ideas to help.

Answer 3

Are you giving him any cold medication? If so read the warnings for any side effects. Consult your family Dr. if they do not subside. Make sure the child's drapes and all closet doors are shut, moon lite illuminating in on a stuffed animal can cast an eerie shadow. Place a night lite in his room, something soft, or a crib toy / light used to lull babys to sleep. Fisher Price makes many. Set it to play continuously all night. Or try a CD player with soft jazz, mild classical music. An old time remedy that works for children an adults alike is a "tic toc" clock. Good Luck and please remember when it comes to the health and well being of your children, your Dr. is your best friend. :) Also you may want to read or tell the child a bedtime story, something he enjoys during his day of play, make it funny and pleasant. Plant these thoughts in his head before he falls asleep it may help. I'm a God fearing woman and a native American, 1/2, I have dream catchers up over each bed. I used to suffer from (wake up in a cold sweat nightmares) as soon as I placed a dream catcher over my bed I have bed nightmare free for more then 20 years. Just a thought

Answer 4

I've never heard of a 2.5 year old having nightmares. I would have thought he would be too young.

Give him Calpol for his fever.
You could try sleeping with him for a while. You can do it just for a short while.
Or what about leaving your most worn t-shirt with him so in the night he can smell a familiar smell to comfort him.
Make sure he is very tired when he goes to bed.

make sure he doesn't eat or drink anything after 7pm.

Answer 5

My daughter is 3 and is doing the same thing. the doc called them night terrors but i have no idea why they have them if he told me i dont remember. what helps her, i go in her room dont let her out of bed and give her a hug and ask her if she had a bad dream if she says yes i try and get her to tell me what it was about. sometimes she does most the time she doesnt. i tell her everything is okay and mommy is here. I give her a kiss and tell her to try and go back to sleep. if she gets up again i do the exact same thing. its been 7wks since she started this, and she only wakes up maybe once a wk now. good luck.

Answer 6

You are just a couple of inches short try squeezing from bottom to top you will like it

Answer 7

HE MİGHT FEEL A BIT CHILLY. MAYBE HE THROWS OF HIS BLANKET AT NİGHT WHILE SLEEPING AND HE GETS COLD. , BECAUSE YOU SAY HE IS FINE WHEN HE IS WITH YOU.