when do children start having bad dreams that disturb their sleep?

Question

we have a 15 mth old boy, and the past week there have been a couple of nights he has woke up just about 2 hours after we put him down for bed time, and he'll be screaming bloody murder and when you go to pick him up he'll be stiff as a board and it's almost near impossible to get him to calm down. after he's up from say 15 minutes to an hour i'll lay him back down and he'll go back to sleep. this is not a usuall oh i just need to get up cry or need a drink/diaper. it's really horrible, almost freaks me out. almost like being in just terrible pain, but he's not.

Answer 1

My son just turned 15 months, during this past month he has been having, what I think are nightmares. Searched the Internet and found one site that said that babies can have nightmares as early as 6 weeks, it is most common between 3 and 4 years of age. The guy that wrote the article said that anything that is a reason to cry about is a reason to have a nightmare about. and the baby is just dealing with those emotions in their dreams. My son has been waking up with a horrible scream and is hysterical and we have to get him out of the bedroom right away and I have even noticed if we go towards our bed he will get upset so we sit on the couch and just hold him until he settles down and falls back to sleep. Sometimes playing soft music to will help. The article said they will fear going back to sleep so I think that is why he seems to get more upset around the beds. It is a nightmare if he seems to recognize you when you go in his room and he can be comforted by you. It sounds like what you may be experiencing is night terrors which is also common in the toddler years. His eyes may be open but you will be able to tell that he is not conscience. He still seems out of it like he is still asleep. Do not wake him up or wake him up gently if this is happening because he will see you as the fear and will get worst. My son has done this ones and it is freaky because you can see in his face he is not recognizing you and he will just scream that horrifying scream.. They say it's normal and if it's a nightmare it's healthy for them to deal with their stress but I know it's not easy, because we are going through it too. Remember this is just a stage of life and your little boy will grow up just fine to be a healthy adult. Hope this helps you out.

Answer 2

Actually my son went through the same thing. He is not actually have nightmares but what my doctor called night terrors and it is very important that you don't wake him or touch him because that causes them to be more scared. You need to let him dream through it. Believe me it is very hard and you can talk to your doctor about it. It is so disturbing to be woke up an hour after you go to bed, but they get better and do come and go. My son is now 28 months and this has been reoccuring since he was 14 months old. Research it on the internet. A good site is www.babycenter.com/refcap/142.html.

Answer 3

Usually, kids have extremely vivid dreams until they are around 5 or 6 - my little sis used to yell out in the middle of the night like she was awake, but she was just dreaming.

Your son could just be having a very vivid dream, not necessarily a nightmare, but it is making him very uncomfortable. Make sure you do soothing activities before bedtime, like a bath, reading or storytelling, and be very positive. Don't let him watch TV at all for at least an hour before. If these don't work, try experimenting with his environment until you find the culprit - try a nightlight, close the curtains, don't let animals in the room (if you have pets), etc.

Your child having bad dreams can be scary, but please resist the urge to have him start sleeping with you. It's an excruciating habit to have to break later on.

Answer 4

I agree with the people answering that it is Night Terrors . My son only woke up with this a couple of times, but it was clear that he was not awake and could not be comforted or even recognize me while it was happening.
Good luck - try to cut back on novel experiences for a while and stick to a routine. I don't remember doing anything unusual or extra exciting when my son had them - but then everything is new and different to a child that young.

Answer 5

It sounds like night terrors as some others have said. My 5 yr old suffers from them. They are supposed to get better by 6 years, so here's hoping. With her, I found that if she is too tired, like skipping her nap or going to bed late, she is more prone to them. Also if she eats sweets an hour or less before bed. We eat dessert earlier now. Don't wake him up, he may be sitting with his eyes open but probably is still asleep...like in a trance. Try calling his name, if he doesn't react to it, he isn't awake. Don't shake, poke, yell, or anything like that to get his attention. Talk or sing in a low soothing voice and when it passes tuck him back in, he will likely sleep the whole night afterward and not remember it at all. You might mention it to his doc just to be sure.

Answer 6

Dreams are dreams and maybe it is a bad one for your baby. If this continues talk to his pediatrician.

It could actually be pain, internal pain. Try calming music in the background, singing, soft talk, etc. Changes in a routine signal something and you will need to do trial and error, ruling out various things, until it resolves on its own or your doctor provides clues and resolution.

Perhaps it is noises outside that are new, example a barking dog or noisey, loud car going by.

Good luck

Answer 7

you oftentimes get bullied? the federal government has a regulation, those days, that colleges positioned a end to bullying. whilst i became in intense college, I have been given bullied, basically two times. returned then freshmen have been meant to be concentrated for bullying and verbal taunting. yet I wasn't taunted till i became a Junior. Lot of peace in between the two occurrences. Your instructor is an fool. Crying isn't a detention worth remember, neither is it traumatic the class. you're saying those bullies constantly discover you on the city, and on the mall? nicely, guess what- in the event that they harm you on the city or on the mall, you have an benefit, in which you will checklist them with out having your grievance omitted. lady, once you're 20, you would be unfastened to grow to be despite you opt to grow to be. Your father's a doctor and he advised you to pass away, rather of helping you? i'm hoping he would not handle all sufferers that way. this is unethical! Cry toddler? worst daughter? definite, it incredibly is all baby abuse! you are able to stay at school, till a minimum of grade 11, or till you graduate from 12th. Then pass out of the homestead, get an apt and a job of your selection. that's what you're able to do.

Answer 8

When there is a disturbance in their surroundings that has disturbed them . Domestic Fighting or arguing may be a cause anything that remains in their minds and has caused them to feel stress from a situation that has not or can not be explained. Fear and confusion from of a particular visual or audio message they were able to perceive.

Answer 9

My son is 3 and there's night he freaks out i guess any age. Just calm him down that's what me hubby do until he falls back to sleep.When he does that just tell him it's ok mommy or daddy is here just let him know that your there and him hearing your voice

Answer 10

My niece did this and was diagnosed with night terrors...much different than nightmares but isn't harmful to your son. Here is some information on it.