Sleep is what the body needs. When we sleep sometimes we dream, and this mostly at night. Not all dreams are pleasant. There are those that scare us to death. For kids, scary dreams can make sleeping dreadful, propel them to demand the presence of another older member of the family before they give in to sleep.
Nightmare is a frightening dream followed by a sense of oppression or suffocation that usually awakens the sleeper. This may occur repeatedly or on any night. The child wakes up and becomes moody throughout the day. There are simple steps to take to end this experience.
Keep scary materials away from the kids. Visual materials such as horror movies, vampire books, bloody stories, and any other books not recommended for their age. A child has a virgin mind which can easily recall whatever that is fed to it. The tricks associated with movies are not detected by these young minds. Hence, kids believe anything they see or read.
Do not compel them to do something by calling the names of things they fear as though physically present. Repetition of those words may make the child live in fear. Since the child’s brain is still developing, any imagination created sticks. Mind the words that you speak to your kids to eliminate the occurrence of nightmares. As much as possible do not expose your children to the full details of horrific news.