Nightmares, bad dreams and monsters can be a common complaint in younger children, and often is classed as a normal developmental stage. However, even older children will sometimes bring back the monsters during changes in routine, movies, theme parks, new friends, late nights, extra sugar and a looser routine can all lead to an over-active, over-stimulated imagination, resulting in a cycle of nightmares, fears and not wanting to go to bed. By being gentle with your children during this phase of their development and giving them age-appropriate tools to empower them and have them feel safe, you and your child will be able to move through this stage faster and, best of all, get back to a good night’s sleep.

Taste and smell children respond well to symbolism as well as smell. Having someone special make them a special dream pillow filled with lavender will work wonders. It doesn’t need to be large; hand-size is fine, because it is the smell that keeps the monsters and bad dreams away. A bad dream spray is also a good way to help them go back to sleep after waking from an unpleasant dream. This can be water with a dash of lavender, or some mild air freshener. Take care to make the smell unique and not too heavy, as your aim is to get them back to sleep but also believe the smell unique for chasing away bad dreams and monsters.

A similar repellant can be used for auditory children but in the way of sound — a special bell that monsters can’t stand or a setting on a sound machine that when played softly helps attract good happy dreams and chase away bad ones. Pick a setting that reminds them of a place you have been together or a favorite book you have read together — the sounds of the ocean if you spend your holidays by the sea side, the sounds of birds if you spend them in the mountains, or perhaps the sound of rain to match your child’s favorite story. By creating not only a sound to chase away monsters and bad dreams, you also have a conversation, or story that you can tell them as a way of comforting them back to sleep and to change their focus.

It’s a well-known fact that monsters don’t like fairy lights and specially colored night-lights. As you can imagine if your dominant sense is sight and you wake up from a bad dream and can’t see, you’re likely to get worried. Visual children notice the shadows, so a dim night-light will help them to see when they wake. Keep pictures of their family and loved ones next to the bed so their happy face is the first thing they see on waking. Chase away any monster that lives in certain corners by placing a stuffed animal guard or a small night-light. Colorful paper chains, and dream catchers and whatever your child’s favorite color is are good at keeping the bad dreams and monsters at bay, so make sure their pajamas, sheets or pillowcases are all in this color.

Tactile children will need physical reassurance after a bad dream, so you will need to come into their room and give them a cuddle to help ease their fear. Doing something to fix the problem will also be appreciated, so pick up the phone and call the monster’s or bad dream’s mother to discuss their child’s bad behavior. Tactile children tend to get excess energy when they wake up scared, so having them join you in a stompy “go away monster” dance will solve two problems — working off the energy and scaring off the monster. A special furry blanket that makes kids invisible to monsters can be put on the bed at bedtime and setting up booby traps or stuffed toys as lookouts can also help.

Priscilla J. Dunstan is a child and parenting behavior expert and consultant and the author of “Child Sense.” Learn more about Priscilla and her parenting discoveries at www.childsense.com

2012, Priscilla J. Dunstan

See more at www.childsense.com

By PRISCILLA J. DUNSTAN