October is notorious for being a spooky month, so it may come as no surprise that nightmares may be on the rise. No one likes being woken up one, two, three, or more times in a night by their toddler, but it happens. We’re here to help you lull them back to blissful sleep. We can also help keep your mattress mess free with a mattress protector. Those nighttime messes are no joke!

Here are a few tips to help your little one fall back asleep, and hopefully stay asleep:

1. Remain Calm: Having a calming presence helps alleviate the fear while having an irritated temperament can add to the problem. It isn’t easy being calm and soothing after being woken up, so it may be important to attempt a calming exercise before addressing the nightmare.
2. Be a Good Listener: Be sure to listen to the problem fully and without judgement.
3. Offer Comfort: You know your child best when it comes to how best to comfort them, but it doesn’t hurt to tell them another bedtime story, particularly one where whatever they feared is vanquished. Offering reassurances that they’re alright and will continue to be so can do wonders.
4. Daylight May be Best: Sometimes it’s best to talk about the bad dreams during the day when things are less frightening and the idea of going back to sleep is so far away.
5. Offer a Solution: Things are less scary if there is a way to avoid or combat the fear. Some parents have had success with helping their child imagine a way to change or alter their fear while in a dream. Others have helped by doing an exercise where the fear is combated by turning it into something humorous, like the Boggart in the Harry Potter series. If those don’t work, having something like a dream catcher can also help as a means of reassurance.