At times, children may suffer from nightmares and this can cause a major trouble to the tot as well as to you. As child is maturing during the early ages, his imagination too is developing and so seeing hallucinations is the course of event. For instance, a funny cartoon character your child saw during the day may be morphed into a monster during a dream.
His bad dream does not reflect any underlying emotional or psychological problem, which many of you might otherwise be thinking.
Here are a few techniques that might help your child have a more fulfilling and peaceful night’s sleep.
1. Since the kid is suffering from hallucinations, calm him and try to convince him about the falsity of the situation. Allow him to talk openly with you and then solve the problem.
2. Don’t try to extinguish his fear with phrases like ‘Big boys don’t get scared’ or ‘Don’t be a baby.’ This would only instruct your kid that something is wrong with him.
3. Encourage him to draw the picture of the hallucination or monster. This way you respect his feelings and convey that you empathize with him.
4. Minimize the stories or verbal incidents that may aggravate terror in kids.
5. Emphasize to your child that monsters are only pretend characters on TV or in storybooks.
Your child experiencing some nightmares is quite normal and you don’t have to worry about it. Off course, it’ll take time but you have to become instrumental in providing solace to the little creature.
