Nightmares take place during light sleep. Many children awaken when they are having a bad dream. They often wake themselves up with their movements or by talking, yelling, or crying, which only adds to the fright. Children who have awakened themselves may be very frightened, and they may be difficult for parents to calm. They may not want to go back to sleep.
Some children have nightmares more often than others.
One child may have bad dreams only a few times per year, and another may have them more frequently. In most cases, parents do need to be concerned about their children's frequent nightmares. Nightmares often come in phases, with children having nightmares every night for a week or weeks, and then none at all for weeks or months. What to Do Here are some things parents can do to calm their children when they have nightmares. Be prepared .