Night waking and bad dreams.

[cori]

My DS 3.2 has started waking everynight and coming into our bed. He says he is having a bad dream and is scared to sleep in his own room.
He does seem genuienly scared of something but I think he might be making the dream bit up, everynight it is the same dream he says'man chase me away' after a couple of weeks of this I suggested that maybe he might have a nice dream, he could dream about balloons or going to the park etc. The next day he said 'I had a bad dream, balloons pop me away' .

I dont want to send to his room if he really is scared and upset , but I dont want this to turn into a really bad habit. Do you think this is just a stage and he will grow out of it?

[bakedpotato]

Ha ha, balloons pop me away, I like that.
Has he got a nightlight?
DD, 3.5, never ever gets out of bed, which is why she's still in night nappies. But last night we heard dreadful wailing in the corridor at 2am. We put her back in bed and she said, 'Is there a clipper in the bed?' (She meant bulldog clips.) We told her there wasn't. This morning, she said she'd dreamed that clippers had got in her bed and were clipping her. Sorry, I digress.
It does sound like a sleep habit, maybe kickstarted by one or two genuine bad dreams. I'd do the nightlight thing, maybe a star chart, bribery for getting him to stay in bed quiet. Personally, I wouldn't go along with letting him get into your bed: that is basically a reward.

[cori]

He does have a night light so thats not the problem.
I have sometimes found him sleeping on couch in the morning, when we have insisted on him going back to his room.

[bakedpotato]

do you put him back in bed, or just send him back there?
the couch thing is ...
if you ask him what would make the nights happier and calmer, what does he say?
i've read somewhere that getting your child to choose a new soft toy to stand guard in the bed all night can work wonders. but it sounds too simple to work, somehow!

[cori]

We sometimes send him back to his room. Sometimes we take him back.
Depends on the reason for his waking.

If he is scared and crying I don?t have the heart to send him back, in case he feels abandoned.
He has a special blanket and several favourite teddies he sleeps with.
He has no problems going to sleep, usually.

We have also found him sleeping on the floor in our room on occasion.

I havent asked what would make his nights happier. I dont know if he would respond to that type of questioning but will try it.