5.5 DS vs nightmares!!

[GeorgiaT2468]

My lad is anxious at night time when I prepare him and his brothers for bed. When I say they have 10 minutes left of their 'before bed activity' he begins to get emotional and or cry telling me he's scared to go to sleep because he has bad dreams. He wakes up several times in the night and climbs into my bed or if I'm not in bed yet he will come to find me in the lounge and almost run to me telling me he's had bad dreams. He then asks me to go to bed with him so he's not alone.

Iv tried sweet dreams poems, a dream catcher, special glowing pillows, night light, story times about happy dreams, comfort blanket ect but it still continues. He complains of belly aches before bed and during the night, I took him to the doctors about his belly ache but the doc couldn't find any physical evidence of any health problems.

He's not sleeping well and suffers the next day with being tired and grumpy/frustrated.

If he sleeps in my bed or if I stay in his room he's fine and sleeps all night but this isn't feasible. Iv got two other younger children, one who's breast fed dependant and when he wakes to be fed my 5.5 year old gets out of bed too to be with me.

Any idea or advice on how to support him through this? Or strategies to help him at night time? I'd really appreciate some input.

Thanks very much xx

[Clare1971]

I'm sure anything I could suggest you will have already thought of but there's another thread about a five year old with nightmares so I'm replying to this in case you want to look at the advice there too. I can't work out how to link but the title is clear so you'll see it if you look.

[GeorgiaT2468]

Thank you very much xx