2 year old waking due to nightmares

[FlyAwayToMalibu]

Any advice on how to help her through this? 2.2 yo has started waking in the middle of the night and nap in hysterics, sweating, distressed calling for me saying she wants to sleep in our bed.

4 month old baby is on our room and she's been waking baby up in the night. Between them I'm averaging a couple hours broken sleep.

Any tips on getting toddler through this?

Anyone?

DS has had a period of nightmares (also started when dd was still feeding through the night, argh!), we have had some success with more careful tv selections and not blacking out his room anymore. It hasn't stopped completely but the frequency has reduced. I hope you have a bit of sleep soon, having children is brutal!

DS started with nightmares at about the same age. With him fear of the dark made things worse.

He's now 3.6 and DD is 9m so I can sympathise on the waking up the baby bit too. I spent many a night with baby one side and DS the other all cosleeping in one double bed (DH in a different room!).

Things that I think helped:
Having a very consistent routine at bedtime, with quieten down time.
We use this after stories for him to go to sleep with and then turn it on after any nightmares too for getting back to sleep.
Having a nightlight. We've used a groclock but I've just got one of these which is great because it's a safe touch sensitive light he can turn on himself.
Making sure he's had enough to eat and drink before bed.
Making sure he has his comforter toy easily accessible.
Making sure he's warm and secure (this has been the biggest influence on reduction in wakings). We turned his single duvet horizontal and tucked it under the mattress so he sleeps in a snug little envelope. The duvet doesn't reach the end of the bed of course but neither does he.

I never turn him away when he's woken with a nightmare. I'll let him climb in with me and either we fall asleep or he settles and I take him back 20 mins later and put his turtle on.

I still remember having nightmares as a child. I remember the sheer terror. I also remember being turned away and told not to be silly. I will never do that to DS, even if I have to get up with him every night for his whole childhood.

His worst waking was actually when dd was about 4m, I have no doubt her arrival affected his sleep. He currently wakes with a nightmare once a week ish, rather than once or twice a night!

Hope your dd sleeps better soon.

Thank you vomiting we've stopped tv before bed and will try a nightlight.

Reassure her that 'love grows and never dies', that just because you have a new baby, you love her as much if not even more than before.

Earlier bed time, worked like a dream for my DD for any sleep disturbance. (Not the magic solution for ever child but worth a try.)

Dream catcher, gentle calming music for bed time, worry dolls to take the bad dreams away who live under her pillow. She is a bit young for some of these ideas but it is possibly worth trying, talking through the concept of bad dreams (muddled up thoughts).

Good luck and god speed your journey through this bit, sleep disruption is torture!!!

Thank you all for the advice I will try them. Baby has just woken up now. Plus I have a chest infection so feeling exhausted anfw
d teary.

I set up a comfy bed in DS's room. So he was reassured that his room is safe. And do the same for dd (they share a room which might help!)

thegreat ds is only 4 months so is in with us, so I can't sleep in dd's room as ds wakes 4-5 times a night for feeds.

Sorry I misread and thought baby was in with your eldest.

My DH would sleep in with ds if I couldn't (which I couldn't for some time as similar to you - we have a younger dc).

Our DS always wakes with nightmares if he's either too hot (sweaty hot) or too cold. You'd think he'd just wake up and either kick the covers off or cover himself up. It seems to genuinely give him nightmares because he wakes crying and shaking and it's not until we've woken him up properly and sorted him out that he'll settle.

Our DD always gets nightmary when her body is out of kilter and that gets sorted out with an osteopath appointment.

DD has nightmares and it is often connected to being too hot. Can you turn down the heating a tad and see if it makes a difference?

fantail she does wake up quite sweaty , thank you for the suggestion I'll try removing a blanket abd just leaving the 4.5 tog duvet.

I found that sleeping DD in a long sleeved top and short pj bottoms also helped with temperature control. DD runs naturally warm anyway.

Took the blanket away last night. She woke at 5.30am distressed saying she wanted to sleep in our bed.

Exhausted as 5 mo is up all night as well plus I'm ill.

How can I get her to sleep in her bed again?

Oh dear. Was going to say that 5.30 wasn't that bad until I read you were sick as well.

Can you get your DH to help out?

Dh came home drunk last night so was useless.

She napped 1.30-3.30pm today after screaming for an hour (I went in to reassure, cuddle and tuck her in every 5-10 mins). Bedtime she screamed for 20 mins.

I honestly don't know what I'm doing - what's best, let her settle herself or just bring her into our bed? It feels horrendous seeing her this upset but being ill and waking 5-6 times a night feeding baby has broken me, andi can't deal with her being awake in the rare moments baby is asleep.