4 year old and nightmares

[Nosleepforthismum]

My DS(4) has been waking up every night for the last couple of weeks with nightmares and needing to sleep in our bed (or for me to sleep with him in the spare room). I’m exhausted. He doesn’t go straight back to sleep and is chatty/singing/humming/pretending his teddy is alive. Have to try to keep him quiet in case he wakes up our 2 year old so sending him back to his room never works.

Any ideas on how to help him (and me)? The nightmares vary but seem to be a combination of different “things” that chase him. Last night it was scary cheese and the night before it was a giant frog. He has a nightlight and the hallway light left on and we have the same routine of bath, story, bed that he’s always had. Any words of wisdom gratefully received.

Poor darling! Nightmares suck. I've had periods of my life where I've had them every night and it's exhausting. Is he well hydrated? Dreams are always worse if you're thirsty. Avoid salty foods for dinner and keep sweet treats to a minimum - again, I only have to have one chocolate biscuit or scoop of ice-cream and I'm in for a bad night!

Has he recently started school? It can take some time to adjust. Maybe it signifies the pressure he feels under or something? Is he getting homework/being pushed too hard academically? Any chance he's being picked on?

What's he watching? Small children can be strongly affected by TV, even kids' episodes. Keep anything he watches in the afternoons/evenings as slow paced and simple as possible. Cut out running/escape tablet games if that's something he does at the moment.

Again, bedtime reading? I had one little one I nannied for start having nightmares after his dad read Famous 5 to him. He was 5 which imo is too young for those books. Keep bedtime reading light and cosy

Is he getting enough outdoors time? Fresh air and exercise is always beneficial for sleep. Take him straight to the playground after school, in all but the most extreme weather. You can get waterproof overalls for everyone. Even just 20 minutes will blow the after-school cobwebs away. I always think they're more likely to talk about things in the car that have upset them that day if they've had that time to process them too.

Also, does he have a Yoto player? They can become a crutch, so not necessarily something you want to get into, but can help little ones refocus on a positive thought train and drift off back to sleep if it's a well known story. Again you want it to play stories aimed at children a year or so younger when he's trying to sleep. More age-appropriate stories are better during the day when he's doing a puzzle or colouring or whatever.