Nightmares of the Preschooler Kind

The boys go to bed at about 8:00 most evenings. Typically, they sleep through the night really well. Sometimes, one will get up to use the bathroom and then go back to sleep until 6:30 or 7:00 if we are lucky. Watching the boys sleep peacefully is a wonderful thing. This means no stuffed noses, coughing, nightmares, or anything else traumatic. Here is an example of just this. JSL sleeping nicely on his Pillow Pet Puppy.

Sleeping Preschooler

Unfortunately, sleeping around here has not been going well for most of us. The little guy has been up at least two times a night the last 4-5 days. He is usually in a panic and wants someone near him. TechyDad has tried to settle him back to sleep in his toddler bed, but that does not usually work well. If JSL settles, he will start to whimper soon after. Needless to say, we allow him to join us in our queen sized bed. Two adults and a 4 year old is a bit much for this space.

So what does a four year old have bad dreams about? These are some of the items JSL has mentioned:

  • The Roku remote was lost for ever.
  • His stuffed Tigger came alive and someone made it dead (his words)
  • Mommy and Daddy threw away all of his toys.

Tossed toys?

The lack of sleep is starting to take it’s toll on the adults in the house. Caffeine can only do so much for broken and low sleep amounts.

Have your children had nightmares? How do you help them to settle back to sleep and ease their fears? What types of things have your children had bad dreams about? Please let us know. Sure we have an eight year old, but it’s been a long time since we had nightmares like this with a little kiddo.

It's Me

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  • Poor little guy! That’s so sad! The weird thing about your post is that my friend Kathleen from Katydid and Kid JUST posted that she’s having problems with her son and night and it sounds so much like what you’re going through. You two should talk!
    blueviolet @ A Nut in a Nutshell´s last blog post ..She’s Married! (Wedding Photos)

  • Kathleen says:

    Blueviolet just let me know about your troubles, since we seem to be going through the exact same thing (down to the bit about throwing away all his toys, though it was his grandma in the dream, not his parents).

    We’re really struggling too, in addition to my being exhausted already with nursing my 4 month old through the night. I wish my 3 year old slept well with us in our Queen bed but he tosses and turns so much–no one gets rest. Lately, my husband has been sleeping on the floor in his room with him, but that’s getting old. I just wonder when he’ll outgrow it, and if we’re setting up any future bad sleeping patterns.

    I’m hoping this is a short phase for both of us. I’m thinking that seeing all the Halloween decorations around town has sparked something with his sleeping. Hang in there!
    Kathleen´s last blog post ..A Nightmare on Our Street