Nightmares in Children

Click here for more tips to help you raise happy kids

Hi Mama! (or mama-to-be!)

"Tell us your stage and we'll customize the site just for you! Or" Sign In. Sign Out

Hi Mama! (or mama-to-be!)

"Tell us your stage and we'll customize the site just for you! Or" Sign In. Sign Out
Getting Ready

Trying To Conceive

Am I Pregnant?
1 week 2 weeks 3 weeks 4 weeks 5 weeks 6 weeks 7 weeks 8 weeks 9 weeks 10 weeks 11 weeks 12 weeks 13 weeks 14 weeks 15 weeks 16 weeks 17 weeks 18 weeks 19 weeks 20 weeks 21 weeks 22 weeks 23 weeks 24 weeks 25 weeks 26 weeks 27 weeks 28 weeks 29 weeks 30 weeks 31 weeks 32 weeks 33 weeks 34 weeks 35 weeks 36 weeks 37 weeks 38 weeks 39 weeks 40 weeks 41 weeks 42 weeks
1 week 2 weeks 3 weeks 4 weeks 5 weeks 6 weeks 7 weeks 8 weeks 9 weeks 10 weeks 11 weeks 12 weeks 13 weeks 14 weeks 15 weeks 16 weeks 17 weeks 18 weeks 19 weeks 20 weeks 21 weeks 22 weeks 23 weeks 24 weeks 25 weeks 26 weeks 27 weeks 28 weeks 29 weeks 30 weeks 31 weeks 32 weeks 33 weeks 34 weeks 35 weeks 36 weeks 37 weeks 38 weeks 39 weeks 40 weeks 41 weeks 42 weeks 43 weeks 44 weeks 45 weeks 46 weeks 47 weeks 48 weeks 49 weeks 50 weeks 51 weeks
1 year 13 months 14 months 15 months 16 months 17 months 18 months 19 months 20 months 21 months 22 months 23 months 3 years 3 ½ years 4 years 4 ½ years 5 years 5 ½ years
5 years 6-7 years 8-9 years 10-13 years 14-18 years

Monsters Under the Bed? What Your Kids' Nightmares Really Mean

(15 Photos)

Stacey Stapleton on Jan 1, 2010 at 11:59AM

chime in now

0 See all

Single View
View All

Getty Images

a Stacey Stapleton on Mar 10, 2011 at 1:29AM

It’s a fact of life -- kids have good dreams and bad dreams. And while they may seem disturbing -- and sometimes keep you from getting a full night’s rest -- there’s usually no cause for concern. According to experts from the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 70 percent of all dreams are rooted in some form of everyday anxiety, or ‘day residue,’ which help kids release tension. Got a kid who dreams about home invasions, bugs, monsters or even falling? We’ve rounded up the most common childhood dreams, what they mean and how best to manage them, so you’ll be ready when the lights go out!

Dream: Being Chased

What It Means: This dream's often a metaphor for feeling insecure about something or a desire to run away from a problem. "Adults are typically chased in nightmares by an unknown human figure," says Dr. Shatkin, M.D. M.P.H. Vice Chair for Education at the New York University Child Study Center and a spokesperson for the American Society of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. "But kids tend to dream of being chased by an animal or some frightening fantasy figure."

What You Can Do: Kids usually can’t identify exactly why they feel inadequate, so you’ll have to do some digging. Find a quiet moment -- not right before bedtime -- and ask your child about what’s going on at school. Focus your questions around unstructured times your kid spends with other children, like lunch and recess, since chasing dreams can be manifestations of social adjustment issues. Need help breaking the ice? Try asking who your kid plays with on the playground or who he sits next to during lunch or snack time.