nightmares?

[SamiJayne]

my babies 7 months old... we think he's having nightmares.. it started last night. He had 3. Is that normal? I obviously woke him up, and calmed him down. Then settled him down again. Anything I can do to help with them? I didn't know babies could be scared =/

[annie24]

i've heard people say that babies dream even in the womb! what they dream about, who knows.

 

i'm not a doctor and don't have kids. but have you recently changed his food? i know sometimes i have weird dreams if i eat something odd. how is your home life?

[Speranza]

There is something called (rather scarily) 'Night Terrors' which is where they only half wake up and you can't calm them.

 

It is a perfectly normal stage for some children. One of mine had it, one didn't. I suspect it was connected to sudden pains from teething, but of course I never knew.

 

Don't worry. Just keep an eye on it for a few weeks, then if it's still happening see a doctor. It's most likely perfectly normal.

[SamiJayne]

I had hoped they may just be normal nightmares. I suffered with night terrors, and so did my partners youngest brother. And ours were both pretty servere.

 

His diet is the same as always.

 

Home life is good, he's a happy little baby. And well loved, lots of attention. Lots of cuddles. I do a lot of things for him that make him happy. Walking in the pram, bath times, playing in the garden, having a tub of water out in the garden to play in. Swimming... Playing ball...

 

We'll see how it goes. As last night was the first time it's happened. It did happen 3 times however... but he's just had a similar episode during his morning nap. But he was calm again by the time I got up the stairs.

[Speranza]

Night terrors vary. They can be awful and recurring. But not necessarily. My daughter had about four I think. The main thing is for you to keep calm and happy and not let any anxiety in the room with you when he's going off to sleep. It may just be bad dreams. If he is a happy litle baby, there is nothing to worry about.

 

It will all be fine!

[Catdancer]

Landon has bad dreams at times too. He'll just wake up screaming and then he gets mad and just goes crazy. I find that picking him up, talking calming and soothing to him and giving him a warm bottle calms him and he will go right back to sleep. I keep the lights off and just whisper when I talk to him.

 

He has had bad dreams like this on and off since about 3 months or so. I do find that it happens more when he's teething, like he is now. He finds a warm bottle and being held my mommy very comforting, so this will usually sooth him back into sleep.