nightmares?

[momcj]

My 5 year old little girl has started waking up in the night and saying she has had a nightmare. i struggle to get her back into her bed to sleep. I have tried soothing her and reassuring her that all is ok. I have talked about it with her in the daytime and tried to explain dreams cant hurt you etc. I think she has a nightmare but then it is the fear of having a nightmare and she cant stop thinking about it. i have also tried telling her to think of a happy place etc. The main culprits appear to be fires and bumble bees!! I have no idea why, she has had no bad experience with either. Any parents out there been in same situation? Any ideas how can try to stop them or succesfully control them so she goes back to sleep?

[Schlomo78]

I don't know if the link will work on here but have a peek
http://www.sofeminine...her/d1373/x10452.html

[momcj]

Thank you for the reply. i have actually tried using a dream catcher and the problem is her dreams are not about imaginery monsters. They are mainly about fires, so she wont even use a night light anymore. i have had to rearrange her bedroom to move her bed so it is not near a plug socket. very strange.

[beryl100able]

She has an underlying problem; ask your GP to refer her for counselling. And question your own motives: the aim of the game is not her getting back to sleep to suit you, but for her to be happy and no longer beleaguered by nightmares. If she has a nightmare, cuddle her for as long as it takes and then her in bed after she's asleep - if indeed she can't finish the night sleeping with you. Incidentally, fires and bumble-bees have one thing in common - they can inflict a sharp and sudden shock. She must have experienced a sharp and sudden shock in her life, and this needs to be looked into.

[NoMercy]

Could it be something she's eating?

I dream profusely when I eat fresh herbs. Google for dream-inducing foods...