And eventually, the fear will diminish, and they will go back to their confidence and sound-sleeping little selves.“ Liz Harden, MPH and Pediatric and Family Sleep Educator Transitions and changes within the family “They might be scared at first, or even over a matter of days or weeks, but if you hold them close as you confront their fears together, they will become more self-confident in the face of challenges. Grab a flashlight and hold hands or hold your child in your arms and investigate the closet, underneath the bed or the scary shadow or sound together. Be sure to validate the feeling of fear, but also help them see and understand what’s really there (or not there!). Remember, the feeling is very real to your child. Toddlers have a pretty healthy imagination, but as Liz Harden, MPH, pediatric and family sleep educator, and founder of Little Dipper Wellness LLC, notes, “they also lack the ability to distinguish fantasy from reality.” For that reason, fears and nightmares can also be factors in your child’s night wakings.įor parents dealing with frequent night wakings as a result of fears and nightmares, Harden offers that if your child expresses a particular fear, explore it with them.

Ahead we’ll take a look at toddler night wakings, what causes them and what you can do to get over the hump: Fears and nightmares in kids While this can be frustrating, rest assured that night wakings are very normal (adults do it too), and like many phases in your child’s development, it won’t last forever. Toddlers need 11 – 14 hours of sleep per day, and while it would be nice if they could go down for the night (somewhere around 7 pm without a fuss) and mercifully sleep until morning, that isn’t always the case. More often than not, despite your best efforts and even after your child has been sleeping through the night for weeks or even months, they might hit a phase where they wake up repeatedly throughout the night.

Pediatric sleep expert