Preventing Nightmares + Going Back to Bed Afterwards for Littles
🌟teach your stuffie an anti-nightmare song so they can sing it while you sleep, but make sure they don’t fall asleep on the job!
🌟cuddle with your stuffie, they’ll protect you
🌟a calming smell, like lavender, before bed can relax you
🌟don’t drink caffeine or alcohol too close to bedtime (2 hourish range) and don’t eat too much sugar
🌟don’t watch or read scary or upsetting movies, shows, books, etc.
🌟don’t stay up too late (personally if I’m up after 3 I get nightmares)
🌟get enough sleep EVERY night or close to it, sleep deprivation can really effect your dreams
🌟get tucked in if you have a caregiver, or tuck yourself in with plenty of blankies and stuffies!
🌟know that nightmares are normal, it isn’t real, and that it can’t physically hurt you
🌟don’t eat too much sugar or consume alcohol a few hours before bed
🌟pro tip: remember that monsters are scared of monsters!
🌟try not to go to bed when really angry, scared, sad, or feeling strong negative emotion
🌟having a nightlight can assure you that there’s nothing in the dark before bed (I get kinda scared before I go to bed if there isn’t a nightlight)
Going back to bed after a nightmare:
💤keep that nightlight plugged in!
💤call your caregiver if possible
💤practice breathing and grounding exercises
💤stay up for a little bit if you really can’t fall asleep - just don’t go on your phone because of the light
💤essential oils can also be calming (an essential oil diffuser is highly recommended)
💤drink sleepytime tea, hot chocolate, or warm milk (or any calming drink w/o caffeine)
💤wake up the stuffie you taught the anti nightmare song to - they probably fell asleep on the job, so they need to be woken up via cuddles
💤don’t try to force yourself to go back to bed, or go to bed before you’re fully calmed down
💤write down your nightmare if you can remember it, so when you wake back up in the morning you can reprocess it to see if it meant something
-on the same note, if you have them frequently and go to your doctor, you’ll have a good record of them
💤turn off your lights and turn on a fan or white noise for background noise, it makes it easier to go back to bed
💤have your caregiver rock you to sleep (if possible)
💤cuddle with your biggest stuffie
💤roll yourself up into a prince/princess/little burrito to be extra comfy!!
💤cuddle with pets if you have any
💤practice progressive muscle relaxation (fancy words for slowly tensing and relaxing your muscles to relax your body)
-Pumpkin and Blueberry 🧡💙
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