It is perfectly normal for children to experience both nightmares and night terrors. Below are resources to help you explain what is happening to your child. The difference between nightmares and night terrors, according to Stanford Children’s Health, is that nightmares include frightening dreams that make children afraid to return to sleep while night terrors are a partial waking from sleep accompanied by movement or sound.
This article discusses dreams and nightmares, when they occur in the sleep cycle, and what to do to prepare for the inevitable occurrence of a nightmare.
Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital
Explains what night terrors are in more depth and also discusses the causes of and coping with night terrors.
Get to the reality of what is behind the bad dream by getting into the reality of the child’s everyday emotions. Five tips are given to aid in lessening the number of nightmares your child has.
For a complete list of resources, go to Helping Kids to Cope with Nightmares and Night Terrors