Sleep Issues W/ Child

Both of my kids went thru stages where they would just bring their pillow and blanket and sleep on the floor on my side of the bed, although they weren't scared of anything. And one day as quickly as it started, it ended. I think she has seen a glimpse of a scary movie or something and has visions of it. Once kids see something scary, its hard to wipe it from their mind. I don't think it's a big deal if she's sleeping on the floor. I just wouldn't make it too comfortable and she'll get tired of it eventually. Good luck.

Its fine.
Its a phase.
Even at this age they have vivid imaginations and 'fears' at night.
They also have night-mares.
My girl is 7.... she has nights like that too.
She sleeps on a floor mattress we have in our room.
Its no big deal to us.
We comfort her.
They grow out of it.

I was like that too, when younger.
My parents let me sleep with them.
I grew out of it.
It is one of my fondest memories, of my parents, of my childhood.

And sometimes, kids at school talk about scary stuff, which in turn may scare them. That happened to my daughter too. Normal kid stuff.

all the best,
Susan

She is expressing to you that she is experiencing very terrifying visions.She seems to be very afraid so I dont see the fact that she is coming to your room for comfort and support as a negative thing. It a good thing that she sees her parents as people that she can go to when in distress.
What worrying to me is that she is actually seeing things at 7 years. Its widely said that babies and young children see spirits and such but usually stop due to socialisation etc.
I would advise you to keep a very open mind with your daughter and explore with her,be a rock for her,talk openly with her about what she sees.
The next time she runs into your room screaming maybe go back into her room with her and tell her that you will be there to protect her and say outloud "anything negative in this room needs to go ,this is your house and you will not accept it.This might give your daughter encouragment to be stronger.
Maybe she is really seeing this-you have no proff to say otherwise.
Intense fear is not a healthy thing for a 7year old to be experiencing and will heighten the senses and can lead to anxiety etc.
I would give her enough support and reassurance and the moment and would get more strict about sleeping in her own room when you feel she is confident enough to do.
Put yourself in her shoes,if you were frightened about something the last thing you would want would to be told to go into your bedroom by yourself.You would want someone strong and understanding that you love to help you.
Good Luck
Positive Energy
B.

I really liked what Bernie had to say. I think she has some good points and words it well.

When my daughter was 7, I took her to a child psychologist because she was exhibiting some changes in behavior. Her father moved out before she was 2, and we soon divorced. When she was 4, her paternal grandmother died just after my daughter had spent a week alone with her. When she was 6, I had to spend a week in the hospital, and when she was 6 and one-half my dad died. When the psychologist tested her, the therapist said my daughter's stories all ended with "and the person was never seen or heard from again." So she went to therapy for her abandonment issues, and it help her immensely. (She had also developed a fear of elevators, and the therapist worked with her to conquer it.) So I would recommend taking your daughter to a counselor, because it was very helpful for us.

It sounds like she has a vivid imagination, much like myself and my son. A seemingly innocent thing seen in the wrong context could have triggered these nightmares. Maybe something that was on the news when she walked in the room, a picture in a newspaper or magazine while walking through the store etc.

I will never forget when I was about 9 or so and we went on vacation, we walked through a book store and there was a paperback the front cover was pretty innocent looking. There was a picture of a women being framed by a circular cut out, so you knew there was a bigger picture inside, when you opened the cover the women was actually being bitten by a vampire. This picture gave me nightmares for weeks! I don't think my mom even knew either.

One suggestion that worked when I babysat, was to get a spray bottle, fill it with water and label it "bad dream spray" or "monster spray" then spray that around the room before bed. I also used to go on monster patrol check closets, under beds etc before bed.

My son also has a large teddy bear in his room which we call the nightmare bear, because my son believes that he keeps nightmares away. Maybe some of these ideas may help.

I'm also a very light sleeper and wake at every sound! Hope you find something that works!

I play music in my daughters room. I have a cd that I created with alphabet and counting songs on it. I also downloaded some free kids stories online at storynory.com and put them on cds for my daughter. This may occupy her mind so that she doesn't think of all those scary things. Set the cd play to repeat over and over all night.

She 's 7 years old. Don't put her in the bed with you and your husband. Why do she have to go to funerals? Think about her and how she feels. Even some grown folks can't take funerals. Let her sleep with a stuff animal. That way she won't feel she is by herself. Good luck.

what about having white noise playing in her room. you might like one too. if both her parents have trouble sleeping i am not supprised that she would have trouble sleeping. you should try to get to the bottom of your sleeping problem so you can in turn help her. it might be what your eating, or stress. kids usually eat what we are and they ususally pick up on our stresses. sorry for your loss.

She hasn't seen anything appropriate on t.v. or a movie, has she? If not at your house, maybe a relative's house or a friend's house? If so, that may be part of the issue. (That was me at her age.)

If you're certain that is not the case, it sounds a lot like night terrors. There is a lot of good information about night terrors that you can google. *HUGS*

All of my kids have had stages of night terrors/ sleep walking. My husband's family has this, too, and his sister had some bizarre night terrors before high school began.

Periods of stress bring this on big time. (I don't think grandfather's situation from January is contributing...that was so long ago.)

Be really sure she is not reading or watching scary things. One of my sons had night terrors for a few weeks after he read the "Left Behind" series of books about the Rapture. We actually had several instances with the boys by the books they read. (We monitor TV and movies closely.) But 2 of our kids had 12th grade reading levels by the time they were in 7th grade.
It is extraordinarily HARD to find non-scary, non-violent adult books that a high reading middle school-er is interested in....and we had the bad dream things for awhile.

Lastly, ask the doctor if your daughter can take 2 - 3 mg of Melatonin at night about an hour before bed. You can too, Mom! Melatonin is a natural product, has no drug-like sleep effects, but 1) allows one to fall asleep sooner and 2) stay asleep once you are resting.
Non habit forming. I take it when we travel and my 13 year old takes it. An hour before bed is key.
Check with the doc. to be sure.

You might want to find out more info about "Night Terror Disorder". It usually occurs within the first hour of falling asleep. You see scary hallucinations that seem very real, wake up screaming, rapid heartbeat, panic, anxiety, almost feels like a panic attack. There are alot of things you can do to make this better, but it is a sleep disorder. Like most sleep issues, going to sleep at the same time everyday, getting enough sleep, eating healthy foods, eating a nighttime snack to keep blood sugar stable, etc. Look it up on the internet and see if the symptoms fit your daughter. Most people do not remember the details of an episode, but I do, because the screaming wakes me up. I have to turn the lights on, fully wake up and calm down, then I'm usually able to go back to sleep. My doctor said it is in the same category of sleep problems as sleep walking, which I did as a child. Most people outgrow it by the time they are an adult.

Here are some ideas fr Dr. Kyle Pruett and a link to a complete article:
http://blogs.goddardsystems.com/Cedar-Park-TX/2010/01/09/...

* To instill good sleep habits remember that consistency matters so much:

o Bath Time
o Goodnights
o Tuck and Talk Bedtime Story
o Lullabye (yours are best)
o Goodnights