Dreamcatchers
Abandonment
Don't be surprised if a dream about being abandoned keeps your little one up at night around the first day of school, as this nightmare can reflect first-day jitters. Or, it could stem from apprehension about spending a weekend away from Mom and Dad.
"Children go through periods of separation anxiety, and their dream will sometimes reflect their fears of being abandoned or being left alone," Vigo explains.
Monsters
Similar to animal-themed nightmares, monsters can symbolize an intimidating person or negative situation. "In general, monsters in a child's dream will be the embodiment of what they fear most or what's upsetting them at the time in real life," Loewenberg says.
These dreams can be recurring or may stem from the day's events. "Perhaps the child got yelled at by their parent or teacher that day," adds Vigo. "The parent or teacher may then be turned into a monster in the child's dream."
Scary Bugs
When creepy crawlies scurry into your child's dreams, chances are she's stressing out about something unfamiliar. Insects tend to represent a fear of the unknown, Vigo says. "This nightmare theme usually means that the child is feeling insecure about a situation or that there has been a change in their routine," he adds.
Being Eaten
A few scenarios can inspire a dream about being gobbled up. "Children's stories of the big bad wolf may be responsible for fueling fears of being eaten," Vigo says. Stories — even seemingly harmless fairy tales — can be surprisingly influential. But in children who are a little bit older, this bad dream can be connected to a picky eating problem, Loewenberg says.
"There is often so much focus on getting the child to eat 'correctly' that it can overwhelm the child." To boot, Vigo believes there could be a more metaphorical aspect of this nightmare theme. "Children know they are small and fear they could get eaten in the big world they live in," he explains.
Getting Lost
The roots of this dream are pretty obvious, Loewenberg says. "Young children have to hold Mommy or Daddy's hand in the parking lot or in the busy shopping mall so that they don't wander off," she says. "As much as we fear losing our child in such places, our children fear the very same thing. You may find your child gets the 'getting lost' dream on nights after a trip to the store or the park," she explains.
But this nightmare can also occur, she says, when the child's normal surroundings shift, and they haven't quite adapted to the new routine. It could be that your child has started a new school, moved to a new neighborhood or begun splitting time between parents due to a divorce.
Being Trapped or Kidnapped
"This nightmare is likely to occur when the child feels voiceless or helpless in a situation," Vigo says. "Perhaps there is tension in the home or there was an argument between the parents." This is another nightmare that seems to surface when a child's routine changes. "Maybe Mommy has gone back to work. Maybe the child is starting preschool. Maybe there's a new baby and he's not getting all the attention anymore," she says. "A kidnapper symbolizes that situation that has turned his world upside down."
