European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - April 19, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse Baby or of water proofing Situ teach habits to to at Date in the water. Overcoming by Marianne Garber Stephen Garber. And Robyn Freedman Spizman con news service Rosdor 1 would to to have you address the problem of a Parent reinforcing a Herld a fear i have worried since Las summer when i had that experience and would Lilio to prevent Semoane else irom raking the same mistake. F have taught Young children to Swirn of almost 20 years. Being a Mother myself i am aware that it is easy to be overprotective especially Whan you feel someone is unnecessarily frightening your child. Children often come to me with vary Strong cars of water. By working with them in the water Over a period of Days children usually get Over 1heir oar and Many come to Ike the water however during the first Day or two they May hate it. If parents give in id their fears allowing Iho child to avoid the water he will remain scared. A child i worked with last summer was allowed to quit class alter one session and promised he would not have logo Back in the water. It s True the child was miserable but trusting the Mother had made a commitment i loll i could help wire for dreaming before Birtt by Lawrence Kutner new York Timas Ishing that someone sleep like a baby May be More of a curse than a Benediction. The Bain of a sleeping child works differently from the brain of an adult. Their is a link Between the 3 year old who sleeps so soundly that he docs not Wade up when you carry him Iran the Carlo the House and gel him undressed for bed and the toddler who frightens the whole family with his screams of terror a few hours alter he goes to Steep the patterns of childhood sleep and dreams offer clues to How children learn to Calrol their bodies two of the a longest clues lie not in Sweet dreams but in nightmares and night terrors incidents that sometimes distress pain is More than they bother the children who have them. By understanding the difference Between those two you can often help your child Contra his nightmares and separate fantasy from reality a child s brain appeals to be wired Lor dreaming even before to s born. Researchers have recorded the patterns of brain Waves we associate with dreaming in a child s very first Nap after Biily. The Content and Structure of those Early dreams in. Indeed they Are dreams is unknown the infant does not have the language to Tell us what he imagines while he sleeps. Yel even at an laity age we can see two types of sleep Disler bancs in almost All children. A Nightmare is simply a dream gone bad. Ii has a plot with a twist that is frightening most nightmares say sleep researchers occur Eady in the morning the child will Wake up scared and upset if he can talk he will Lell you what frightened him in the dream. He will Ding to you for Comfort and respond to your reassurances. Some experts suggest asking the child to draw a picture of what frightened him. Once in s outside your child s mind and on paper in in t nearly As threatening said or. Robert Van do Castle director of the sleep and dream Laboratory of the University of Virginia medical school in Charlottesville. By drawing it and talking about it the child learns that he can master his fears. Some children even learn to confront the monsters that Chase them in their nightmares and to ask them what they want. Night terrors Are quite different and according to recent research More common than anyone had thought. They usually occur within a few hours of lading asleep. A 4-year-old May sit Bolt upright in his bed with his eyes wide open and scream. He May Call out for his parents Cyl he does l recognize them when they come into his room when they try to hold him and co Lorl him he pushes them away As if escaping from a Liap tha fighting and screaming May last As Long As Hall an hour. Ii his parents ask him later what frightened him to cannot left them and May not oven remember being scared. Night terrors Are not dreams. The researchers say the screaming child with Iho open eyes and swinging arms is still asleep in fuel he is in she deepest slate of sleep a cond Ifon parents usually Polico Only Whin their toddler or preschooler alls so soundly asleep that he roes not Wake up As Uliey prepare him Lor Bod this very deep sleep is a sign of How Well developed the child s nervous system is. As the child matures he loses the ability la sleep through anything it has an important role in other aspects of a child s development for in is during this deepest stage o sleep that the child s body produces the hormone that controls his growth night tenors can be seen in children As Young As 6 months. At thai ago the child simply appears to be sleeping restlessly and May thrash about in his crib. Although almost an children will have at least Ong mild night terror patterns of severe or repeated night terrors appear la run in families most night terrors occur in preschooler said or. Richard Ferber director of the Center for Pedi Alric sleep disorders at children s Hospital in Boston. Almost All children outgrow them by the Lime they Slart Young children Are More Likely to have night terrors when they Are very tired. Night errors in older children May be sol off by such medical problems As pain caused by an ear infection or Richard Ferber of children s Hospital in Boston a commanded that parents not worry much about night tenors unless the child hails around so much that he might hurl himself. Since the child is asleep throughout the episode talking to him about it at the time is worthless. When he s awake he won t Rem Embo whal scared him so he does t need your help to said questioning him the next morning about what happened May Anty make him More nightmares however Are More Likely to be a sign of emotional distress than a physical problem. I would t to conc Arnod unless a child s nightmares always had the same theme or he had them Mic than once a week said or. Milton k Erman director of the sleep disorders Center at the Skripps clinic and research foundation in la Jolla Calif. Some sleep rest archers recommend asking your child the next morning to draw a picture at to Hal frightened hum. Without frying 1o Analyse whal it Means an Eliol that is probably beyond your child s understanding anyway you can Auk him How he could Deleat the Monsier Ngol time or whom he Wou a like to take along for help it he has the dream again. Or. Robert Van de Castle of the University of Virginia medical school advised parents of by in Jung Young children bothered by nightmares thai dreaming is like watching television. You can say that most of the programs playing in your head Are lots of fun he said. Bui if you re scared by whal you see you can always change the Ratet chefs Htut recorded the put Tam Obrain Watt attic lated of Tai foaming in a child s very first Nap Attar Binh. Page 14 the stars and stripes tuesday at
