Dear doctor; My 20-month-old baby has recently developed a habit of startling up in the night with a shrill cry as if in fear. Could it be that she gets nightmares? Do babies have nightmares too? Jodi, Remera. Dear Jodi, Babies do have night mares as adults, but how frequent and at what age it starts is difficult to say. Children tend to have longer sleeping hours than adults, hence possibility of dreams also increases. By 20 months, a child starts experiencing things around him and his imagination also starts to build up. Hence the possibility of dreams also increases. Best thing is to talk soothing and pleasant things to the child before he sleeps. During day time, be vigilant to see that there should be nothing to frighten the child either by words or actions, because some people have the habit of frightening small children just for the sake of it. This will ensure that he sleeps soundly with less chances of a nightmare.
