Given how common nightmares are in young children -- about one in four have them more than once a week -- parents are advised not to rush to the doctor immediately, but help children devise ways of calming themselves after waking from a nightmare, from talking through their fears to singing to thinking comforting thoughts.

		RESOURCES Learning more about nightmares and how to deal with them

Sometimes, objects will help -- a stuffed teddy bear to protect the child, for example. Web sites even market "monster spray" -- a harmless spray made of essential oils that can be aimed under the bed or in the closet or other scary places at bedtime. Reading fairy tales is helpful too -- because it allows children to look at their own fears and discuss them.

For children whose nightmares are persistent and severe enough to affect their waking hours, a visit to a therapist may be needed. Some psychologists have children express their fears in art, especially the youngest ones, who have trouble articulating their nightmares.

"I did see one little guy not too long ago who was being troubled by a dream and he really wanted to sleep all night. So he told me his nightmare, and then we talked about how he could change it," said Carla Weidman, a Children's Hospital psychologist. "He drew pictures of himself conquering the scary thing, which gave him a feeling of being in charge."