OK moms....question my DS is almost 2...and seems to have started having night terrors....he wakes up screaming like he is scared of something.....first time he did it I ran in there thinking he was hurt....i went in and shushed him to find he was screaming with his eyes closed.....he would settle down with my presence.....but a couple minutes later start up again....this happened for about a half an hour.....well now he is waking up....and he won't go back to sleep...he is currently in his crib sitting up crying....I go in and comfort him and tell him mommy is there and I won't ever leave him....and I will only be in the next room he is calm when i am there but if I leave he screams.....advice anyone please????

I would simply move his crib into my room for a while, or put a mattress for myself in his room. The little guy is not yet two, when he can't see you, you're not there. If it only requires your presence to calm him down, that is simple enough to solve and you can still get your sleep as well. I don't think that you can give small children too much security. The phase of night terrors will pass.

Night terrors in young children are not as uncommon as some people may think.

Fatigue and stress can play a HUGE role. So trying to minimize stress may help.

Night terrors aren't dreams which occur during REM sleep. Night terrors occur during deep non-REM sleep. Usually an hour or two after they fall asleep. They usually have no recollection of the episode but are left with a sense of fear.

IF there is a pattern...since most night terrors occur at around the same time every night.....then you should try to wake him about 30 minutes before the time that they usually occur and keep him up for about 5 minutes then let him go back to sleep.

IF the child is still in the midst of a night terror you shouldn't try to wake them up. It usually agitates them even more. You should just let it run it's course.

Night terrors might seem disturbing....but they aren't harmful.

DD gets something like this too. H disagrees with me, but I think the fact that he usually holds her until she goes to sleep is a part of the problem. Are you doing this? She falls asleep on Daddy's chest, but wakes up alone in her crib. Then I think she wakes up completely disoriented.

Dobie

Dobie,

I'm not so sure that that would fit into the category of a night terror. I think that your D's problem might be more of a security thing.

During the course of a normal night of sleep the brain switchhes between deep, light and dreaming (REM) sleep. Confusionl arousals (night terrors) occur when the brain becaomes devided, literally, between sleeping and waking. Part of the brain wakes up....but another part remains deeply asleep.

When children experience confusional arousals (night terrors), they typically awaken frighten and confused, and often scream in terror at an invisible threat. as a rule children often remain distant and unresponsive to a parents attemtp to wake or calm them.

Those who suffer from night terrors usually have no recollection other than a sense of fear.

Oh, I don't think it's night terrors in my case, but I just offered that as a possible alternative.

Dobie

no I have long been vigilant that he sleeps in his own bed and goes to sleep by himself.....this has JUST suddenly started...it was so bad lastnight he actually did wake up and screamed for an hour.....I tried to comfort him let him know I am there and I'm not leaving him....but it didn't help...last night for the sake of getting at least some sleep I let him sleep with me.....which worked he went to sleep....me how ever he was glued to me and I can't sleep in the same room with him....he tosses and turns too much in his sleep.....ever since I had him i have become a very light sleeper. I really need some sleep tonight tho I am soooo tired.

Survinging,

These may not be "true" night terrors. My DS, now 3.5, started these types of waking when he was about 8 months old and they continued...and continued...and continued....When he wakened, he would grab for me and I would end up walking with him - he would fall right back to a quiet sleep but the minute I'd try to put him back down - he'd grab for me again. My son's pediatrician told me that night terrors are extremely rare in children under 3. I can't remember exactly when my son's wakings stopped - looking back, I just realized one day that they stopped. I recall now, though, that it was not long after our D was final and XH had moved back to his country of origin - in other words, after the stress was gone. He sleeps like a rock now and is even difficult to wake when he needs to!

Not much help....sorry...

Brit's Brat/BS-44
XH-45
DS-3.5
Status: Divorce final 5-17-04. Moving forward...