Night Terrors

Re: Night Terrors

• CholeCO2006 member

  November 2013

  My son is 21 months and he's had night terrors for maybe the past 5-6 months.  He only has them every few weeks and I'm finally starting to realize when he's having one now versus just waking up crying as his crying is a little different and more frantic.  He seems to have them when his schedule is off - he goes to bed later than normal, misses his nap, etc.   And they always seem to happen sometime between 11 pm and 2 am. 

  We always go in to get him but it's like he's possessed.  He looks awake but I think he's still mentally sleeping.  He cries and screams and thrashes around and there is no consoling him.  He doesn't want held but doesn't want put down either.  Depending on the weather, we sometimes take him outside as the change of environment and fresh air seems to help.  But he screams to come inside and as soon as we bring him in, he screams for outside again.  We repeat this numerous times, until I start to worry that someone is going to call the cops in hearing a baby hysterically screaming outside at 1 am!   A few times, putting on a DVD of Charlie Brown (his favorite) would help calm him down and catch his attention.  He's still nursing so that is one of the only things that will finally get him to settle down and fall back asleep. 

  Our doctor said that most kids will grow out of it but I don't know of a hereditary link as neither DH nor I sleep talk or walk.  I've read that as long as they are in a safe place you can let them cry it out and they'll go back to sleep, since they are technially still asleep.  But until we just started realizing that he was having a night terror, I wouldn't always know that's why he was crying until we went it and picked him up.  We've never let him CIO during a night terror I'd just be too afraid he'd try to get out of his crib and I have no idea how long he'd continue crying.  So we always try to console him and eventually something will get him to snap out of it.  Sometimes it takes 15 minutes but we've had a few episodes where it's taken almost an hour.  

  Good luck as I know it can be frustrating and upsetting to see them like this, especially when it's the middle of the night and you're tired yourself.

  Married July 21, 2007

  

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• JustcallmeGG2 member

  November 2013

  my daughter is 16 months old and she has had them for a month or so. She doesn't wake up scared, but she will thrash around and nothing can calm her down.I talked to my pediatrician about it and she said that you really should Not wake her. she also said that that happens when they are overly tired so since we put back her second nap, she hardly has them anymore.

  
  

  
  

  
  

   

                    Ayden & Sydney
  

                                     

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• Jenelle101 member

  November 2013

  Yes, it's hereditary! There is definitely a link between sleep walking, sleep talking and night terrors. I had all of them, and my DD started having night terrors a few months ago. And looking back now, I think she had them at a much younger age and I just didn't realize it. It's weird because when my daughter has them, she knows I'm there. She'll look right at me and even scream at me sometimes. She is usually talking about something totally off the wall, so I know she's not awake at all. When I hold her, she sometimes tries to squirm away. The doctor says you just have to wait it out, and try not to talk to her too much because it can make it worse. And I agree with that it usually happens when she has had a rough day, no nap or overtired. Good luck!!

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