3 Year Old with Night Terrors

My 19 month old seems to do that a couple times a week I just go in there and rub her back(she sleeps on her belly) and tell her mommie is here and she is safe. That seems to work I also put her to bed and give her a soft teddy bear and I tell her that he will keep her company if she gets afraid. And I have put a night light in there and that seems to help. I was told that they will eventually outgrow this stage. Good luck I know it is hard on all of you.

This is really really great for me to see because my next question I was going to post. I was wondering if anyone eles' child wakes up crying, I just thought she was dreaming alot or whatever but my daughter wakes up crying "Mommy! Mommy!" and no matter how much I try to tell her "Mommy is here" she still screams so hard, and sobbing her eyes out...but now I know what it is...thanks!

My son also had them when he was 3 and 4. I noticed they occurred when he was tired or we didn't follow a stict bedtime schedule. He would have them a lot more in the summertime when we were more lenient with bedtimes. Just to let you know, there is light at the end of the tunnel. He is 5 now and has not had one for at least 9 months. I do notice that he talks in his sleep right around the same time of night that his terrors use to occur. I hope your daughter outgrows it soon. I know it is very heartbreaking to watch.

A.,

I have read a lot about night terrors, and my niece had these when she was two or three. I've read one of the main causes for night terrors is LACK OF SLEEP. I can't remember all the reasons, but if children are over-tired, this can cause the night terrors.

Also, I've heard that you shouldn't try to wake/touch your children during these episodes. That can make it worse. You should watch them to make sure they are not going to do harm to themselves, but don't interact with them.

The good news is, my niece outgrew them and sleeps OK now.

Good luck!

I am a mother of 2 a four year old and 2 year old! My daughter that is four now was in the hospital alot and her Dad and I were younge so we dated on and off but now married! My daughter had them really bad and the best thing I could tell you is that we would turn on the all the lights and tell her over and over where she was! The doctor thought it was from all the hospital stays but sometimes I wounder! As she is getting older she is having less and less. She would fall asleep as soon as she new where she was and what was going on but Trust me the out burst at night that scare you to death as if someone was in your house trying to steal them! It gets better and I wish u the best! I hope this helps!

A.,
Our daughter has had these on and off since she was about 6 months old and now she is 2 1/2. Recently, she had them almost every night for a week when she was sick (she had a fever for a week and it ended with a terrible rash that turned into hives). If you go back through my posts, you can read what I said - it's too long to type again. When she has them, she does not recognize me or anything she normally loves (stuffed animals, pacifier) and even threw them at me in the past. I've done a lot of reading on night terrors because our daughter is a happy, bright, social girl who is loved by us and extended family. I just couldn't understand why she would be having these...until I read up on them. According to her doc and the countless articles I've read about it, you really can't wake them up even if you wanted to. They are stuck between asleep and awake...the good thing is that they have no recollection of it the next day (if they do then it was a nightmare and not a night terror). When she has them, I sit in her room with the door closed and let her go...making sure she doesn't hurt herself. They last anywhere from 5 minutes to 30 minutes (usually about 10 minutes but the longest was 30) and it's pure torture for me. I keep telling her that "Mommy's here" and "Mommy loves you" and eventually she winds down, recognizes me and comes and sits in my lap and goes back to sleep. When she was 6 months old and had them, she would just roll around in her crib and cry and woldn't let anyone touch her. Now I take her out of her bed and put her on the floor so she doesn't get her feet stuck in the rungs of the bed when she is kicking them. I thought the post about Red Dye 40 was interesting but other than that, there isn't much you can do. I also read that sleep walking may come later (great) but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. For our daughter, she tends to have them when she is sick. I know I didn't give you an answer but you really aren't alone and I feel your pain. Hopefully they will come to an end soon. One other thing I remember reading is that if they happen all the time, you should mention the frequency to her doc and maybe even get a second opinion if need be. Good luck A. and hang in there...we're all with you!

Do all of the research you can on Night Terrors. I would also suggest seeking a second opinion. Maybe from a doctor who works in Sleep Studies. There are some doctors who will tell you there is nothing that can be done about a problem simply because they do not know what to do. Good luck, and give your little one extra hugs.

although i do not have the answer- i have been through the same thing. my daughter started these when she was about that age. it took a long time but they became less and less. now she is 11, and every once in a great while she will still have a mild version where she is just kinda rambling about something and goes back to regular sleep. good luck!

My son went through this at about the same age. He's nine now. It absolutely scared me to death. I got to the point of splashing his face with cold water to get him awake. Once he was awake I would hug and kiss him and tell him he was having a bad dream. Then I would tuck him back in and let him go back to sleep. Sometimes the dreams come from something they watched like a freaky movie. I always have to watch a comedy after a horror or I can't sleep. Reading a story right before bed helped too. I'd also tell him to daydream before he fell asleep. I'd have him close his eyes and say, "Picture you and Spongebob going fishing." He has outgrown it. On occasion he might have a bad dream, but he can snap out of it without pitching a fit. I know it's rough, just remember that it will all come to an end.

I don't really have any good advice, but I can tell you that you're not alone. My 4 year-old goes through spurts of night terrors. Just when I think she's outgrown them, she'll have them 4 or 5 nights in a row. I've found that if I just yell "Mommy's here" or "Mommy loves you" from my room, it calms her. She must be awake enough to hear me, but she's definitely not truly awake.

I've also noticed that my daughter only has night terrors when she's sleeping alone. She has never had them when she sleeps in Big Sissy's room. Maybe something to consider? It might not be practical to have her sleep with her big brother, but maybe she would be comforted by a stuffed animal or dolly.

Also, have you tried using "white noise" such as running a humidifier in her room?

Good luck!

A.-
I'm sorry you're going through this. Believe me, I know it's hard. My daughter is 4 and she went through this for a few months also. Since you've already talked to your Dr about this, I'm sure he told you that watching TV &/or eating late can trigger these nightmares. What I didn't know is that what "late" means depends on each child. For example, I thought that when my Dr told me that he just didn't want her eating or drinking for an hour or so before bed. Turns out that for her the trigger is TV and so now she does not watch anything within 3-4 hours of going to bed. She doesn't watch TV muc at all (my husband calls me the TV Nazi), but when she does, it has to be early. Play around with different TV scheduled and/or different eating schedules. Also, what the child eats last can trigger these. Good luck finding the right balance for your little one.
-A.

ALthough I have no experience with my child having night terrors, I would suggest getting a second opinion. From what you say it says like she might even be helucinating (not sure how to spell that). I do think that there is something that can be done to help her. Again I would get a second opinion soon.

Hope everything gets better!!

My 22-month-old daughter does that, too (though not as often.) She will crawl under her crib and cry like a scared animal. It's like she doesn't even recognize us. She sounds so pitiful--it's heartbreaking. Our pediatrician suggested waking her up about 1/2-hour before she usually wakes up with a night terror. That's not always easy to gauge (and once your child is asleep, you certainly don't want to wake them on purpose!) :-)) but, I guess that they aren't really consciously awake when they are having these night terrors, so if you can get them out of a deep sleep, it might prevent the terror. She said to do this every night for a week and that should cure it. We haven't had to try it yet, but if her terrors occur more often, we'll try it!

This sounds exactly like what my son went through and needless to say there isen't much you can do. She's not really awake when it happens and all I can say is try to comfort her as much as you can a bear hug usually work till my son calmed down and even with that I had a hard time holding on to him. Try to limit anything "scary" before bed and don't feed or give her anything to drink an hour before bed. Trust me this will pass. But it is very scary for you too. Good luck

Hi A.,

I would try eliminating foods & juices with red dye...and if possible all dyes. Children can have like an allergic reaction to these dyes. I have a friend who's grandson saw big spiders crawling all over the ceiling, so she had to swat them until they were gone...which took about 20 mins! He had a reaction to a drink that someone had given him...pink lemonade I think it was...he is not allowed to have ANYTHING that contains Red 40 dye and I think they have tried to eliminate all food colorings from his diet. Natural foods & juices are the best things we can give our children. Try this first & see if the night terrors stop or the frequency slows down. Some people are very sensitive to electro magnetic frequencies...EMR's which are emitted from all of our electronic appliances. If you are interested in more information about that, please email me & I can help you with that. Hope this helps! God Bless you & your family.

I have a 3 yr old boy with the same problem, and have been told there is nothing that can be done and that as he gets older he'll grow out of it, and there is a possibilty of sleep walking problems to as he gets a little older. All his doctor has told me is to make sure there is nothing he can get hurt on. I know I didn't help, but I wanted you to know your not the only one going through it.

A.,

My son had these when he was about 9 months old-our pediatrician said not to wake him as this happens while transitioning sleep phases..he had us give him some childrens benadryl before bed-this keeps them asleep during this transition phase. I didn't want to rely on drugs to do this, but after a few nights watching this, I had to do something-it was so heart wrenching! He did eventually outgrow them-Thank goodness!! Maybe call your pediatrician and ask them about giving your daughter a dose and see if it works. GOOD LUCK!!

C.