To ask if these sound like night terrors and how to help?

[Nightimee]

This has happened a few times now with my nearly 2 year old son, the latest being this evening and it's absolutely awful.

He will go to sleep like normal and after about an hour will wake up crying. But when I go in to settle him he absolutely loses his mind it's like he has absolutely no idea who I am. He is utterly terrified of me and his dad, screaming like nothing I've ever heard, going rigid if we try and touch / cuddle him. He will hit and scratch if you try and pick him up and do anything to get away from you.

I just have to put him in his cot and sit next to him saying 'its okay it's mummy' until he finally seems to click after about 15 mins that it's me and he wants a cuddle and then goes back to sleep.

It's awful I'm sat here crying after another episode. I hate seeing him like that.

Does this sound like night terrors? I didn't expect him to get them at this age, he's not even 2 yet 😔

Ah love, I just wanted to reply as that sounds so hard. It does sound like night terrors, I've no advice for you but wanted to reply

Yes it does. My dd had these. The advice is to leave them to it and make sure they are safe. They aren't awake and it's really hard to stir them. After a while it was like a switch had been clicked and she'd go back to sleeping normay. That's how we worked out what it was.

Horrible to watch though. She had them the worst when she'd transitioned from daytime naps too early and wasn't getting enough sleep.

Just reread your op and my dd was a similar age.

Thank you. Did you stay in the room with her or leave? I don't know what to do for the best. I feel terrible just leaving the room but at the same time he seems so terrified of me as well I don't know if it would be better for me to sit outside.

It's so horrible to watch.

I do actually think it's similar to you, it's when he's more tired than usual it happens.

Yes sounds like it. My dc used to get them and wake up screaming and covered in sweat. I think the advice is not to wake them but they used to be so distressed that I would gently wake them and only then would they calm down.

My experience of night terrors with my Dc began at about 2-2.5. They would wake up either screaming or shouting and thrashing at someone or something. No amount of comforting would stop it. I just used to soothe as best I could, rubbing their back, feet or legs and constantly talking to them calmly and quietly. They would either snap out of it or just roll over back to sleep. I found them emotionally tiring and sometimes distressing. Dc3 has them now at 5 and screams, kicks then sobs whilst shouting names or for someone to stop hurting her. Not familiar names either.

My DD has had this, exactly as you described, since she was about 2.5y. I keep a note on my phone of when they happen and how long she has been asleep for. Only happens every 1-2 times a year now and usually within 1-2 hours of being asleep. It’s so horrible but best thing to do is keep them safe and be as calm as possible.

Happened with my 4yo at around the same time every night (9-9:30).

We would get in there probably around 8:45 and stir him somewhat to break the pattern.

It eventually went away about about 4 weeks.

Good luck!

Yes, that’s a night terror. It’s awful but they don’t remember it in the morning. We found that putting all the lights on and fully waking them up helped to snap them out of it.

Thanks just reading up now on Google. Seems the advice is not to try and comfort / touch as it makes it worse. God that just feels so unnatural, I just want to cuddle him when it's happening but seems the best thing to do is leave him be 😩