Think we may have just experienced DS's first night terror, any advice gratefully received.

[MadameBoo]

DS (3 and a half) just woke up screaming and crying very loud, DH went to him - I was in the bath. He kept shouting 'I want Mummy' so he brought him in to me and I cuddled and stroked his hair in our bed, talking to him calmly and reassuringly. He was very hot and sweaty and kept saying 'I want to go home'. I sent DH next door to borrow their thermometer and he went hysterical shouting 'I want Daddy'. He then said he didn't want me ( :( ) and has now gone for a bedtime story in his own room. He normally sleeps very well and he isn't ill at the moment. He was eventually able to answer questions and said he wasn't in any pain. We tried to give him some calpol but he went crazy.

I googled and it sounds like a night terror, but now I'm worried about what has caused it, and whether we're likely to get any more?

My DS1 started getting night terrors from about 2 1/2 years. I think it also conincided with a new baby brother.
It was horrible seeing him screaming and he would call out in distress but almost not know we were there comforting him and would continue to scream and kick about.
We used to get them every few weeks and now he is 4 1/2 it is very rare but does happen occassionally.
He never seems to remember anything in the morning

I hope your DS is ok and does not get anymore

Thanks for replying. I'm sure he'll be fine in the morning but it's horrible when he's like that and google isn't always my friend , feel much better after doing a mumsnet search.

you might well get more but the first one is the worst because you don't know what's happening and it's scary.

once you've established the time it generally happens you can disturb their sleep just before the time it comes and that stops it.

my ds got them a lot when he was 3-4 but hasn't had one for a few months now.

He's been a bit clingy when I drop him at nursery of late - he's going into their pre-school next week - perhaps it might be that. He's sleeping well now. He was just so bloomin' hot - shall I try a damp flannel to cool him down with next time do you think?

My DS went through this when he was about 2. It was also about the same time that I had my DD.
He would wake up sweaty, rocking in his bed, staring at the walls as if someone was there.
He was crying/screaming really bad.
It took me about 3/4 nights of just putting him back into bed every 5 minutes, with a cuddle and reassurance
It broke my heart seeing him like that, and we were tempted to let him stay in our bed. I was going to get a night light - anything!!
But i had seen super nanny and watched how a mum spent a whole night doing the putting back to bed routine, and it worked!
the mum was told to just not make a fuss, keep lights off, if needed to talk, do so in a very calm quiet low voice. and try not to look at the child.
He is absolutley great now, and was as soon as I made him realise everything was ok. ( bet he wakes up tonight now after this )

My ds has had them on and off since he was a toddler (now 10, hasn't had one for quite a while, maybe 12 months+). I learnt very quickly that comforting him wasn't possible because he wasn't actually awake and so used to fight us off, even when he was only young. I discovered that if I told him to 'lie down' and 'go to sleep' he would do. He never remembers them the next day so cannot tell me what was worrying him :)

My dd had these for nearly two years whenever she was overtied / ill. We found that you either had to wake her up fully or get her back to sleep i.e. they are sort of caught between sleeping and waking. When she was little a bottle of milk often worked (back to sleep). These days its lights on cold air in strident now nows etc to wake her up enough to realise we are there its all ok then she generally rolls over and straight back to sleep. The scariest thing is when they are pushing you away but all you are trying to do is stop them e.g. jumping off bed etc with fear. Just horrid.

Our DS always seems to be really hot when he has these so I blow on his face to cool him down. My husband's voice also seems to work better to wake him up and then he goes straight back to sleep.

He's had so many now that I just shuffle in half asleep then shuffle out again without really waking up too much myself. His Dad had them when he was small, I don't know if they are genetic.

I really hope they stop soon...

We have to wake DD right up when she has these. Really right up or else she is hysterical on/off for ages. And then resettle her.

yeah I found the most effective way to deal with ds1's was to sit him on the loo and then he would do a wee and wake up, though he went straight back to sleep pretty quickly, luckily.
the stuff I read all said that you shouldn't wake them up, but it worked for us.

Thanks for all the new replies :)
He has had another one tonight but it was much less intense as we got there quicker - I think because I was in the bath last night and DH was downstairs we didn't hear him straight away so he had more time to build up. Hair strokes and calm reassuring voice and he was asleep again in 5. He has cried out and I went in again about ten minutes ago but he just turned over and settled after I shushed.