Help! Night terrors?

[AppleOrchid]

Hi all,

I'm so tired I can barely type. DD is two and last night woke up distressed. On going to comfort (soothing chat, teething gel on gums and then picking up when inconsolable) she would not be soothed. Went totally nuts screaming and biting. This happened a few nights ago too. On both occasions she has only calmed down after about ten minutes of hysterics and then reading and talking to for ages. Behaviour totally out of character. It frightened me (and I'm ashamed to say it made me cry) . I'm pregnant and knackered too.

Today at naptime she also went bonkers - an hour of what I can only describe as a proper screaming tantrum ("get me out of bed mummy, get me out!!!!") and fell asleep upset and woke up grumpy. She's usually fine at naptimes.

Do you think it could be night terrors (in the night, obviously)? What else do you think it could be? How should I handle?

Also, have recently been making transition from cot to toddler bed - but she's been fine up til now settling in toddler bed during naps, still in cot at night.

Thanks from a very tired, run-down, hormonal woman

Sounds so tough for you. A night terror is when they appear awake but are not and can't be calmed. You just have to sit it out. Ds3 is 2 and has had a few. From what I have read they are often caused by over tiredness or over excitement at bedtime. One technique for dealing with them is if they happen at the same time each night you go in just before this time and slightly rouse them. I have never tried this as ds1 and 3 have them randomly. The book 'teach your child to sleep ' has some good information about sleep and different ways of helping.

Hey,

Just wanted to add my sympathies. My son is 16 months and has just started having night terrors. I'm pregnant too and we were up since 4am today so I know what you mean by tired! He also had one this afternoon at his nap so I guess they can happen not in the night.

When he has one he wakes up screaming and crying like I have never heard, it is truly frightening. He also has no idea where he is or who I am even though his eyes are wide open and there is nothing I can do to calm him. It's like he's hallucinating. I read some reassuring stuff on the internet that the child doesn't remember the episode once they wake up and that its more frightening for us. It sounds a bit different to your daughter though, if she is actually saying she is scared of going to bed that sounds more like a nightmare. Does she have a night light? Sounds basic but might help if she's seeing monsters in her room or something. Also could be that she's anxious about the arrival of no 2 and this is how its manifesting?

I don't think there is much we can do about night terrors - they say not to intervene as that can make it worse. I am going to give that a whirl tonight but it will be hard as he sounds like he is so much distress.

Good luck tonight, I hope you all get some rest. x

As the other posters have said, night terrors are quite distinctive in that the child appears to be awake with eyes open but is 'not there' (iyswim) and is screaming/crying.

Ds1 used to have them occasionally (maybe once a month) when he was around 2 but he grew out of them quickly. They were always about a couple of hours after he had gone to bed (about 9pm) and he would just be screaming. Once I got to his bedroom, his eyes would be open and all I could do is carry him to my bed and just sit with him until he stopped (about 10 minutes). Once he stopped, he went straight back into a deep sleep as if nothing had happened.

There was no biting or aggression - just screaming!

Thanks everyone.

Last night, I was so wired and teary I sobbed at partner for almost half an hour.

I once read somewhere that there's no better bridge between despair and sleep than a good night's sleep. Never has a truer word been said. I went to bed full of trepidation expecting another rough one, but thankfully, she slept through until 6.10 this morning and I feel more able to cope today.

Saying that, when I put her down for her nap just then we had a repeat of yesterday's screaming and once again she has gone to sleep upset. I'm finding it's taking a colossal amount of willpower to remain calm when LO seems so furious and irrational. Seeing her so upset is upsetting in itself too.

Betsybo, I hope you're feeling more rested today. 4am is a rotten time to start the day!