Are these night terrors?

[colditz]

Ds1 wakes up 2 or three times a qweek, always between 8 and 12, screaming, shaking moaning etc. but he won't talk to me, he won't tell me what it wrong, he sometimes won't even open his eyes!. After 5 or 10 minutes, he just lies down, and shuts up. I won't say goes back to sleep, because I'm not convinced he wakes up at all. he can never remember havi9ng bad dreams in the morning.

If they are night terrors, how can I stop them? It terrifies ds2 (they share a roo0m) and quitew often ds2 will scream for longer than ds1!

he is on the go constantly. He just doesn't sleep enough and I don't know how to encourage him to stay asleep. He does have bath and stories before bed, we have the same routine every night. he then crashes out, goes straight to sleep (as long as it's after 7) then sleeps until about 6/7 the next day.

He had an afternoon nap until this time last year, but he won't have one now.Not unless he's ill.

is it possible for him to have less energy at nearly 4 than he had at nearly 3?

My little sister had night terrors and would go shouting into the hall. There were still stair gates for my little brother but it was quite upsetting to see her so distressed and not be able to comfort her.
How often does this happen for you?

It is happening nearly every night now, Goodasgold

Could you get him to lie down in bed, cuddle his teddy and listen to quiet music? Or if he won't do that, maybe to watch something very simple and repetitive on TV, like perhaps a Baby Einstein video, or Teletubbies.

Have you had a look at his diet, whether maybe there's something in it that may be making him more hyper? Obvious candidates are of course sugar and additives, but sometimes there can be less obvious things, eg Wotsits send my ds1 up the wall. (But that's very easy for us to spot, as it happens within minutes.)

Hi again, didn't post because the laptop died!

I was just going to say before I'm off to bed that perhaps it would be worth speaking to your GP about. It sounds like he gets a decent night for his age, though what's right for each child is different but that he probably dcould do with some enforced quiet time in the middle of the day - he'll have to learn how to sit down and concentrate on a story or something in time for nursery/pre-school/school even, so you might as well start trying now - even half an hour reading thomas the tank might work!

My mum always insists to me though that my brother was never overtired - just the opposite really, he was a very quiet little boy who could concentrate and play quite sedately - it was just a phase for him - a long one - but he did grow out of it.

I guess I think speaking to your GP might help you go through all the causes, affirm that you're doing everything right, and give you a bit of confidence in dealing with it. Talking to a professional may also help pinpoint a cause if there is one.

Hope tonight goes well.

Colditz this is to make you feel better, as you may just have to wait for the nt to run their course.
Try to make his days as nice as possible, is he at pre-school or nursery? Talk to the people who care for him there and maybe in the short term cut it down, get some help if you need it during the day with ds2, only as a short term measure, avoid conflict with ds1 (meal times, toiletting). And even if he doesn't sleep until 7, get 6-7 quiet time in bed, again get help with your other son or get him to bed really early.
I think if you can put your son to bed knowing that all is well in his life then when the nt occur you will be able to cope with them better.
I don't think for one minute that nt occur because of the way you are, but you will feel better for doing something.
I know its old fashioned but I think Dr Spock talks pretty good common sense about this.
They are a phase. Good luck to you.

Colditz - this site has a bit more info than the BBC one, if I were in your position I think I'd give the 7 nights waking thing a go. hth.

My eldest brother used to "wake up" (though still asleep) when he was little and wander round the house, usually on a mission to have a pee.
When my grandfather died, he was about 23 (I was 17) and I remember him opening my door, coming into my room and peeing all over my bookcase. All the time I was calling his name, but he then just got into my bed (while I leapt out the other side) and went back to sleep.
I was in hysterics. He was oblivious. Really freaky.
Felt terrible when I realised that he hadn't a clue what had happened, because I was so livid and frightened at the time. Poor lad
What you've described do sound like night terrors. Is he stressed out? dd always has a couple of weeks when she starts back at pre-school where she has nightmares (not insensible night terrors). While she's happy there and contented during the day, I think she gets anxious in her sleep instead.

Hi Colditz,

DD1 (nearly 3) is having these too - it's awful isn't it? She too shares with her sister who is 10 months but luckily she seems to sleep through the screaming.

There are some really helpful links on here so thanks to those who posted them.

I think DD2's are linked to stress and tiredness, probably because I am experiencing the same! I will endeavour to be a calmer and nicer mother.

hi,
my little one 4 has them occasionally, she has been thru alot of stress in last coupke yrs. She is also th etype who is always onthe go, never gets tired, and barely had naps when she was tiny.

hers are quite awful, she sits up in bed screaming mummy mummy help me over and over, and I'll say mummy's here but she cant hear me.

Her eyes are always open and she is terrified.

my dd2 who is now 19 yrs old used to have night terrors and sleepwalk, and we tormented ourselves with the thought that she must be stressed/ unhappy. well, she's assured us that she was happy and not worried at all. my dd3, who is 3 yrs old has night terrors. she used to have cows milk intolerance (and soya) as a baby, but has been able to eat everything for ages. however, we've just tried something new in the last few days- we have raised the head of the bed by 6 inches, in case she's getting any pains from silent reflux. it could just be coincidence, but she hasn't had a night terror since. although she's woken a few times every night (she's always been a poor sleeper) she hasn't been upset at all and settled back to sleep within minutes. i hope you find a cause but if not please don't torment yourself with worry like we used to

Oh crikey yes - don't think that it's linked to stress or anxiety as we know it. DD is happy and loved and not "stressed" as such. But something that she takes to really well in the day (like having lunch at pre-school) results in her sometimes being more unsettled at night.

dd2 does this

she sleepwalks too

it happens when she cannot shut her brain off

I stroke her hair and she goes off to sleep - never remembers in the morning

hello colditz
my ds1, 5.9yrs has been having these nearly every night for 2 months now and while it is somewhat tedious, we have grown jsued to them. We also find that keeping him well hydreated with lots of drinks throught the day helps

hi..im glad ive come across this thread my ds is 8 and has been having these night terrors for about 4 year.
sometimes he remembers in the morning and sometimes not.they still scare the life out of me.its like a panic attack he alway says the same thing.that ever things to big and when i ask him whats to big he says everything.his heart is racing and it take a while to calm him down.i just hope he grows out of it.
i have thought about taking him to the doctors but dont know if it will make it worse.