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Behaviour/development

Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

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Original poster

I have just found DS2 wandering around on the landing in a very strange state

22 replies

MegaLegs · 12/12/2007 22:12

He is 6. He took years to sleep through successfully. his sleep was always disturbed by the need to wee and he would shout and scream until we took him to the loo, he was never aware that he did this.

This evening was the second time I have found him whimpering and rambling and apparently lost, wandering around upstairs. I took him to the loo where he did a big wee, but he continued to tremble and cry and chatter incoherently. Reassured him quietly, took him back to bed, but he lkept getting out and saying something about finding me (find mummy, get mummy).

Have finally settled him, he seemed to wake up, I askd him if he was ok and knew where he was, he sadi yes and gave me a kiss.

It was quite upsetting and scarey, should I be concerned? Anyone have experience of similar?

OP posts:

collision · 12/12/2007 22:14

It can be called night terrors.

It is best not to wake them up but do exactly what you did.

It is really just a bad dream but the child seems scared and whimpers which is quite disconcerting for the parents.

My bro used to suffer from them and one night it was so bad we got an ambulance as we just didnt know what was happening and he was kicking out and screaming but asleep.

Original poster

MegaLegs · 12/12/2007 22:15

I am ill and must go to bed. I would love to hear any ones experiences of sleep walking/talking. Sorry to post and run

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moljam · 12/12/2007 22:16

my dd used to have night terrors,i found it quite scary at times but she never remembered a thing next day.she grew out of it eventually.

Original poster

MegaLegs · 12/12/2007 22:16

Thanks collision. It was scarey and upset me as he seemed so scared. Does night terrors usually involve walking around too?

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moljam · 12/12/2007 22:17

hope youre better soon!
just realised dd does still sleep talk/walk just no screaming,scaryness-no night terrors.

Original poster

MegaLegs · 12/12/2007 22:18

moljam, how olsd was your dd? I seem to remember one of my cousins having night terrors for a bit too, about the age of 7/8

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Original poster

MegaLegs · 12/12/2007 22:19

Thanks for the get well wishes. DS3 and 4 have had a virus and I guess now it's my turn.

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collision · 12/12/2007 22:20

yes it involves walking around and is different to sleepwalking.

Get well soon.

babypowder · 12/12/2007 22:20

My DD often does this. Like your DS, she has never really slept through, and often wakes up shouting and crying. She does tend to walk about in a very upset state, and will sometimes even look like she's trying to run away without actually moving. It is very frightening for me, but it doesn't seem to bother her at all in the morning.

I, too, would love to hear others' experiences, particularly from those whose LOs have grown out of this.

coldtits · 12/12/2007 22:20

Funny, ds1 had a night terror tonight - he has them if he was very tired when he went to bed. It scares me far more than him - especially tonight, he was pointing downstairs and shouting something - turned out to be "ds2 is in the wway! He is in the wayyyyyy!!!! wahhhhhh!"

He seems to relive events from earlier that day, or if he's had a busy day, or is tired.

he does seem almost awake, but I have come to realise that he's not, not at all!

meepingaroundthechristmastree · 12/12/2007 22:21

I used to sleep walk when I was ill or too hot - so maybe the virus has something to do with it?

coldtits · 12/12/2007 22:21

He won't remember in the moring either. Ds1 is thrilled to hear all about what he was doing the night before!

moljam · 12/12/2007 22:23

coldtits(love new name btw)dd used to love hearing what she'd been up too,as she really didnt have a clue.and it took ages for us to realise she was actually asleep!

SantasLittleToiletFlusher · 12/12/2007 22:24

Yes me!! MY DS is 6 and had a spate of doing this a few weeks ago. We would find him in odd places, talking out loud, anxious, whimpering but apparently asleep (although with eyes open). We too, would take him for a wee and put him back in bed. He never remembered it in the morning.

Someone who knows about these things, a friend of mine said sleepwalking was very common in children this age and nothing to be concerned about. She said its something to do with the mind suppress the physical movements in a dream so they end out acting out the dream, rather than lying in bed motionless as normal.

Hope this makes sense, don't think I've explained it very well. By the way, this seems to go in spates with my boy, he hasn't done it for a few weeks now but expect it may return until his brain sorts it out.

VVVExcitedAboutChristmasQV · 12/12/2007 22:24

Oh both mine do this.

DS, 2.5, woke up the other night, mumbling and whining whilst sitting up in his bed. I went in, asked him what was wrong, and got "un nha ckee".

When I asked him to say it again, he said "I need caaaaaaaake". At which point I knew he must be dreaming (he knows darn well he wont get cake from me at 2am in the morning ).

It happens, scares the bejeesus out of me though....

prettymum · 12/12/2007 22:25

my younger brother did this. one night the family were sitting watching telly and he was sleeping on couch, he suddenly got up, walked over to my mum, took down his trousers and started weeing on her! we just sat frozen and couldnt beleive what was happening!

another time my sister and i and my brother were home by ourselves. he was in bed and we were watching something like crimewatch. he came into the living room and just stood next to one of the couches, then walked over to the balcony door and started peeking through the curtains, we asked him if he was ok but he wouldnt reply, we were so freaked out!

SantasLittleToiletFlusher · 12/12/2007 22:25

Sorry, meant to say ..the mind not suppressing..

SeaShells · 12/12/2007 22:26

DS has done this for many years, he is now 9 and still does this regularly. I'll find him wandering around, he says odd things, cries, and seems to be awake, but actually isn't, he never remembers any of it the next day. I just gently lead him back to bed.

coldtits · 12/12/2007 22:26

This may sound callous, but I deal with them now by taking him into the bathroom, shtting the door so he doesn't wake ds2 (they share a room), sitting him on the toilet, and sponging his face with cool water.

I go out of my way to wake him up, because he won't wee until he wakes up, and he is so LOUD when he screams (and he usually does scream) and he won't stop screaming until he has weed!

llareggub · 12/12/2007 22:26

I used to sleepwalk a lot as a child. I still talk in my sleep and my husband often has conversations with me that I know nothing about.

As a child I once got out of bed, stripped off and got in the shower. I woke up in the shower, very confused. I can only guess that I was off to school. Another time I burst into my parents room, demanding to know why they hadn't woken me up for school (it was 3am) and that if I was late it would be their fault. They were very used to gently guiding me back to bed but would take the piss the next day.

The worst time was when I was away with the Guides in Switzerland. There were 12 of us in a dorm and we had a very odd bunk bed which was basically I giant 6 man (well Guide) bunk on top and below. I bagged the top bunk with 5 of my friends. It was hot but obviously being teenagers we all had PJs and these weird cotton sleeping bags. I woke up naked on the bottom bunk - I always slept naked at home so I can only guess that I stripped off and climbed into the wrong bed. To this day I blush thinking about it but I don't think anyone saw.

Actually, I did do something similar at university halls but I think that was less to do with sleep walking and more to do with alcohol and is another story entirely.

christywhisty · 12/12/2007 23:16

My DD had a virus over the weekend which gave her a temperature. I didn't get to bed late on Sunday Night/Monday morning. i went upstairs and heard her saying

"blah, blah, blah" over and over again. She was up on her knees looking under her pillow and then down the side of the bed
She then said
"what is that strange thing"

got out of her bed went into our room climbed into my side of the bed
We asked her if she was alright
then in a strange high pitched voice she said

"Don't ask me questions like that at 2.17 in the morning"

then we managed to get her to go back to her bed. She was very hot, so she may have been halucinating.

Original poster

MegaLegs · 13/12/2007 10:43

He doesn't seem to remember, I haven't said too much as when he had the shouty, screamy thing going on it would make him anxious if we told him and it would get worse the following night.

I used to sleep walk, still sleep talk which DH finds hilarious (although he can never remember what I've said.). DH sleep walks when drunk (once woke to find him about to pee in the wardrobe, managed to guide him to bathroom with him reaasuring me it was just a log).

Hope DS2 grows out of it before he's a burly 6ft teenager though.

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