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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

do they ever grow out of night terrors?

19 replies

themildmannneredjanitor · 30/06/2008 21:06

dh is upstairs with ds1 while he rants and raves and sobs and stumbles around his bedroom in serch of who knows what or whom.

this has been going on for about 2 years now.

the gp has been no help.

he doesn't remember it the next day thank god.

it is really wearing and distressing to see him like this.

he goes through phases where he doesn't have them and then they come back.

right now they are back.
poor poor little boy.

OP posts:

Original poster

themildmannneredjanitor · 30/06/2008 21:12

someone please tell me this will end soon?

OP posts:

Orinoco · 30/06/2008 21:16

Message withdrawn

Original poster

themildmannneredjanitor · 30/06/2008 21:18

he's 8.
i can't pin it down to anything really.
it's been going on for so long now.

OP posts:

girlandboy · 30/06/2008 21:20

How old is he?
Hate to tell you this, but my ds still gets them on occasion, and he has just had his 8th birthday.
It's very distressing to watch. My ds keeps hitting himself in the face, almost like he's trying to remove something on his face.
Frustratingly he can NEVER remember what the terror was about.
I've been told that he will grow out of them, and I have to say that they are becoming less frequent.

Original poster

themildmannneredjanitor · 30/06/2008 21:21

he's 8!!

OP posts:

Orinoco · 30/06/2008 21:22

Message withdrawn

girlandboy · 30/06/2008 21:25

Aha, aged 8 as well!
The only thing is - at least they don't remember anything. My ds always seems very surprised when I mention it the next morning.

Original poster

themildmannneredjanitor · 30/06/2008 21:25

he wanders round at the same time! came downstairs one day and tried to wee in the kitchen bin!

another day he was asleep in the afternoon and he came downstairs , opened the front door and walked out and tried go up next doors path. i didn't realise he was still asleep and went and got him back after which he went back ypstairs and lay down asleep on the landing.

last week i heard him shout momentarily and when i went up he was asleep on the landing.

OP posts:

Orinoco · 30/06/2008 21:29

Message withdrawn

Original poster

themildmannneredjanitor · 30/06/2008 21:32

i really hope so!!!

OP posts:

girlandboy · 30/06/2008 21:32

Yes, this is all very familiar. My dd will come downstairs in a strop to haughtily tell me that "he's in my bedroom again, and won't go away. Come and get him". He's wandering around looking for something, but fortunately can be led back to bed with no trouble.
The only thing that worries me is his negotiation of the rather dangerous stairs. He has never got out of the house though - that's a worry.

jabuti · 30/06/2008 21:52

my suggestion is to try to trace back his day and link whats likely to give him night terrors, for example, hyper in sugar, or too many activities...

girlandboy · 30/06/2008 22:03

I can never trace back to anything, but it always happens 1 hour and 20 minutes after he's dropped off to sleep.

Original poster

themildmannneredjanitor · 30/06/2008 22:06

yes! he's the same! always an hour after he's gone to sleep!!!

OP posts:

Original poster

themildmannneredjanitor · 30/06/2008 22:07

today he has been to school, ben to the park, had his tea which was good happy chicken, new pots and broccolli with organic yoghurt for pud.

nothing exciting. he had a bath and a story and then bed.

OP posts:

CacklingHag · 30/06/2008 22:11

My dd still has them at 10. They are worse when she is over-excited or nervous about some up-coming event. I think it's important to have a stairgate at the top of the stairs in case of sleepwalking accidents (we have a complicated rollerblind-style one that she doesn't seem to open when sleepwalking). I had them badly as a child, as well as nightmares, but I grew out of the night terrors during puberty.

Original poster

themildmannneredjanitor · 30/06/2008 22:13

yes-we have stairgates at top and bottom because of this.

OP posts:

girlandboy · 30/06/2008 22:19

Stairgates are not a possibility. Can't even begin to describe the design of our stairs. The house is 400 years old and there are so many twists and turns that we have never been able to put stair gates up. The stairs are made of brick as well. We once tried to put a gate on his doorway, but he kept walking straight into it and doing a tiss-over the top - even more dangerous than no gate at all.

MrsWaggsnapps · 02/07/2008 15:40

I had night terrors as a child and they eased up gradually in my early teens (I think), I don't sleep walk (tho my dad does... they say it runs in families), but I can hold a conversation in my sleep.

You could try asking him towrite done anything that's on his mind before bedtime - have you heard of stream of consiousness writing? Where you sort of scribble things down as they come into your head. Otherwise, hunker down and lock the front door is all I can suggest.

BTW a friend's boy has started these and the Dr speculated a link to vaccinations which he got done late, the Doc said they were starting to see a few cases like this (his started at 17 mths)

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