3.5 yr old DD who has sleep tantrums - anyone any experience of this?

[KatieRog]

So my 3.5 yr old DD has what can only be experienced as sleep tantrums. She suddenly erupts in the early hours in to a full scale tantrum in her sleep. Spoken with Health Visitor who advised quiet bedtime routine but doesn't seem to make a difference. Tried to wake her and also left her to it, sometimes she realises we there but doesn't want us, other times she does. However it can last an hour. Its a bit of a shocker and very tiring for us - anyone experienced this or have any suggestions?
Many thanks

Sounds like night terrors?
I haven't got any advice but I'm sure if you Google night terrors something might come up. Sounds quite upsetting.

We do experience this with ds1, but haven't worked out any cause or anything which will always help.
Sometimes we find that saying nothing, just passing his favourite cuddly calms him. Sometimes talking calmly and stroking his back or head helps.
Other times, luckily not too often, he is in full hysterics and neither of those things help. If he seems a bit more aware, we have tried changing the scene by e.g. taking him downstairs, but sometimes just have to sit it out.
The last couple of nights he's had them (the neighbour heard him and not the one joined to us!!) The first night he ran up and down his room flapping his arms, flew at us hitting, cried then went back to sleep! Last night he was more aware, shouting and screaming, we brought him downstairs (also not to wake ds2) and evenually he quietened. It is very disturbing when they're so upset, but usually he doesn't remember in the morning.
Sorry, not much advice there, but I'll watch this thread to see if anyone else has any.

It does sound like night terrors.
My son is nearly 8 now and has not had one for nearly a year. As he has got older they have become less severe and less frequent.
We found it always made him worse if we tried to wake him up, and so treated him as you are supposed to with sleepwalking. Just keeping calm around him and as Jolly said stroking him or tucking him back in and passing him his teddy type of thing.
Sometimes though all that you can do is to let them scream it out. He never remembers when it happens and it does not effect him at all.
I dont know if this is connected but now he is older he talks in his sleep, has had imaginary boxing matches while lying in bed and full on one sided arguments. Once or twice he has sleepwalked but never at home.

Have looked up night terrors but not sure how this fits. Her "tantrums" are about 3/4 in the morning not within the first few hours of sleep which night terrors seem to be. Also she shouts through them - last night it was she wanted to watch the telly then wanted Daddy but he was already in the room with her by that stage. It doesn't seem an unnameable fear. Heaven knows what starts it off - yesterday there was no issue round TV watching and she doesn't watch that much....

she does sleepwalk - have a stairgate on as already found her at the bathroom sink having a wash.... It was bad and then went off and its just started again

Yes, this is what my DD (2.2) does this too! She sleepwalks and talks too and is a very light sleeper. Its exactly the same thing, she will shout and cry for something or for someone, but even if it is given to her or the person summoned it makes no difference, its as if she is in a different world. They are night terrors. When DD was a baby she was a terrible sleeper and DH and I are both sleepwalkers/sleeptalkers. Eventually we were referred to a sleep clinic for her. They told us to be on the watch out for night terrors as she seemed a likely candidate. There is nothing much you can do about them, and although they are awful for you to see, your DD won't remember them like she wouldn't really remember sleepwalking except perhaps the very last bit before she wakes up. I know that night terrors are supposed to be in the first few hours of sleep, but DD doesn't seem to fit this timing either. I think its possibly because she wakes during the night and settles herself back off hence she doesn't sleep very deeply anyway. Or because she is prone to sleepwalking anyway that she is having really agitated sleepwalking sessions.