Toddler talking and crying in her sleep

[RoskvaTheRedNosedReindeer]

Dd (2.4) has episodes almost every night of being really frightened/upset but doesn't wake up. I try to comfort her without waking her, but don't really know what to do about this. Is this just a phase toddlers go through?

yes, it is a phase and in some it lasts longer than others.

There are loads of different schools of thought so you are likely to get conflicting advice, but fwiw, dd2 has nightmares and night terrors and apart from a few tired mornings, she doesn't seem to suffer unduly from them.

They are more worrying for us, I think, watching her go through something that we can't help her with, but she doesn't seem to remember them when she wakes up.

She hasn;t had a night terror for a while but still has nightmares (she's 4.6)

Good luck.

xx

my ds is 2yrs 3mths and has done this for ages! I never go to him unless he is really crying out for me (i can tell if he is still sleeping) and he usually settles himself reasonable quickly and without fuss. I think their days are so busy and sometimes so fraught wtih being a toddler that it is just like a valve being released! hth

Maybe it is night terrors. I've just been in to her - she was thrashing round in her cot like she was trying to get away from something, and whimpering in terror. I'd like to encourage her into a bed, but at tonight she needs the sides of the cot to stop herself falling out. She hit her head quite hard on the end of the cot, but even that didn't wake her . I just feel so completely helpless.

I'm wondering if it runs in families - I used to sleep walk until I was in my teens.

I think it does run in families. DD went through this for a few months (she's 2.2) but it seems to have calmed down now. We really changed her dinners though - no cheese, no processed food, no sugar etc. as we found this would really set her off.

My ds goes through phases of this, I just pat him and reassure him. Am always wary of waking him up and he does seem to settle after a few minutes.

He does also get the giggles in his sleep which is the most amazing thing ever!

roskva - it does deffo go in families, and is connected to sleepwalking and other sleep disorders.

It doesn't mean that she will be a sleepwalker though

Thanks for the reassurance, everyone. I hope she stops doing this soon.