Night Terrors / Tantrums?

[Wormie1]

3 times in the past week my 2 year old daughter has woken up screaming and when I have tried to consol her she lashes out at me. I have to stand away whilst she thrashes around on the floor screaming and wait for her to eventually calm down. After 20 minutes she returns to normal as if nothing has happened. I am really worried that she will harm herself and don't know the best way to handle this situation.

Does she actually wake up? They don't really wake during a night terror, hence being unconsolable and touching them usually makes it worse. Ds has had some spectacular phases. I'm afraid the only thing to do it to let it pass. I have found that having a monitor in his bedroom so that I can get up there before it gets in full swing helps, I just sit by him making soothing noises. Sometimes something cool on the forehead or a soothing hand can help although be careful it doesn't make it worse. If you don't wake them then after the terror passes they just go back into deep sleep. You get to know what to look for, with ds twitching is a sure sign of it being a terror, he can calm down and you think it is over but still be twitching a little and it can start again.

It is horrible, but it passes, it might go on for a few weeks or longer and then go until something else triggers anothr phase (change, illness etc).