Nightmares..... Help DS1 had a horrid one this evening

[bythepowerofgreyskull]

so we are down stairs and can hear him screaming..
"Mummy help me.." really shouting, over an over and screaming in between,
I leg it upstairs.
I turn on the light
pick him up and cuddle him,

this does not stop him screaming, his eyes are open pupils dilated, eyes darting round the room but not making contact with mine..

I decide to carry him down stairs thinking this change of scene will wake him.

he carries on with screaming for me to save him for about 10 minutes.
I talk calmly to him telling him he is safe, asking him to look at me and believe me he is safe.
He screams his brothers name, I reassure him his brother is tucked up in bad safe and sound.
But he really doesn't seem to be able to hear me,
then he stops screaming, starts sobbing, then pulls away from me cuddling him.

it was horrid, frightening for the adults as well as him..

What should I do if it happens again?
is there a way of waking him up?
Should I talk to him about it in the morning? (he is 4)

any ideas??

Poor little man. My DS (5) has also started this recently, it's really scary when they are so out of control and obviously distressed.

I don't have any clue how to solve it (as a sleepwalker and talker myself, am thinking it might be genetic), but just wanted to let you know that I'm in the same boat.

Wishing your and my DS sweet dreams.

Oh, you poor things. This is night terrors - it's really quite common and someone will be along to give better advice, but it does happen quite a lot. My sister used to get them when she was young. I do remember them and there were completely draining.

I think you are doing absolutely all the right things - staying with them and reassuring them are the big things.

I think you also learn to look for triggers if they recur - overtiredness seems to be a big one.

Ds has had this. It's horrible thing, specially when they stare over your shoulder til you're convinced there's something in the room you can't see . (sorry).
I find it does help to take him into a different room, I pick him up and tell him where we are and what we can see. Very often he doesn't actually seem to wake up at all, just settles back to sleep. He never remembers these dreams.
Other times, he wakes up after a bad dream. He tells it into my cupped hands, then we blow it away together. Now he's getting older he can sometimes blow them away by himself, and tells me the next morning.

Oh god I remember when DD used to do this. I learnt that I couldn't get her out of it so used to make sure she was safe and couldn't bang herself or anything and then let it pass.

If I talked or tried to hold her it seemed to make it worse. It was only during and after her day time nap, never at night, strangely enough.

She stopped when she was about 5.

Used to really upset my mum who took care of her when I worked but we all got used to it in the end and just let it work it's course.

OOh I like that Girders. thanks we will try him telling my cupped hands and blowing it away..

thanks for the empathy ladies.. it was scarey..
poor little man was so upset

Search the archives for "night terrors" - its the thing when they are wildly looking around but not seeing anything.

The sleeping one rarely has any recollectionof it at all, apparently, if that is any help.

Love the cupped hands, will try that.

Greyskull, does he remember anything about these?