Six year old with night terrors for years... can't cope anymore

[shesh]

Anyone who has any suggestions please let me know. I am sooo tired because I'm pregnant and my daughter's terrors are really bad right now. I'm finding it hard to even put these sentences together!

Shesh, you poor thing. So sorry, no experience, but bumping for you .

bumping for you
maybe you need to get professional help for her?

Friend's son had night terrors every night till he was about 9. Was told that he would grow out of it at that age and he did. Don't know how much consolation it is to know that you've got this for another 3 years but at least you know it WILL end eventually!

Thank you all for your support, usually I can handle the terrors ok, but the other night I was just really tired! Yesterday when my two girls went to school I went to bed for the whole afternoon. I think from now on I just have to rest when I can. But all of your posts got me through that night, thank you!!!!

Oh dear

Can you have her in bed with you for the odd night if you've had a run of really bad nights and need some more sleep? Would that stop them coming at all?

Could it be attention seeking?

Or, would it help to put in some lights?

What exactly is "night terrors" for a 6 year old? Does she have nightmares?

one thing I found with my dd1 - she had terrors more if she was hot. Not necassarily a temperature but overheating under blankets.
It didn't 'cure' them when we made her less hot but did bring the number down a huge amount.

My dd would have them if she was coming down with something but HAS grown out of them now she is six. Is it every night? What time is it happening? Have you tried some things such as waking her before they 'strike'?

Do you have a partner? Can he not attend to your DD at night?

both ds's had night terrors, ds1 more so than ds2. So you totally have my empathy.

agree with Riven.. cooler bedrooms help.

What also helped us was to note the time that they night terrors happened, as ours made the pattern of about three to four hours after falling asleep. So I used to just pop in and half wake them up before the terrors happened. I can't remember who suggested this to me, but it seemed to really break up the pattern and lessen the amounts of terrors they had.

they did grow out of them.

so might be worth seeing if there is a pattern happening, that you could interupt. HTH

My dd has had these terrors since she was a baby. I didn't know at that time what the were, but through research on the net I figured it out. They usually start around 11pm and last for 5 to 10 minutes, on a bad night this can continue at intervals until 6am. She screams and kicks, if you try to talk to her and ask her what is wrong it make her more agitated. I have spoken to my Doctor and she says there is not much you can do. I have tried to wake her before they start but it didn't work for me. What I usually do is pick her up sit her on my knee, rock her and say its ok over and over again. This will eventually settle her. Its not an attention thing because she is not even awake and cant remember anything in the morning. My husband who is wonderful just cant settle her like I can and he gets up very early for work. They happen most nights, but she has in the past gone as long as a month without one but this only happens maybe twice a year. They are definitely worse if she is sick or off her bedtime routine (which is always 8.30) I have coped ok till now, its just that I'm six weeks pregnant and the tiredness is overwhelming. But I have decided to take a nap everyday while the girls are at school which is already helping. And thank you to you all for support. Sometimes just talking about things can help so much. sorry for such a long post!!

It's tough being pregnant and dealing with night-wakings.

Hopefully she will grow out of this patch - perhaps knackered from school starting again?

Good luck anyway!