How to manage night terror
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I hv been experiencing night terror from my 2yo toddler since he was 1.5yr +. It occurs almost every fortnightly. Apart from night terror, on other nights, he doesn't sleep thru' also.
Most of d nights, he wud cry in his sleep or make some grouchy noises & when i tried to smoothe him, he wud juz flare up & sometimes d crying wud get out of ctrl. There r times when i tried leaving him alone, he wud start kicking me to get my attention (we share d same bed).
Since then, his disruptive sleep's pattern has becomes a routine.
(He naps for 1~1.5hrs everyday & usually falls asleep around 9.30~10pm.)
It was so disruptive that my hb & i had 2 sleep in separate rms so dat he can get enuf rest. It had also put a strain on our relationship too.
I understd dat bb over 1yr of age shd b able to sleep thru' d night but mine doesn't seem to be! I had been reading up articles on solving night terror & tried applying it but doesn't seem to help much. It is very bad for my toddler's health who tends to wake up so frequently @ night. Also very bad 4 everyone's in d family too!
D next morning, i was dead tired that i can't barely get up to prepare breakfast for my pri sch going kids or even c them off to sch. I felt so bad so about it!
Luckily, i got a gd domestic helper to oversee d kids' breakfast & send them to sch.
I'm desperately, hoping some kind souls cud offer their advises.
Many many great thanks! -
you can read http://www.babycenter.com.sg/toddler/sleep/nightterrors/ and try to source out more info from the internet to calm your own nerves.
my ds1 used to have frequent night terrors - 4 nights in a week - for weeks - when he was 3-4 yo (or is it 5yo? lolz, can't remember already). the timing is the same cos his bedtime is the same.
no point waking the kid up cos he doesn't know what is going on. my boy will say irrelevant things with no recollection the following day.
avoid strenous activities before bedtime. have a soothing bedtime regime may help. try the tip from the above link...the part on 'stirring' your kid before the night terror strikes - but beware not to fully wake the kid else he can't go back to sleep.
hang in there...they will outgrow this phase...at least my boy did. -
My 7yr old is still experiencing this on and off. It happens when he falls too deep into sleep too soon, as it always happen in the earlier part of the sleep. Try waking him a little, just getting a slight response, a shake or nodd, from him will do, within the first hour from his sleep. I normally do this abt 35-45min after he’s fallen asleep. Either asking him if he needs to go to the toilet or if he feels too hot or cold. Do this for a few consecutive nights or maybe a week and you should be able to get peaceful nights for sometime. But it does return, and I still have no idea what triggers it. Just go back top the routine of waking him from the deep sleep.
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Not sure if this would help …
My oldest son used to cry for no reasons in the evening and night when he was less than 1 yr old. To aggravate matters worse, he was born in 7th lunar month and some of my older relatives started speculating.
I brought him to GP and they cant find anything wrong with him. My wife almost had a nervous breakdown due to this. One day, I decided to bring him to a PD when he was having one of those wild cryings. Guess what, 10 mins and the PD told me my son was having colic.
Somehow, the air buildup goes in a cycle in his body and he would get badly affected at certain times of the day. In his case, it happened in the evening and night due to heavier feedings. Anyway, it took him 4-5 days of medication before the colic medicine cleared the problem and we also have to dilute his feedings to prevent bloating.
As far as I can remember, the PD said colic problem typically goes away after 1 yr old but some kids may still suffer from it. This is food for thoughts. Anyway, have you brought him to see a PD yet? -
Night terrors can be really scary, and detrimental to the parents and child’s sleeping patterns. Learning how to manage and prevent night terrors can help everyone in your family get a good night’s sleep.
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Try to have a relaxing time before sleeping time. Try reading books instead of playing about.
Lavender essential oil might help to relax mind or warm glass of milk before sleep?
Do not wake kids up even if they scream in the middle of their sleep.
Can refer more here:
http://kidshealth.org/parent/general/sleep/terrors.html# -
Love_Sunshine:
Hi, it doesn't sound like night terrors. For night terrors, the child will not wake up and will have no recollection of it the next day. If your child can kick you when you try to leave the room, he is awake which means he is not having night terrors but nightmares or as another parent said, could be bad stomachaches, or something else.Most of d nights, he wud cry in his sleep or make some grouchy noises & when i tried to smoothe him, he wud juz flare up & sometimes d crying wud get out of ctrl. There r times when i tried leaving him alone, he wud start kicking me to get my attention (we share d same bed).[/color]
I understd dat bb over 1yr of age shd b able to sleep thru' d night but mine doesn't seem to be!
Not all children sleep through at 1. I think that is an unrealistic expectation. The major concern will be nightmares and potential discomfort. Look into that.
If it's nightmares, the most common cause is too much excitement too near bedtime, usually from playing too much. Catching, hide-and-seek, anything that makes them scream with excitement - cut down on that especially from 6 plus onwards in the evening.
If you really think it is night terror, try this - prevent overheating, especially the feet. This seems to help prevent night terrors. If you think his feet are very hot, you can gently lay a cool towel on his feet without waking him up. Remove after a few minutes. -
My DS has night terrors from 1 year+ to 3 year+, 3-4 times weekly for 2 years, so can imagine how tired both DH and I were since we have no helper.
His night terrors were so bad, that we had complaints from neighbours and even my mum’s neighbours when we were staying overnight at her place. I nearly had a breakdown at my mum’s house by locking me and my son in the room and refused to let anyone to come in.
Nothing helps. From no activities at night, coaxing, patting, having a hugging soft toy, scolding. We were so desperate that we even caned him once while he is having the terror (we were sorry after that, but we were tired from facing it almost every night).
Milk helps, but it became a bad habit. Everytime he whined, we gave him milk. But better than screaming the house down for 1 hour. So every night he drinks about 4 bottles of milk. And night toilet training only started at 4 years old.
Aircon also helps, but it was not a long term solution, because my DS has sensitive airways.
A sleep specialist we consulted, recommended to track his sleeping pattern every night and then to wake him just before he experienced his first nightmare. This is to break his sleeping cycle. We tried that, but ended up he didn’t want to go back to sleep.
Thankfully he outgrew it when he is around 3.5 years old. He is now 7 yo.
Seems like most of the cases here are boys ? Just curious… -
Are you guys referring to 'hum bin'?
My mum prepared a 'bolster' filled with dried 'tau gay' black stuff for my DS since birth..We put it lower across the tummy area when he sleeps..
It works for him.. -
auntieM:
think that's for bery young child or infant, right? Normally placed around the chest to give the child a sense of security, like being cuddled.Are you guys referring to 'hum bin'?
My mum prepared a 'bolster' filled with dried 'tau gay' black stuff for my DS since birth..We put it lower across the tummy area when he sleeps..
It works for him..
Come to think of it, my kids also whined during mid sleep when younger. Most of the time either too hot and they started to perspire profusely, or too cold, or wanna pee....some discomfort.
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