anyone have experience with night terrors?

I think my 2yr is having them because he is waking during the night screaming and talking jiberish. It is scary, because it's not like he's awake.

Re: anyone have experience with night terrors?

I have had night terrors pretty much since childhood.
The thing is- I will RARELY remember anything in the morning. It's not like a bad dream where you wake up screaming for a reason. I never had a recall of a nightmare- sometimes just a feeling of being disturbed but not really knowing why.
Then my DH (or my parents when I was younger) will tell me that I was screaming bloody murder and saying things. Or jumping out of bed in a sheer panic. And I have NO recollection at all.

It's actually more scary and disturbing for those around the person having them.

Not sure there is much you can do, but just comfort him and speak softly etc.

I know kids get them a lot and generally grow out of them.
And take heart in knowing he probably wont' even remember it in the morning- but of course, you will!

Message edited 5/27/2011 8:39:37 AM.

Re: anyone have experience with night terrors?

ds gets them usually around 2am. the doctors were talking about what u can do to help. they said if its night terrors its usually around the same time every night. wake them up half hr b4 the child usually gets them and give them a small bottle. do this every night for 7 days and 90% it goes away.

have to try it so i cant say it works

eta: the doctors on tv (show)

Message edited 5/27/2011 8:45:26 AM.

Re: anyone have experience with night terrors?

Kaydyn had them for a while around 2ish. She would wake up screaming in the middle of the night. We would go in there and shush her and rub her back until she fell back to sleep. One time by the time I got in there she was walking in circles in her room yelling "help get me out of here!! Get me out of here!!!"

She just recently had a really bad dream about a crab that was on her bed and was trying to pinch her. She was terrified to go to bed for a couple of nights.

It's so sad to see them so upset.

Re: anyone have experience with night terrors?

The girl I used to babysit had them.

I used to talk to her before she went to sleep about what she should dream about...it usually involved waking up in a house that was made of candy....and we talked about if anything scary happens, that she was magic & could change anything that happened in the dream.

It did seem to help for at least the nights I was babysitting.

Re: anyone have experience with night terrors?

my younger brother used to get them. he started at around 2 yrs old and i think they went away by the time he was 7-8? (i can't quite remember) he would wake u screaming, sitting up with his eyes open and scream for a good 10-15 minutes. nothing we did would calm him down. then he would just stop on his own, lie down and go back to sleep as if nothing ever happened.

hopefully it will go away. good luck!