11 Mo. '"Talking" in Her Sleep?

I have a almost three year old that doesn't sleep through the night because of numerous phases. Right now she just potty trained, so she, luckily wakes to go to the potty. But one phase was these "night terrors". Some were talking and screaming, she still yells at her sister in her sleep sometimes, and some were complete tantrums. She would appear to be awake, but wasn't. We just tried to make her space safe and be there if she woke and it phased out. Hope this helps, G.

I've talked in my sleep since I was a small child and I'm 40 now. Unless she's having nightmares that keep you and her up all night, don't worry about it.

I read a few of your responses and it doesn't sound like night terrors to me(from what I've heard, I've never experienced them). My 17 month does this same thing and has been for quite some time(sometimes she doesn't do it at all and other times 2-4 times in one night). I usually just go in after a few minutes if she's still talking just to make sure she is sleeping, and she usually is, when she's crying I also wait a few minutes to see if stops on her own if not then I quitely go in (don't sat anything except may, shh,shh, it's ok, go nite nite) and I lay her back down and stops and goes back to sleep. So I think it's just a phase she's not screaming or freaking out and it sounds the same for your little one. If your still concerned I would talk to her Doctor.

sounds like a phase to me. My kids all did that at one time or another. They could be dreaming too
I always had a camera monitor, so, I'd just watch on the tv monitor. And not go in. They would always lay back down on their own. It may feel like forever, but look at your watch and tell yourself you'll give her 20 minutes to put herself back down. And she'll probably do it in 5.
it may sound silly, but if you don't look at the clock and take note of the time, it will feel like FOREVER, but in reality, it will probably be 5 minutes. And shes probably dreaming
good luck

My twin and I use to talk back and forth to eachother from our own bedrooms. Mom said we were sound asleep and sitting up in the beds and sometimes hollering at eachother. The dr. said to leave us alone and NOT to wake us up. There's nothing wrong. You have to kind of roll with the punches. She might be having a dream or arguing with a imaginary friend. If you wake her, she will be disoriented so just leave her be. We grew up alright, she'll be fine.

From what I understand, very normal around this age -- night terrors start too. My mother has seen my son sit up with his eyes open and "talk" a little bit but he's obviously not awake, and a couple minutes later he puts his head down and goes back to sleep.

Keep in mind, sleep is a very active activity. Your brain is working even if your body isn't, and just because she's talking or moving doesn't mean she's not getting rest! :)

I don't know about in babies, but I have "sleep-talked" my entire life, and it has never bothered me. I think it bothers the other people around me because it wakes them up, but not me! Probably nothing to worry about.

There's a homeopathic remedy called Calms Forte which helps babies settle into a deeper sleep. It's not like drugs, it helps the body correct the imbalance that's making her "sleep talk". It's totally safe for her to take. I take my kids to a homeopath for general care and chronic illness....e.g. my 11 mo DD has infrequent stools and strains, but is not uncomfortable, and still wakes 1x/night. her remedy is helping her be more regular and she used to wak 2-3x/night, so is getting better. the night waking/sleep talking/night frights are just a symptom that there's somthign a little out of whack. (I got started on homeopathy b/c my 3yo son has eczema and i didn't want to treat him w/ steroid creams. thankfully, w/ his remedy, i can also treat any allergic reactoins to peanuts or cashews, too!) homoepathy has no sid effects.
So, try the calms forte and if it doesn't work, you can see a professional. we see dr. polich (www.dupagehomeopathic.com).
here's the link to calms forte:
http://www.hylands.com/products/calmsforte.php

All my kids sleep talk but one is more prone to it and is an active sleep walker. My husband is also a sleep talker, sleep doer. I have read that this is genetic. As long as it doesn't suddenly appear in an older child it doesn't mean a thing. Suddenly appearing in an older child who has never been a sleep talker can indicate stress. So learn to ignore it or lest your sleep will be distrupted which can lead to so many worse problems the very least of which is a grouchy mom!

Recently my oldest (11 1/2) fell out of bed. He appeared awake but when I asked him what happened he said he was following a little troll...I quickly realized he was asleep, ushered him back to bed. He is my most active sleeper.

This could also be night terrors like some others mention but your daughter just doesn't seem that distruat until you wake her.

My advise, don't wake her, she will lay back down and quiet down soon enough. The comment about noting the time is a sanity saver. Do that too! If she is just a sleep talker, you will soon stop being awakened by her unless she is really loud or trying to go somewhere. Mommy rader is amazing. Sleep well!

Hello,

Sounds like it could be night terrors. It's not as bad as it sounds.
She is probably just over tired. Has her schedule changed recently?

S

Hi TR,
Anything new going on with your daughter? New vaccine? new drug, new vitamin or something of that nature?
P. RN

I would definitely say these are night terrors. My daughter has them also. She is 6 and has been having them for a few years. I have read about them online but I don't remember the specifics as to the why and what to do. I just typed in night terror and a multitude of resources came up.

My daughter has them on nights when she is over tired and on nights when she got in trouble. Kind of a weird pattern. Many times I can not wake her and she does not remember the event.

It is difficult to deal with as a parent when your child is so disoriented.

Good luck working through this!!

My 12 month old daughter cries in her sleep often. When I go in & check on her, she is sound asleep and just fussing and/or crying. I assume she is dreaming and since her only form of communication is crying, it's her way of talking in her sleep. Maybe she's dreaming about me not allowing her to eat kitty liter or poke the cat in the eyes...lol.
I don't feel as though my daughter isn't relaxed. She's just progressing through her sleep cycles. Some people have more vivid dreams then others. As long as I don't disturb her sleep, she's fine. If I wake her up when I check on her, she wants to get up and it's she's a bear to get back down. Therefore I don't go in her room during the night unless it's a full blown cry.

My youngest has always been a talker, but she also would lean over and "mime"(?) picking things up, putting them back down, etc. I thought she had outgrown it, until about 6 months ago (she is 9) She actually came out of her room, talked to her dad in the upstairs bathroom, told him that she forgot something downstairs, walked down the hall, down the stairs, into the living room, and sat down on the couch. I asked her what she was doing, and she said, "getting my blanket" streching out her empty arms to "show" me! Needless to say, I realized she was sleepwalking, and I herded her back upstairs, and back into bed. Definitely a mind blowing experience!
I *think* it could have something to do with night lights-- she used to use one when she was smaller, and we now leave the hall way light on. We really have nopositive cause for this, but my sister in law was a sleepwalker, too... My daughter never remembers, and never seems excessively tired the next day. Good luck!

It does sound a bit like "night terrors" which is related to sleep walking. It can be inherited - it might be interesting to find out if anyone in your or dad's family had anything like it. One way to help stop it is to wake the child up for a few minutes at a set time every night PRIOR to when the talking/crying usually starts. This generally keeps it from happening that night. She should eventually grow out of it.

They may just be night terrors. My older one had them. Kind of like sleep walking. Don't wake her, just comfort her if needed. My husband was good at letting her cry, but I would have to go pick her up and bounce her around until she settled down. My understanding is it is nothing to worry about. Check out a book, and it can tell you more.

As long as nothing seems "medically" wrong, it's probably nightmares. My daughter is about to turn 3, and she's going through a nightmare phase for, I think, the 3rd time. Hers have gotten to the point that she's shaking and still asleep when she starts screaming, even though her eyes are open (kind of like sleep walking). I have to turn the light on and everything to wake her up. Pay really close attention to any life changes, because this is usually when they come on again. I think ours is attributable to potty training at this point. Also, the more their imaginations develop, the more frequent and worse they can be. We're in the "monster" stages right now.

I have had night terrors since infancy with the exact same symptoms as your daughter...rest assurred, I don't remember them at all, though I still get them from time to time. My mother was so worried about me, and I was taken to sleep specialists and therapists. It is just a natural part of my makeup and apparently it has to do with brain development and hormones. It really is very common and generally does not signify a problem. Whatever you do, do not wake her up! Let her sleep through it and she'll be fine. Waking someone in the middle of one of these episodes can be really frightening (speaking from experience). Generally most children grow out of this stage, though it can reappear from time to time. Some are like me and live with it forever. The nights I have terrors, I usually wake up feeling more rested than normal. So at least that is a positive...