18 Month Old with Night Terrors?

My middle daughter went through the same thing, from about 18months through 3. My stratigy was to just speak softly to her and try calming her the best I could, by rubbing her back or stroking her head ( if she would allow me to). I would also repeat her name in a soft voice to try to wake her. She sometimes responded to her dad better so we would switch off if one of us got frustrated and sometimes this would work, just the sound of a different voice snapped her out of the terror. They seemed to ease up as she got older but when she was very young they happened quiet frequently. I know what you are going through and I wish you good luck

Hi B., My heart goes out to you! I rmeember when my oldest daughter had night terrors. It scares the ---- out of you! The doctors told me that there was nothing I could do but hold her and try to quiet her down. She would scream, thrash, and it was like I wasn't there. Then all of a sudden, she would calm down and get quiet. It was the weirdest thing. I am sorry I can't give you any specifics but at least you know you are not the only one who has gone through this:)
Keep your chin up and know it WILL get easier and your 18 month old will out grow it.
Good luck tonight!

My 4 year old son has them and has had them for about a year and a half- 2 yrs now. When he's overtired they are worse. Also, I took his heavy comforter off of his bed and he only has a lightweight blanket and a sheet- this seems to help. I had read that if they are too warm it makes it worse. I also read that if it occurs the same time each night that you should wake them up before that and take them to the bathroom, give them a drink, whatever. That didn't work for us. Good luck- there really isn't much you can do except hope and pray they outgrow it soon.

Hi B.,
I definately feel for you with the night terrors. It's scary and upsetting to see your child react like that especially when you can't seem to make it better! My son is 10 months old and also experiences night terrors. I have found that if I rub his back and talk to him before trying to pick him up he calms down a bit and sometimes even wakes up. Apparently if they are still in a night terror and have not woken up, they do not realize it is you holding them and could think its part of whatever is scaring them.(Something someone told me...not sure if its factual but makes sense!) Some things that were suggested to me that seem to have worked are making sure they aren't too warm at night. Apparently sometimes if they are overheated it can bring on night terrors. And like you already said, making sure they get enough sleep and stick to a routine.
Hang in there. And let's hope they don't last long!

Hi,
I don't have much advice to give you, just that my son, who is now 6, had and still has night terrors. The only thing we have done is to not hold him down or try to wake him, just stay close to make sure they don't injure themselves on a nightstand or fall off the bed. My son never remembers them the next morning, and they usually follow holidays, birthday parties, a hard day at school or anything exciting. We also have kept a good routine with our son, but he still gets them. I think they are less intense then when he was younger, if thats any good news for you. My daughter is 2 and she has talks alot in her sleep and so far just has regular nightmares that she vividly remembers. Also becareful of too much TV and programs that are even remotely scary or violent. Even my son at 6 has night terrors after a scooby do movie. I play classical, christian, or animal sounds music at each of my childrens bed times, or story CD's. I don't know if it helps but they like it so. I wish you luck, I know how scary it is to see, and frustrating since there is nothing we can do. Take care, G.

B.,
this may sound crazy, but my brother has a daughter with a similar problem.....they somehow figured out that it had to do with dairy products!!! Believe it or not, but maybe try switching to rice milk or soy milk in the bottle instead of dairy or I guess the lactose free may work as well. She had similar fits until they cut dairy out of her diet---she can't even eat pizza because of all the cheese or she is a disaster!! So, i know it sounds wierd and may be hard to do, but give it a try and see what you find???
good luck!! Kisses and hugs to the little man!!!

Night terrors sounds like a difficult experience for all of you. I wish I had advice to give you on how to handle them, but I do not have any experience with them. There is one thing in your request, however, that struck a chord with me. I know you are trying everything you can to help soothe your child, but I would like to caution you on using a bottle. Using food to calm "emotions" may backfire in another way. Please know that I am not saying this in a condescending way, and I am not judging.

My best to you.

Hi B., Sounds like night terrors to me. We went though this with our oldest. Being over tired and have super excited days did seem to trigger them sometimes.

Don't try to hold him at first. Believe it or not when he is screaming and fighting you he may well still be asleep even if he looks awake! We would go to our daughter and as we entered the room we would call out her name loudly before we tried to touch her, so that she would wake up a bit. Then we would hug her, kiss her and tuck her back in. We never asked her if she was having a bad dream ...or really talked too much to her. We acted as if we were just tucking her in before we went to bed. In the morning I would ask her "did you sleep good last night?" Usually she never remembered any event at all... The night terrors stopped as suddenly as they began and neither of my other two ever experienced them at all. I will tell you though, my husband and my oldest do talk in their sleep once in a while if they have a really stress filled day...even now. Hang in there, don't panic and you'll get through this!! Best wishes.

My daughter is now 4 and she had night terrors too. Basically she has alwasy been oversensitive with disruptions and changes. She would wake up every night around the same time and cry until she would throw up. When she had a night terror I was told to just leave them be, just so they dont get hurt. Cut out any caffine. Nothing to eat or drink after a certain time. Besides his milk. Basically they dont even know its happening, as frightening as it seems. I know all too well that blank stare as they are screaming like someone is killing them.. hang in there.. i'll be following up to see what other recomend, so I know too!

I was scared to death when my son started having them. I called my Mom in the middle of the night shaking and crying and asked her to help me ~ it IS scary! My husband had them when he was little as well. What we started doing is turning on EVERY light and talking very quietly to him (if we talked at all.) Then I discovered that it usually had to do with the fact that he had to go potty. Once I found that out night terrors became demystified. He is now 7 and will still come to my room every once in awhile. I'll turn on all the lights (to get rid of the scary shadows) and gently take him to the bathroom and then take him to my room. At some point he usually wakes up and then goes right back to sleep. He doesn't scream anymore, but is very scared and shivers a lot until he wakes up. Hope this helps. :D

Do not try to hold them down! It panics them more and makes the, last longer. Instead, keep your voice low and gentle and say its ok, your safe. My son used to have these all the time. Hes now grown out of them. We feel his stemed from battling him to bed every night and that it overstressed his body. We try to make bedtime more soothing and keep a better schedule and that has helped allieviate them. Most kids will grow out of these around 6-8 yrs of age.
Try this book called "Sleepless in America" by Mary Sheedy Kurcinka. It addresses night terrorsa as well as other things to encourage a full nights sleep.