Toddler Waking in Hysterics MANY Times Throughout the Night

Hang in there, S.. I know it's tough to raise little ones all on your own, especially when they're struggling with something. I'm sure your little girl is under a lot of stress -- not having Daddy there and not really knowing why or how to cope with her emotions -- and I'm sure that makes the terrors worse. If she were my daughter, I would take her to the pediatrician just to make sure there's nothing else going on that would disturb her sleep so dramatically, and then I would take her to a counselor. They are trained to work with little ones and have learned skills that you and I as mommies just don't have. Also (and I think this is very important) you need to find a way to rest. It there's a best friend that might take her for a night, knowing fully what to expect, or even if someone could watch her for a few hours on a Saturday so you could take a good, long nap, I think that would work wonders for you! And let's face it, it's hard to have a good day and be your best when you've not had the sleep you need to recharge. You're human, so you need rest too. But more importantly, you're a mommy, and your precious little girl needs your best you. Keep your chin up, do what your heart tells you, and take good care of yourself! I'm sorry you're having such a hard time, I hope that I've been of some encouragement to you, and I hope that things get better soon. Just know that there's another Mommy out there who cares and who is praying for you! Keep us updated. :)

I think this also sounds like night terrors. My daughter had them too just not so violent. But some can be violent like the kids running around the room. Is she getting out of bed? If she is, just make her room safe before she goes to bed so she doesn't get hurt. If she is not, DON'T WAKE HER UP. It won't work. Just let her go through it. I don't know if you're trying to wake her up but stop if you are. I might last only 20 minutes or so and maybe she won't do it again if she just goes through it. If she is hurting herself maybe you could just hold her from behind in a way that she can't hurt you or herself until the episode passes then just lay her back down. Maybe she won't wake up again. If this does not work I don't know what to tell you. Look up info. on line.

When my daughter went through these she stayed in bed and was just crying hard and it looked like she was looking right at me. She was about 4 years old then. She would never remember the next day.
Good Luck,
Keep us updated.
Lonie

S.,

I agree with Dena about this and I hope that you have someone that you can trust to take care of your daughter while you get the rest that you need. My son experienced night terrors as well. Other mothers have suggested practical things to do (check with pediatrician, etc.) I would like to add that the one thing that I have done and continue to do is pray that the Lord would allow my son to dream Godly dreams and anything ungodly that He would not allow. I don't know if you are aware of this or not, but the Lord does speak to people in dreams as indicated in the Bible (Joseph see Genesis 37, King Nebuchadnezzar see Daniel 4, Daniel see Daniel 7). I believe that since this is one of the many ways that God speaks, children can get to the point where they are afraid to go to sleep and dream. I could go on and on about examples of friends that the Lord reveals so much to them in their dreams. I hope that this information helps you as well. Please keep us posted.

Hi,

This sounds like night terrors. My son had them after he turned two. They started when we went out of town. One "vacation" he had 6 terrors a night. His were violent, and you'd swear he was awake, looking at you, and throwing a fit at 3am! I read books, talked to our pediatrician, and anything I could think of.

What seemed to work the best or at least make them more manageable was to move bedtime 30 minutes earlier. I know this will sound strange, but it was explained in the books that I read that the best treatment for these terrors is interrupting the sleep cycle that produces them.

One way was to awaken the child 10-15 min. before the terrors usually start. You awaken the child just enough for them to acknowledge you and then let the child rollover and go back to sleep. (It's kind of like rousing someone who is snoring.) That method seemed like a lot more work for me, so I started with the put the child to bed earlier each night method. Going to bed earlier still interrupts the normal sleep pattern, but it isn't as "hardcore" as the other method.

My son is better now (at age 4), but if he goes to bed later than normal, I pay for it. Here's a quote from Marc Weissbluth, M.D. in his book (Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child, rev. 1999 edition, page 237), "Enabling them to get more sleep is the way of treating overtired children who have frequent night terrors. I have observed night terrors disappear when parents moved the bedtime earlier by only thirty minutes."

You mentioned that your family is going through a difficult time. I'm sorry to hear that. You may need to address that somehow with your child in addition to whatever you do for the night terrors. You might all benefit from some sort of help or counseling, even your young child.

For example, I have an extremely strong willed four year old (the one with night terrors), and we are getting help (play therapy, discipline tips, etc.) from Cook's Children's Behavioral Health Dept. We may even try family counseling soon to help us parent him better and to help him deal with whatever his little brain is processing or dreaming in the middle of the night.

I am also going to get my son tested for learning disabilities to see if there is something hindering how he processes information to begin with. He has a speech delay, and we are getting speech therapy for that now through the school system.

I only mention what we are doing to say that getting counseling or any kind of help doesn't have the stigma it used to have. Besides, who doesn't want to do all possible to raise a healthy, whole child...inside and out? There are a lot of programs out there to help with the money end of it, too.

I hope you get relief, sleep, and peace soon.
Blessings to you,
Holly M.

S.-
That's awful. I can't imagine how awful that is! Not only to be worried about her waking up like that but then the lack of sleep on top of it. Wow. Have you talked to yuor pediatrician? I just talked to mine last week b/c one of my 18 mo. olds was having these nightmares where she was crying/whimpering/acting scared in her sleep, and he explained the difference b/t nightmares and night terrors. What your daughter is experiencing sounds kind of what he described night terrors as being, and I think she would be at about the prime age for them. I am certainly no expert on anything inthis area, but it may be worth a call to your pedi. Good luck and I hope it is over soon!

Hey, S.. I have a wonderful book written by Dr. T. Berry Brazelton called Toughpoints. Here is a quote from his book about Night Terrors that you may find helpful.

<QUOTE>At two years of age new language developments may show up in the periods of light sleep when a child is trying to find his way back down. Not really awake, he’ll start talking, saying all his new words. He can soothe himself back down to sleep on his own.

Night terrors may begin to appear now. If they do, they frighten both the child and the parents. They occur in deep sleep and are accompanied by out-of-control screaming and thrashing. When a child is tested, these show up as small seizures on an electroencephalogram. If the episodes are very bad, parents can seek out a sleep expert. Otherwise, the calm presence of a parent coming in to rouse the child may be enough. The child sees the parent, is comforted, and settles back down again. Night terrors usually appear on the nights that follow a tough or stressful day. Perhaps there have been visitors, or parents were hard on the child near bedtime. The terrors may be a way of working off the leftover steam from the day. <END QUOTE>

Hope this helps.