So your job is to gently direct your child back to bed where they are safe.Ĭan night terrors be prevented? Well, it would be nice but no. During a night terror a child can fall down a stairway, run into a wall, even break a window. The most important thing also for your child is to protect them from any injury. Shaking or shouting at your child will just cause them to be more agitated and will prolong the night terror. Unfortunately, there is no way to shorten these episodes. It's okay." Talk calmly to them and some children like to have their hand held during this time but most will pull away, kick you, push you away. Make soothing such as, "You're all right. Turn on the light so the child is less confused by shadows. You won't be able to wake your child up so don't even try. Your goal is to help them go from agitated sleep to calm sleep. So if your child has night terrors, what can you do to help them? The most important thing is try to help them get back to normal sleep. The good news is the problem usually disappears by age 12. So how long do they usually last? Night terrors are harmless and each episode will end on its own and the child will fall back into a deep sleep. You may not get any sleep but your child is sleeping during the whole thing. In the morning, your child won't remember a thing that happened. They can also mistake objects or persons in the room for dangers like shadows. They may appear to not even realize you are there, again even though their eyes are wide open and they're staring at you. They may sit up or run or scream or talk. Again, they may look wide awake but they're not. You'll know it's a night terror because usually between one to two hours after your child going to sleep, they will wake up screaming and the screaming lasts up to 30 minutes.ĭuring a night terror, your child may be agitated and restless but you cannot wake them up and you cannot comfort them. Night terrors usually occur in children from one to eight years old. That was the primary cause of night terrors for my two boys. Getting over tired is a major trigger for night terrors.
Night terrors are an inherited disorder in which a child tends to have dreams during deep sleep and it's hard to waken them. If you have ever been awoken by a screaming toddler who looks wide awake but is not consolable, you have experienced a child having a night terror.
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