'Night Terrors???

[Seacretsquirrel]

Hey you wonderful folks of BH land does anyone have any experience with night terrors in a 16 month old?

My DS has woken twice now in a week once on last Saturday while we were camping (I am sure the other campers must have thought I was killing him) and then again on Thursday night. He sort of starts my waking up and having a grizzle (as is normal for him and usually he either goes back to sleep or I go in and refill his water bottle which he'll have a drink out of then cuddle :yes: and back to sleep) but when we were camping he did the norm then hopped up and had a wander around the tent then just started screaming - like he was in real pain or something I picked him up and he was thrashing aroung to get away arching he back and pushing me away DH and I stripped him off and checked him over for any signs of bites or something and he just screamed the whole time. This went on for about 10 mins then he spotted my sister (who came caming with us) and put his arms up for a cuddle and promptly stopped screaming and cuddled in - poor wee bugger was exhausted. He spent the rest of the night in my bed while poor DH was relegated to the floor next to DD :(

Then on thursday night he did the same thing grizzled so I waited a few mins to see if he would settle and then we to get him a drink - my sister was still up - she was flying home a couple of hours later - and she had gone into him and he just wandered out of his room as she opened his door he was walking like a drunk sailor then he lay on the floor and then pushed up into a bridge (hands and feet on the floor back way up in the air) and started screaming - I picked him up and tried to calm him but he did the same as previously pushing away so I put him back onthe floor and he imediately went back to the bridge position and continued screaming I picke him up and took him through to DH (so he didn't wake DD) and he screamed for about 10 mins - I blew in his face a couple of times and he stopped long enough to draw breath and then started screaming again but finally stopped.

Sorry this is a bit of an epic :o but is this night terrors - was thinking he might be a bit young :confused: I will be taking him to the Drs on Monday to he the pead to get him checked out he also has a cold ATM so want to get his ears checked too so with anything medical aside has anyone experienced anything similar with a 16 month old?

Thanks in advance:sunshine:

[waterlily]

:hugs: I had night terrors from 12 months mine lasted many years, I still get them as an adult when I'm going though tough times.

It's a good idea to see his pead not just your GP as they have alot more knowledge in this field.
Good luck.

[Seacretsquirrel]

Thanks Waterlilly The Dr we see for the kids is a pead - he is the only one we see the last time we went to another DR she gave the kids the wrong dose for the Antibiotics resulting in 2nd and 3rd rounds for both kids:hair: so not going there again. Good to know that night terrors can occur in younger kids though I hope it doesn't continue for years not sure my nerves will cope =D

[RoarsomeMum]

DD has had night terrors from 22 months.. She has them about once a week now and more if we are in an unfamiliar situation. (the first she ever had was camping as well)

She is half asleep half awake.. and she SCREAMS and nothing will comfort her, and attempts to do so actually make the situation worse. She shakes, she sweats, she ends up satched with tears (and usually so do I because I feel so helpless.)

We were told not to try to hold her or physically comfort her as it makes her worse (as in she reacts stronger and it lasts longer..) I tend to surround her with pillows and sit to the side singing lulabyes or reading her a story.. I make sure no-one else comes in. - If I can get her back to sleep she remembers nothing in the morning..

Our Ped said she will grow out of it.. (I hope they are right) I would def see your Ped (well not your Dodgy one! try to find a different one perhaps?) 10 mins seems really short for a NT but I am only going by our experiences.. Hope it is a simple easy fix medical prob!

BIG HUGS either way :hugs::hugs: It's scary hey.. :hugs:

[lovemythreechildren]

My DD had them from about 18 mnths and she had them almost everynight, then it was a few times a week at about 3, now she is 6 and will have one maybe once a month if that, When she does it there is nothing i can do to help her she thrashes around screaming, sweating and one time i always remember she was looking around the room and looked over my shoulder and then looked me in the eye and said ''they are going to get you'' that scared me as her eyes are glassy and shes obviously still asleep, i thought it was nightmares but after seeing a doctor and research of my own its defiantly night terrors which is different from nightmares. So your child will slowly grow out of it, its very scary and makes you think somethings wrong but infact most of the time there isnt GBH to you and your child.

[Seacretsquirrel]

Bumpity bump for the weekday hubbers :D

[SassyMummy]

Yeah, pretty sure night terrors start somewhere around that age. I think age 2 is about the main time it happens.

DD had them - she looked like she was possessed.

What can you do? Nothing. You've just got to sit by and watch and make sure they don't hurt themselves... but don't touch them. They're not awake, but they're not dreaming either - they're kinda in this weird limbo between the two. Touch them and it freaks them out even more - because they don't know you're there, but can feel you... that'd be like someone stroking your back now, but nobody being there. It'd freak you out too.

It usually stops as they get older. DD no longer has them.

[headoverfeet]

I'm on my phone but my son started experiencing night terrors at the same age they were solved when we changed his diet, he only has night terrors now when he eats something he should not. Preservatives are a big trigger for him.

[Myztik]

My DS2 had them every second night from about 12mnths onwards. He has the very occasional one now if he's had an extremely big day or lots of sugary foods.

I found the best (but hardest) thing to do is to just make sure they cant hurt themselves and sit it out. It's horrible feeling so helpless and it's heartbreaking when they look you in the eye and scream at you to get mummy :( but any physical contact will make it worse. Just keep reminding yourself that they dont remember it when they do wake up.

There is another thread on here somewhere where I linked to a heap of info on the difference between nightmares and night terrors. Will try find it for you.

[Myztik]

http://www.bubhub.com.au/community/forums/showthread.php?t=202501 (http://www.bubhub.com.au/community/forums/showthread.php?t=202501&highlight=night+terrors)

[Seacretsquirrel]

Thanks ladies it has put my mind at ease a lot I thought that is what is was DD had a couple ages ago but hers wern't as bad she just cried and wimpered with the hot and sweaty inconsolable thing whereas he screams the place down.

He hasn't had one since thurs will have a think on the food he had on the days he had them see if there is a link :detective:

[Vacant Visitor]

My DS has been having night terrors since he was about 10 mths. Very scary. At first we didn't know whether he was awake or asleep - although as much as we tried, we couldn't wake him up properly to reassure him... No amount of comforting seemed to settle him. It is very distressing, particularly to us. Thank God he's only a couple of them, and is 15mths old now. Reading up on them has reassured us a lot, and we now really try not to panic when it happens, however hard that can be...

[Butterflies&Hurricanes]

I'm on my phone but my son started experiencing night terrors at the same age they were solved when we changed his diet, he only has night terrors now when he eats something he should not. Preservatives are a big trigger for him.

same here. My boys have night terrors if they have 160b (aka annatto) - very common in a lot of foods as its a natural colour so assumed safe. :rolleyes:
I'm sure they react to more but thats a definite in this house.
Since changing their diet (limiting colours and preservatives) we've had maybe 3 or 4 night terrors and every single time someone has fed them something with 160b!

[Pregnor]

My DS had one at about 8 -10 months (so yours is definately not too young). It was the scariest experience of my life. He just started to scream, like really irately, so i ran in there, and he was asleep face down, making no attempt to push his head up, or sit up. I picked him up and he continued, hubby got him a bottle, wouldnt drink it just screamed, always arching his back away from us. So we took him in the shower, because that often calms him, and he STILL screamed and arched. Eventually we threw him in the car and started to drive him to the hospital because we thought there must be something really wrong with him, and then he just kinda snapped out of it, and was looking around like 'where are we going!?'
He has never had one since!

When I was researching i read that it can be triggered by being overtired - which I assume might be a possibility if you were camping.

Anyway, good luck, hopefully he never has another one!

[Seacretsquirrel]

Thanks heaps for all the reasurances and experiences ladies it is good to know that it is normal and I agree the over tired thing is a obvious trigger for the camping NT the 2nd one not so much as he'd had a good day sleep I also can't seem to think of anything food or drink wise that he had both days but he hasn't had one since so fingers crossed for no more but I will be taking note of what he had eaten during that day if he has another one!:sunshine:

[PuppyGuts]

I think this is happening to dd tonight. Only thing I'd I'm in a tent with sil, 2 yr old neice, 5 month old twins. And mil. I hope there is no more tonight but she did the same thing op and pp described eek

[Seacretsquirrel]

I think it tends to be a one off thing and not repeated throught the night. Hope she settled for you and you all slept okay after the episode. :sleeping: and one of these:hugs: