We had a very rough phase where our 1.5 year old would wake up screaming with eyes closed and nothing would sooth her, no amount of rocking, swinging, singing etc. We would try to wake her up but she wouldn’t. We felt helpless and this is what we were able to later find out.
Has your child ever howled or screamed in his/her sleep for a long time and no matter what you tried refused to wake up? Then after sometime went back to sleeping like nothing happened?
That is a night terror, it is different from a night mare. It can be extremely scary for parents but not if you understand it better. Intense crying/screaming during sleep is called a night terror.
The difference between a nightmare and night terror is that it is very difficult to wake up the child during a night terror. The child will continue to cry or scream till the night terror doesn’t end. When they wake up eventually they won’t remember a thing (unlike a nightmare).
Children between age 2 and 10 can get night terrors. Causes are unknown but can be due to over tiredness. They do not have any long term health impact for the children though they can be very tiring for the parents.
How to Deal with them?
- Do not try waking them up during a night terror as they might throw their limbs in anger or screaming without realizing.
- Make sure their surroundings are clear and they can’t get hurt.
- Patiently wait for the night terror to pass because you cannot wake them up.
- Try to follow a good consistent bedtime routine
- Usually night terror is a phase and goes away eventually.
What Worked for us?
We consulted our homeopathy Doctor and gave the prescribed doze of Chamomilla to help her sleep better.
It is supposed to have a calming effect on the child and help them sleep better.
Please consult your doctor for the right dosage in case you want to try this. It definitely worked for us.
Hope this phase passes for you soon!