My four-year-old daughter has suffered from night terrors for the past year. I’ve learned now not to try and wake her and just to wait for them to pass; however, they seem to be getting worse. She’s started spitting, wetting herself and she’s started trashing her room. She had one earlier tonight, and she’s smashed my iPad, which she threw it across the room - when she snapped out of it, she was in tears and was so upset she’d broken it as it’s totally not what she’s like normally. I can only explain it as it’s like she’s been possessed when it’s happening. I’ve taken her to the doctors, but they say she’ll grow out of it. I just wondered if anyone has any tips or advice as I’m starting to get worried she’s going to accidentally hurt herself or her little brother without realizing
Has she been abused? Those are symptoms of an abused child.
Talk with your child, and really listen.
If it’s true night terrors, make sure she gets to rest during the day. From my experience, night terrors happened when the child was over exhausted/over stimulated for the day.
My neice deals with these. She is not abused at all. Some kids unfortunately have them. She fights and screams bloody murder in her sleep. She is also 4. Night terrors don’t automatically mean abuse or trauma. Her brain is still developing and growing. Take her in to see a child therapist they work wonders with kids and will show you how to manage them
if she’s having night terrors, the best thing i can suggest is make sure shes not around anything that could hurt her. if shes in her bed in her own room. don’t leave the ipad out and just make sure theres nothing she can hurt herself on. its a scary experience for anyone involved, but the best thing you can do to protect her is to make sure shes in a place where shes not going to hurt anyone else or anything else in her sleep
Ask your child if there is anything bothering her. Children that young dont quite know how to process their feelings sometimes so it may come out in different ways.
This sounds like she is being abused. Take her to a therapist. Now. Find one who specializes in play therapy. Is she with anyone alone for extended periods of time? How old is her brother? Any older male or female relatives or friends shes alone with? Get that child help. Now. I did this same thing at 4 and am 27 and still suffer night terrors at times. I was abused by mom’s male “friend”.
Our youngest son exhibited those same symptoms, running in place, impossible to wake. One suggestion, she might be having indigestion, limit her intake of spicy foods, fatty foods, and foods with additives like Red Dye and caffeine.
Are you going through a relationship break up or anything?
My little sister had them to the extreme of needing special locks on doors to prevent her from leaving the house at the same age. Night terrors happen because of messed up sleep cycles. To prevent most of them. Wake her up and hour after she goes to sleep, before the night terror, make she she is fully awake. Then let her go back to sleep. It worked wonders for my sister, and was a direction of her doctor. This was 20 years ago, so things to correct this may have changed, good luck!
Do the women responding that the child is being abused know anything about night terrors??? Six in 100 children experience night terrors. Some causes: they are over tired, Sick, stressed, not getting enough sleep, too much caffeine, sleeping in a new environment.
Everyone is different, my daughter has had night terrors. She’s never been abused or around any harmful situations. But she has been thru a lot of grief/deaths. I took her to a Dr they didnt do a damn thing to help her. I took her to see someone in my culture, who told me to cleanse her every other night with sage and to put a bundle if sweetgrass above her head where she sleeps. Its helped my child so far. I hope you get some relief with your situation. Blessing to you and your family.
I don’t believe your child was abused. Don’t listen to above.
Empty her room. Leave only a few stuffies and her bed so she can’t hurt herself or others.
Try lying with her until she falls asleep. Also a white noise machine or rain sounds. Something her brain can focus on.
See about going to a sleep consultant. Good luck mama.
I’d maybe get her to a homeopath. She will be prescribed a remedy to help her. Clear the room of th I ha that may hurt. Maybe start a new quiet bed time routine . Lots of luck x
Not joking at all! My kids would sleep in my bed and have night terrors! I thought until I realized I was me snoring and it scared the shit out if them! Lol
I disagree with a lot of the comments on here. My son went through horrible night terrors my mother didnt believe me until she saw it. Our doctor at the time said that yes he will outgrow it and just make sure he does not hurt himself and to just keep repeating his name…it is something they recognize to come out of it. It’s horrible to watch them go through this but calling his name did work and yes he did grow out of it
She needs a doctor not bloggers!
What Jenny Patch said!! SERIOUSLY!
Health food shop may help medicine for her or paed
My son had those for years started around 3 1/2 after testing they said terrors and had me start giving him Benadryl a hour before he goes to sleep which really helped alot and no having these Do No Mean Your Child Has Been Abused in anyway , but there is a high chance of it being a form of tic disorder after my son stopped with the terrors his head started jerking anytime he gets tired or stressed out even now at age 28 but when the tics started at age 5 he was placed on respirdol how every you spell it. Lol but don’t worry mom just keep doors and windows locked so your child don’t get out and keep anything that they can hurt themselves or other put up , and I promise it will get better.
Take her to a therapist and watch her reaction around people she might be getting abused (hope not)
Try buying her a dream catcher. It may help her.
When my youngest had them I would talk to him. I would call his name and tell him to come find me. I’m waiting for you. Run to me. I’ll keep you safe… most times it would calm him down but there has been time that he would scream at me no. He talks in his sleep so I could ask what’s was going on… and he would answer.
shes being plasmically interfaced to by an interogator with fema that look for kids who show resistance to the interro therapy. shes trying not to go to sleep because thats when they do the most damage. youve joined them theyll back off her but she will see that you have apostasied from christ then shell have a different kind of fight that means shes intelligent and smart and kind but you will convince her being evil and a superiorist is the only way to fly so i will pray for her that she can believe in her cognitive thinking and be prepared to die for love so that she is not afraid and further that shell never think she can do something only jesus can do or worse that she can do something jesus wouldnt do, flattery will get you nowhere with that kid if you ever cared for her swear alliegance to israel and the king of the south and the bible and the church and tell those secular judaizers to get lost cuz your not teaching your kid anything but to be harmless as doves and wise as serpents. thats the bible that makes you wise and the cross that makes you real. daniel 11 for ho moms that just want to get laid at their kids expense
This is not an issue for FB. Night terrors are not that abnormal but that level of destructiveness and escalation is abnormal
thats her never come here again but i weep for her and for your soul that doesnt know how to stand alone for christ for hers and your own sakes drop out of the cult that machine is why the sun is in the wrong hemisphere
I pray you find the answers that you need. My son had night terrors as a child, that was 17 years ago. I am positive things have changed in the medical field since then. But I can guarantee the fear that you carry, and I did as a mom, without an answer is the same.
. My son did eventually stop having them. Many things can cause them. You just unfortunately have to find out, research and keep searching what answer will help your daughter and your family.
Is there something that changed in her life around the time they started? Maybe a new daycare or school? Stress can cause that. My advice is seek out a pediatric therapist to work with her and see what they say
She needs to do a sleep study. Take her to the doctor
My kid is two and has them. It runs in her dads family my Dr said they’re hereditary.
Try a weighted blanket. How’s the temperature at night? If too cold that could be the reason. Dealt w a kid waking up and crying and sometimes screaming, talking in their sleep. It’s not fun
As an adult I take Prazosin for night terrors. Dont know if there is a small enough dose for a 4 year old. I have suffered from night terrors my whole life. Mine are from abuse, but not all are.
Most doctors now are quaks…this is serious, nobody asked you about daycare, preschool, YouTube…do you have a boyfriend,???a therapist to be sure she’s not being sexually abused or physically abused by someone…I have a 4 year old grandson and my daughter let’s him watch You Tube all the time and it’s got alot of BAD stuff in there
She need psychologist not doctor.
My daughter had them also. I finally found that if I filled the tub with warm water & set her in it & gently washed her with a cloth she would fall back asleep.
I have a daughter ,at her 3 to 6 years old ,she has night terrors and even while widely awake.it is horrifying that even i her mother was afraid of her.One thing my husband did is open the bible and put it to her face because she is like into exorcist ,she is delirious and shouting that there is something when there is none.
I search about it and found out that it happens to a child when,the mind is strong and the body was weak.meaning ,everytime the child is very ill,there will be a hallucination of the mind.So what i did is to take good care of my daughters immunity system to fight her illness and stop the hallucination.she outgrew it,and she is 21 this year and wants to live alone.these kids has special capabilities and strenght.while their young ,do not let them watch movies with violence and horrors.Do not let them play until so tired.If done everything.Pray with them before sleep.A mother can bless her own child through prayers.Love them dearly and it will soon be over.
most Autistic kids have night terrors you may want to get he tested. If anything i heard a weighted blanket is helpful.
Therapist? Oils? Ask her pedi too. Did u try google? Idk my besties son had them and her native bro in law did a ritual and he never had them again…
You have world over rotten this it would for me what use have I got fit I would take her out of bed spank arase Of then talk to her Why do you spare the rod you spoil the child and you have love spoiled child Why don’t you grow up and still babying her give her a lot all of then quit neglecting her what she needs it
Ok this is going to sound dumb. But I burned sage. My daughter was having some sleep issues and just telling her that the sage was going to get rid of bad spirts and walking around the whole house with it and asking her where she would like cleansed really helped. Dream catcher to tell her it catches the bad dreams. And music playing while she slept. Melatonin to go to sleep quicker. But she is a big kid. Just the fact that I listened and physically “did something” to help really helped. Did counciling too. But the sage helped as a quick fix to calm her.
Possible victim of sexual abuse?
My oldest had terrible night terrors when he was around 2 yrs old. It was absolutely heartbreaking to have to sit there and wait for it to pass because if I tried to help in any way it made it ten times worse. I found the biggest thing that helped was not letting him snack after dinner. That may sound weird but I’ve also discovered it helped me too, I noticed that if I ate before I went to sleep I would have crazy intense dreams. Cutting out that last snack made a huge difference.
Remove all hazards from her sleeping space, make it a safe spot. Including electronic. It will eventually pass but in the mean time. Safety is the priority
Wake her up a half hour before it normally starts. Its so hard, but I woke my son up before it began every night for 3 nights and it works. She won’t have them anymore. By disrupting her sleep pattern you’ll stop them. I wish I new this with our first. 
My 6 year old does this too ! Not too often though she wakes up and acts very weird she started doing it 2 years ago the first time was very scary for me she would say she saw things flying around the room and act as if they were trying to get her and its as if it wasnt her at all she acts very strange sometime she wakes up bery worried looking for the bathroom or trying to open the door to leave the house and when i ask her in the morning she never remembers anything only the time she claims she saw things flying in the room, it got really scary for me to the point i wouldnt sleep at all just to watch her not do anything crazy I had to have her bed moved to my room and i still have it there its been a year and the last time she did this was maybe 2 months ago. It never really often but when she does do it it still scares me.
See a neurologist. My son had night terrors for a couple years. We learned they were actually seizures.
Take to to a therapist
Do these kids take any types of meds? Night terrors can also be side affects of some medications. Learned the hard way.
My son went through this too. All of my suggestions are for if waking them up before the night terror, doesn’t work.
Less sugar after 4pm
Full belly around 5/6pm pending before time.
No electronics, tv or media of any kind during the hour leading up to bed time. If that’s tough to do then maybe only a little bit of tv, but it’s gotta be something soothing and relaxing.
Also cutting down on screen time and sugar in general throughout the day helped significantly.
During night terrors I would sometimes play calming lullaby type music. But I would have to start it off really quiet and very slowly turn the volume to a low mellow tune. If I started it too loud he would start yelling saying “no music” or just mumble yelled “no”. But turning it up slowly, he didn’t really notice it and it kinda calmed him down and snapped him out of it.
You know the mind is the most valuable and potent part of our bodies… I have found, especially with children, you convince them of something and it becomes part of their reality. My daughter didnt have night terrors, but she did have some just awful nightmares. To the point where she was afraid to go to sleep. So one night I’m tucking her into bed and she is so scared she was on the verge of tears, and I am frantically trying to think of something that might help. Then I remember something I read about this problem. I told her “well it’s no wonder you are having bad dreams!! Your pillow is on the bad dream side!” We flipped the pillow, marked the good dream side, and she hasn’t had bad dreams like that again
…she turns 18 in 3 days. May help? Instead of just the pillow maybe if you turn the mattress to the good sleep side?? Just a thought. If you try it I hope it works.
Get a second opinion with doctors, especially since it’s an ongoing issue. Some doctors won’t look passed this issue because she is so young. Tips for now is make her room a safe space, let her know before bed that your there if she needs anything or has bad dreams and you will protect her. sending positive thoughts!
CBD oil! Make sure it’s a good, reputable brand. It’s a miracle for night terrors
Diet also plays a part. My son used to have them and when I changed his eating habits also in times…and not wake him up they seem to diminish…he also got older. I know what it’s like but I hope u find ur solution. Also he needed a cold (cool feeling) pillow.
My pediatrician said about 20 minutes after they have fallen asleep go in their room and give them a big cheek kiss or retuck them in. Something to wake them a little.
This worked for her twins and I’ve done it with my oldest and as long as I remember to do this he doesn’t have any night tares that night.
I would join my daughter in her dream , sit on her bed start singing her favorite song and then she would sit net to me and start singing , I would grab her sit her on my lap and help her drink cold ice water with two hands on the glass singing still , she would then calm down and see me.
Sometimes they grow out of it sometimes not. My son actually got worse as he got older. It gave him bad anxiety etc. I tried so hard to not medicate him about 3 yrs ago the doctor prescribed chlonadine and zoloft. The night terrors stopped and it controls and his aggressive behavior. Night terrors mske for tired kids and tired kids act out. Melatonin and valarian root helped him sleep also but he has anxiety it gave him heart palpitations. So natural was a no go.Theres also this natural drink called sleep at walmart and a cap full saved me some nights!!
My stepson has them when he has a fever is scarier for the parent than it is the child
Sage her room with her present and ask all things that may scare her leave her room open the windows as well when doing this. It sounds crazy but it helps.
For people who dont know kids usually dont even know whats going on my son would run around thinking someone else was chasing him seem completely awake but was sleep walking. My son would think i was someone else trying to atack him. It csn be very dangerous. Sometimes he woke up suddenly and was so confused as to how he got where he was and never even remembered the dreams. Its nothing like an actual dream and they get aggressive really fast.
My kids have had night terrors in the past and my youngest does now. What ive always done is the moment it starts i grab them immediately and put them in my arms on my lap and start talking to them telling them its okay momma is here and i rub their heads and back and rocking them and just talking softly and then they are okay and go back to sleep.
I went through really bad night terrors with my son its an emotional rollercoaster feel free to contact me for advice or just someone to relate. Its so hard for the child and the parent!!
I know Ces Cru said something about nightdreams or daymares… can’t quite remember
Monitor what she is eating and drinking. If she has a terror then something that she had that day can be a cause. My daughter had them but she would just sit up in bed and scream for around 5 mins at a time and then pass back out. Or get up walk in circles and lay where ever she was. Drs told me then that too much caffeine or sugar can be a cause because you’re body isn’t able to rest so it moves while your asleep. Until you figure it out, keep locks up high, anything dangerous locked away or out of reach, etc. Mine did it when she was around 2 and now she just occasionally sleep walks, and is 7.
My daughter has had them for a few years. The dr says it’s from stress. What I’ve found to work is waking up my daughter about 30 minutes to a hour after she’s fallen asleep. My daughter seems to do very well and only has them very occasionally.
Hope she isn’t watching scary movies.
My granddaughter is 2 years old has them also, she wakes up crying uncontrollably. What helped is too hold her tight take her out of the room sing and rock her back to sleep.
My son had them, and a few times I had to hold him down! It is scary. He would think something was in the room and was trying to kill me or take him and not recognize me or think I was leaving him and be chasing after my car. I believe brain development, diet, this and that plays a part…but at the end of the day, I think a lot of nightmares and night terrors come down to fear. A psychologist explained to me that when a child can’t name their fear, their brain will place their fear on something else entirely. My husband and I had been having problems and my son was having fears about all of that. Every day I worked really hard with him, taking to him about everything and letting him ask questions about it all, spending quality time with him and talking to my husband about it and the night terrors have stopped
Try putting a bible under her pillow when she sleeps.
My son had nights terrors at the age of two. He had two or three a night. Please be patient with him they can become very agitated. Took him to a sleep therapist and was told they were caused by an immature nervous system. He had them for 8 years til he outgrew them. Be strong. Takes alot of patience and love but he will outgrow them. Also was told to put dreamcathers in his room and believe it or not it helped.
Get into therapy for ur family
During the day do things with her that makes her happy also when its time to sleep tell her were going for ice cream tommorrow or shopping that way she can sleep happy with those thoughts hope i helped thats my advice as a mother of three and grand mother of two.