Night Terrors in 3 Yr Old....

Play with that young one until he's exhausted. Playground, fresh air walks, etc. He may fall asleep on the floor or in the stroller. Rock him. roll a tennis ball for him to chase over and over a few times. Let him get a breath and tickle him, play more games. Just get him tired. Good luck mommy

My son had night terrors when he was a bit younger, but he did not remember them. I think if they remember, it's not considered night terrors, but just nightmares. My kids have nightmares occasionally, but aren't afraid to sleep after that. Maybe you can use some special nightmare tricks - like some special powder on the sheets that is "magic dust" so the nightmare doesn't come back. I am sorry I don't have better advice!

Good luck!

I think if your son remembers his dream, then it probably is not a Night Terror. When those happen, the child is still technically asleep, will remember nothing, and seem not to be associated later with a bad dream. My son gets night terrors (he is 5) and as the previous poster said, they only happen when he is overtired and/or overstimulated. However, I tend to think that if your son is afraid to go to sleep, then what he eats or when he goes to bed won't affect his fear. Some people have had success with a little trickery -- like spraying "monster repellent" around the room (a misting water bottle would work), changing the side of the pillow to bring good dreams, or other such things. Plant the idea in his head too that he has the power to dream of what he wants to -- before he is going to sleep, make it a ritual to list out some pleasant things to dream about, or have him imagine himself fighting the monster in his dreams (would he use a silver sword or a slingshot?? etc...)
With genuine night terrors, they usually happen around the same time after the child has fallen asleep (typically an hour to an hour and 15 minutes) and can be avoided if you gently wake your child before that time. Apparently it's enough to sort of reset the system and they sleep fine after that. If that is the case with your son, you could assure him that you will wake him before it happens and everything will be OK.

Here's a resource that seems to have some good ideas...

http://www.askdrsears.com/faq/ci8.asp

Best wishes.

Night terrors and nightmares are alittle different, I'm assuming from his reaction, that he remembers it? Can he talk with you about his bad dream? I know my son had both night terrors(these are just nuts, and he usually remembers nothing in the morning) and nightmares---bad dreams that wake him up, that he can talk about and work through. If it is a nightmare--there is a wonderful Blues Clues episode ( http://www.amazon.com/Blues-Clues-Big-Pajama-Party/dp/630... ) that talks about bad dreams and how they are just dreams and you can change your dreams because you are in control of them. Its very cute and age appropriate. Good luck. Link to a Blues Clues book with a similar concept http://www.simonsays.com/content/book.cfm?tab=1&pid=5...

My son is also 3 and gets night terrors. They rear their ugly heads when his sleep schedule is off course (lack of sleep). What I have learned is they will remember the "terror" if they are woken up in the middle of it. It's hard to ride those things out but if your child is truly having a night terror than they may sit up, stand up, wide eyed and still not be awake. You just need to be somewhere near but quiet to be sure that they don't get hurt (falling off the bed, etc.). Once my son comes out of his(sometimes 5-15min later) he either lays down and goes quietly to sleep or wakes all the way and wants me to sit on his bed, so I do and he falls asleep. Normally when they start we go through 2-3 days of them and usually only at night (not during nap).

They are rough...just remember don't wake them.
Also the more sleep and on track their schedule is the less you need to worry. FYI-they also rear their heads when the kids are getting sick.

Lots of TLC
Good Luck,
J.

When our little boy use to be afraid of monsters and have nightmares this is what we did. We bought him his own special flashlight. (We needed one for this too..) and before he went to bed we would check under the bed, (and say ...no monsters there, check),, then in the closet..(no monsters there, check..) Under the blankies, no monsters there,..check... and then again anywhere he needed alittle of reasurance... for nightmares we even looked inside each others ears and would say,,.. no monsters in those thoughts or dreams tonight... check...) Have fun and good luck!

it's not night terrors if he remembers, is afraid, and can be woken up and comforted- that is a bad dream (we went through this...it is terrible either way!). The good news is that you can intervene when he is having them and dreams are most often linked to experiences (tv would be the first place I would start). But try to talk to him about what the dream is and figure out where it came from. Also when my sons are having regular bad dreams we always pray together before they go to sleep and I remind them if they wake up afraid they can always pray then too and know they are being protected!

Homeopathic remedies are great for night terrors, or babies that are restless/fidgety when they should be calming down for sleep.
Try Hyland's brand "Calms Forte." It's available at natural foods stores (like Fruitful Yield or Whole Foods), even at Dominicks in the natural supplements area.
http://www.hylands.com/products/calmsforte.php

This helps if you miss the "window" of getting them down to sleep before they get that adrenalyn, too!

Email me offlist if you want to ask more questions about homeopathy, my new-found interest! We have a study group in the western suburbs to use it to treat illnesses like colds, flu, first aid, etc.
Best wishes-
Jen S. (Naperville)

My son had noght terrors, eventually they turned into epic talking in his sleep!! He actually relives his day outloud! When the terrors would wake him and frighten him we found ways to teach him to cope,for him it was a magic wand under the pillow to protect him and alot of discussion of how brave he is, and how the magic wand was his tool for utilizing that bravery. He became especially proud when he could conquer these on his own!!

K. Hanrahan aka Best of Mother Earth
www.bestwellnessconsultant.com

Boy! If you figure out how toput an end to these, please let ME know!!! I have been reading my 10-year-old boy to sleep since he was 18 months old - when my daughter gave him to me - and still am! If he's not all the way asleep when I get up, he wakes up as I'm leaving. Even with that and knowing that my door's open, he still wakes up screaming or just calling "MA!" in the middle of the night sometimes.

Hi J.,

My daughter had them, so we went to Bed Bath & Beyond & bought a childs humidifier that looked like a frog. We told her that he was there to make the bad dreams go away & to protect her. It worked the first night we used it. She would always check to see if the light was on & then she would happily go to sleep. The humidifiers come in frogs, pigs & elephants. I know it's a little deceptive, but I think a peaceful good nights sleep is most important.

My daughter had night terrors & they appeared to be related to excitement &/or sugar or red dye intake. We noticed they would follow birthday parties. She outgrew them but for a good year sometimes I would lie down with her & hum or sing softly til she fell asleep.

J.,
I went through the same thing with my daughter. I changed the routine the next night. Rather than going to her room to read we started out cuddling on the couch reading happy / silly books. Since we were somewhere else, she didn't really get that it was bedtime. When she was old enough to remember her dreams, I would ask her if I could meet her in her dreams that night. We would decide where we were going to go (zoo, park, etc) and what we were going to do (walk, eat ice cream...I would pick purple polka dot ice cream w/ whipped cream and sprinkles, etc). She was excited to go to sleep and then next morning it was always fun to hear what we did in her dreams. Not that she really had the dream but she loved to make up a story!

Good luck, K.

My son also had both night terrors-very young- and nightmares later. The night terrors were the most difficult as he would be completely freaked out and you literally could not wake him up. They came at a time of extreme duress in my family (divorce)and I felt they were a result of his internalizing all the bad energy that was going on around him. I went to great lengths to help him feel very secure and loved and they eventually went away.
As a slightly older child he has had nightmares off and on. Children with vivid imaginations are more likely to have them or be bothered by them because they seem so real. I had him tell me about the dreams and then imagine how he could have changed the scary part into something postive; for instance, he gets a giant sword in the dream with special powers and he has the ability to fly and can lop off the head of the giant monster! Teach him that it is his dream. I would also try to get an idea of what stresses are in his life that might be contributing to it. If it is a nightmare it could be a recurring on and that can cause one not to want to go back to sleep. You need to find out more about it. If it continues and is such a source of discomfort you might want to talk to a professional counseler about it.

Hi J.,
My son has night terrors (age 4), but they started around the time he was 3 or so. I would have to agree with Kate in that if he remembers them, they are simply bad dreams.

To add to what she said, with a night terror, when they "wake up" they are still not really awake. I also agree with talking about "good" dreams and the "monster spray."

I hope that you guys get some sleep. Would an extra night light help him fall asleep (or closet light on), something to take away the anxiety for bedtime.

Good Luck,
B.