https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Fri, 22 May 2026 14:13:57 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/night-terrors-2-years-old#post-2827088 Thu, 07 Jun 2018 13:01:14 +0000 themrsgoff 2827088@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My son has been having night terrors since 8-9 months. It took me forever to figure out what was going on because he had struggled with sleep for most of his life, so I figured it was just another wake up. It happened at the same time every night and rather than wanting to nurse and then calming right down, it was like he didn't recognize me and he would just throw his little body around while he screamed. For him, he didn't respond to my voice, or to light or touch. It had to be a really loud noise. Sometimes taking him into the bathroom and turning on the shower would snap him awake, sometimes the garage door opening, but others, nothing could quite pull him out of it and it would just take a good 45 minutes or so of screaming and crying before h'ed snap out of it on his own. It would always be the strangest thing - he'd be crying, and then all of a sudden he'd look around really confused and be his happy self.</p> <p>I talked to our Ped about it, he said it's not uncommon and they usually outgrow it between 5 and 12 years of age. The best advice we received was 1) if it is happening at a consistent time every time, go in 15 minutes ahead of time and gently wake them. It re-sets their sleep so they don't get caught in that cycle (he said it's classified as a type of night time seizure activity). 2) try and figure out what causes it. Our son eventually outgrew the nearly every-night terrors, and we have identified that any time his nap-nighttime sleep schedule gets thrown off, either by daily events or an illness, he has night terrors about an hour after he falls asleep at night (he's now 19 months).</p> <p>They can be tough to deal with - good luck! Just know you'r not alone. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/night-terrors-2-years-old#post-2827077 Thu, 07 Jun 2018 11:57:45 +0000 Mrs. Dolphin 2827077@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My oldest definitely had night terrors at that age. He still has them, and has even had a couple during naptime at school. Awhile ago, I posted about it here: <a href="http://www.hellobee.com/2017/10/18/night-terrors/" rel="nofollow">http://www.hellobee.com/2017/10/18/night-terrors/</a> </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/night-terrors-2-years-old#post-2827031 Thu, 07 Jun 2018 09:46:28 +0000 Sams Mom 2827031@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Last night went much better, but I think it's because he went to bed early from going to the zoo and playground with his nanny yesterday. Hoping we continue this streak, because I'm still exhausted from the first 2 nights of it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/night-terrors-2-years-old#post-2826965 Thu, 07 Jun 2018 00:17:58 +0000 Dahlia 2826965@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Oh man, I'm terrified that DD will have night terrors. I had them and I walked and talked! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/night-terrors-2-years-old#post-2826955 Wed, 06 Jun 2018 21:10:14 +0000 wrkbrk 2826955@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Sams Mom: Yes it is possible. My friends son had them from 2-3 and it was so awful and stressful. They ended up having to wake him multiple times overnight on a schedule to disrupt the night terror pattern. Then one day he grew out of it altogether. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/night-terrors-2-years-old#post-2826943 Wed, 06 Jun 2018 20:18:47 +0000 Iced Tea 2826943@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My daughter had night terrors at two years old for a while too. Pediatrician says they are more scary for the parents than the child, who doesn’t remember them because they were literally asleep. Advice we received was to gently be there but not try to wake them. </p> <p>She never sleep walked, which I’m thankful for. My little sister did bizarre and occasionally scary things sleepwalking as a child. She climbed through an open window once onto the roof of our porch! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/night-terrors-2-years-old#post-2826860 Wed, 06 Jun 2018 14:28:16 +0000 Sams Mom 2826860@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Thank you everyone! He definitely stiffens up and fights me and cries and screams. I'm going to try the rubbing/patting his back instead of trying to wake him if it happens tonight. I'm hoping it's a short lived phase though! I asked my mom &amp; dad if I ever had night terrors, and they said it was only ever a ton of sleep walking. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/night-terrors-2-years-old#post-2826848 Wed, 06 Jun 2018 14:01:53 +0000 skipra 2826848@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My LO is 20 months and just had his first last night. They are super scary. He was just screaming like he never has before but still asleep. My other kids each had a couple around 1.5 - 2.5, I think, but my nephew had them all the time when he was young. Definitely worth mentioning to the doctor. I think there can be a link with sleep apnea if it's common. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/night-terrors-2-years-old#post-2826815 Wed, 06 Jun 2018 12:58:30 +0000 Silva 2826815@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My daughter went through about a week of night terrors when she was 3, immediately following an illness. I would turn on a low light, and just sit near her to make sure she didn't hurt herself (she would thrash all over her bed). Eventually she would either lay back down, or wake up and have a drink, and go right back to sleep. She never remembered anything about them.</p> <p>I think my son had them for a couple weeks when he was 14 months old, immediately following a surgery (apparently thats a thing). He would shriek and scream and just shake. We just held him in the dark until he calmed down and would lay down again. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/night-terrors-2-years-old#post-2826740 Wed, 06 Jun 2018 11:32:28 +0000 Becky 2826740@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>DD1 started getting night terrors when she was 2.5 and in the hospital with RSV. It was directly related to the medications, but she has had other night terrors since then (only a few times a year), and these also seem directly related to medications (steroids and a few times using the inhaler). She does have sort of sleep talking/crying/walking episodes but they’re very different than full blown night terrors: she cries out, has actual tears, moves her body, and is clearly asleep but she’s not thrashing and kicking and hitting and full blown screaming like with night terrors.This can last for hours. It’s usually triggered by being overtired, overstimulated (holiday weekends), or sick. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/night-terrors-2-years-old#post-2826739 Wed, 06 Jun 2018 11:30:28 +0000 Mama Bird 2826739@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>DD had night terrors at two. I was going to her in the dark, and she was "talking" (except she was saying the same thing over and over) so it took me three days to realize she's not awake :crying: and that instead of trying to get her to stop screaming, I should be trying to wake her up. Maybe the fact that she'd wake up every morning and announce "mommy, I didn't cry tonight!" should have tipped me off. In my defense, horrible behavior at night was so normal for her I just assumed she's pitching a fit again about being made to sleep in bed. But I still feel like an awful mom.</p> <p>Turned out she had bronchitis. There weren't really any symptoms, other than this and a poor appetite. She started sleeping again two days after she went on antibiotics. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/night-terrors-2-years-old#post-2826737 Wed, 06 Jun 2018 11:19:35 +0000 PinkElephant 2826737@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My daughter, who is now six, started having night terrors (mostly screaming and thrashing) around your son's age. She'd have a few in a week, then none for several months. It seemed to happen most when she was overly tired, stressed out, or (maybe?!) even having a growth spurt. I can't remember the last time she had one; I think there may have been a minor one in the last year. She has never sleepwalked, but she does sometimes seem to very deeply believe that something (untrue) is happening/has happened, and will try to have an intense conversation about it!</p> <p>The advice I received was that it's better not to wake them up - I guess it's confusing to them....and it's sometimes not possible anyway! Things definitely went smoother/the terror passed more quickly if I just sat by her and stroked her head/held her hand/rubbed her back, and agreed with whatever she said, rather than engaging her or trying to reason with her.</p> <p>We mentioned it to the pediatrician, but there is really nothing to "do" unless she's sleepwalking, in which case, you just have to child proof stairs etc. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/night-terrors-2-years-old#post-2826726 Wed, 06 Jun 2018 11:02:39 +0000 KT326 2826726@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My son had night terrors starting at about 18 months until around 3 years old. They did not happen every night. They were more frequent when he was younger and by the time he turned 3 it was maybe once a month until they just stopped. He would scream and stiffen up, there was no waking him up during that time. He would either wake up on his own or just fall back asleep. </p> <p>Our pediatrician said there was nothing we could do, that he would eventually outgrow it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/night-terrors-2-years-old#post-2826701 Wed, 06 Jun 2018 09:30:41 +0000 Sams Mom 2826701@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My son is 2y 2m. The past few nights my son has "woke up" crying and screaming some, but he's never really awake. I have to get up with him and work to actually wake him up. Once he's awake he whimpers and cries some more, falls back asleep, but then no more than 30 minutes later it starts again. He doesn't have a fever, he'a eating and drinking normal, normal poops and pees.</p> <p>I don't know if he's having night terrors, if it's possible in a toddler his age?, I was a sleep walker (still am in new situations) so I don't know if I've given him the genetic lottery. </p> <p>Has anyone been here? If it happens again tonight I am going to call his peds office. </p>