Member Comments are provided by individuals and reflect their personal opinions only. Under NO circumstances should you act on any advice or opinion posted in this forum. ALWAYS check with your personal physician before taking any action regarding your health! MedHelp International and our partners, sponsors and affiliates have no obligation to monitor any comments posted on this site, or the content and/or accuracy of such exchanges. MedHelp International does not endorse the views of any user.
Child Behavior (Expert Forum)
Nighterrors/nighmares in 2 1/2 yr old
Answered by
Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D. - Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy, Family Therapy, Crisis Intervention
Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates
This forum is for questions and support regarding child behavior issues such: Child Discipline (behavior management), Normal Child Development, Parent-Child Communications, Social Development
Nighterrors/nighmares in 2 1/2 yr old
by lhsmedia, Jan 31, 2002 12:00AM
My 2 1/2 year old has been exhibiting strange behavior lately.
He points to the front door when no one is there and says "people scare me" We look outside, I show him no one is there and tell him there is no one to be afraid of ( in his own language). Recently he has begun waking up at night 3-6 times, screaming and wailing. Sometimes he is able to point at the window and say- people scare me. Sometimes he is thrashing about so much I can't pick him up. Othertimes he won't let me pick him up- he screams and cries and pushes me away. The crying has lasted as long as 20 minutes. Last night was the worst. He woke up at 10, 12, 2, 3, and 430. There is no one outside his window- we live in a quiet suburb. We have added nightlights, a security clifford doll- we tell him clifford will keep him safe. He wants to come to bed with us to get away from scary people and a few times last night he asked to watch Blues Clues at 1 am?? He seems wakeful and does not drop back to sleep quickly- wants to be rocked etc. We have tried letting him cry it out after cheking ot see he is ok. he still sleeps in his crib.
He is in a daycare situation, 2 parent , middleclass home. We are very careful what is on TV when he is around- PBS Barney and Blues Clues are all he ever really sees. we read to him before bedtime and his bedtime ritual is the same, bath, book and bed- he goes down at 8 every night and after a little rocking we usually have no trouble putting him to sleep.
Can you help us? What is he seeing? What can we do?
He points to the front door when no one is there and says "people scare me" We look outside, I show him no one is there and tell him there is no one to be afraid of ( in his own language). Recently he has begun waking up at night 3-6 times, screaming and wailing. Sometimes he is able to point at the window and say- people scare me. Sometimes he is thrashing about so much I can't pick him up. Othertimes he won't let me pick him up- he screams and cries and pushes me away. The crying has lasted as long as 20 minutes. Last night was the worst. He woke up at 10, 12, 2, 3, and 430. There is no one outside his window- we live in a quiet suburb. We have added nightlights, a security clifford doll- we tell him clifford will keep him safe. He wants to come to bed with us to get away from scary people and a few times last night he asked to watch Blues Clues at 1 am?? He seems wakeful and does not drop back to sleep quickly- wants to be rocked etc. We have tried letting him cry it out after cheking ot see he is ok. he still sleeps in his crib.
He is in a daycare situation, 2 parent , middleclass home. We are very careful what is on TV when he is around- PBS Barney and Blues Clues are all he ever really sees. we read to him before bedtime and his bedtime ritual is the same, bath, book and bed- he goes down at 8 every night and after a little rocking we usually have no trouble putting him to sleep.
Can you help us? What is he seeing? What can we do?
Doctor's Answer
by Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D., Jan 31, 2002 12:00AM
, Jan 31, 2002 12:00AM
It may well be that no particular experience has occurred to generate fear, but it is still prudent to wonder about this and see if anything specific may have generated his anxiety. More likely, this is developmental in nature, and will wane over time. When the phenomena are truly nightmares, and you will be able to tell because your son will wake up, reassure him and guide him back to sleep. When the phenomena are night terrors, he will not fully wake up and you should not wake him. Just quietly, gently guide him to resume his sleep. The latter episodes will resolve more quickly than the former. Be sure not to take him into your bed - on the long term, this will not be helpful. In general, it sounds like you're handling things well.
I am NOT a doctor but I do have 4 very healthy emotionally stable children. Their ages are 17, 16, 13 & 10. We took pride in the fact that our first children did not sleep with us. But over time we relaxed with the rule and I think it has been a great benefit. Especially at 2.5! I think your child needs comfort! If you are concerned about taking him to your own bed I would at least snuggle with him in his own. Is this your first child? they seem so big but when he is a few years older you will realize how young two and a half really is! What changed our mind is that my husband traveled to Africa where the families have no trouble with teenage rebelion... their comment was that americans are so concerned with teaching their children to be independent from day one that it is no wonder, when they are teenagers, they don't need their parents. so we decided to become more relaxed on things of this kind and our kids have been better off for it ever since. However, you should tell your kids what to expect... "mommy's going back to bed as soon as you fall asleep" that way they don't wake up thinking "mommy's abandoned me."
Sincerely, Marjorie