Toddlers and Night Terrors

Pavor nocturnus, more commonly known as baby night terrors, is common among toddlers and may sometimes occur in babies as early as nine months. It arises during the first two hours of a child's sleep and may last from 2 to 30 minutes until he goes back to sleep.

Night terrors could be described as sudden onset of child panic, moaning or even screaming and crying at night, as if he was trapped in a world full of horror and no one can help him. By the time he wakes up he barely remembers a thing. This could really sound disturbing to parents but the cause of it is truly unknown.

Stress is shown to have some association with sleep terrors, since horrible sleeps at night takes place when the child is feverish, overtired from play or there is emotional tension inside the home.

Here are some tips on how to put your baby to a good nights sleep:

• Reassure your child with the love and support that he needs to feel safe and loved. You may tuck him to sleep with his favorite stuffed animals and sing him lullabies. Warm bath and milk and calming oils with chamomile at night would help him relax and have a sound sleep.
• Conversely, kids ought to sleep for at least 10 hours a day and make sure he takes a 1 hour nap in the afternoon. Meanwhile, babies should at least have 12 to 14 hours of sleep per day.
• Reinforce safety measures to prevent your child from obtaining an injury by keeping side rails up and removing sharp and hard objects when he sleeps.

Hence, parents are advised that night terrors eventually diminish as the child grows older. However, parents may seek a professional consult if the episodes become persistent and longer in duration.