Night Terrors: Infants

What is night terror in infants and who are commonly affected?

You rushed to your child's bedroom because you heard a frightening shriek. His eyes glassy, heart racing, breathing is rapid, screaming and confused and he may also be drenched in sweat. He may appear to be awake, yet he won't respond to your attempts to comfort him. After the screams subside, he is calm and has no memory of this episode and, yes, no dream or nightmare to tell you about the morning after.

He will not be able to talk and express feelings for some time and/or to explain the trauma he has just experienced. Such is a classic example of night terrors, infants are most likely to be affected between ages 18 months and 6 years old, which are not not to be confused with nightmares.

How can I prevent night terrors from happening to my baby?

There are several ways to prevent night terrors. Make sure that your baby gets adequate sleep at naptime and at night. Also, make sure to have a noise free and silent place for your baby to sleep and turn off dark lights which may irritate him. Establish a consistent sleep schedule for him and fix a daily routine of waking up, sleeping and eating, and actually follow it.

You can also try giving a chamomile tisane sip before sleeping and have a tissue sprinkled with orange oils and chamomile under your child's pillow to help him sleep better. Cuddling is also helpful and don't forget to visit the doctor occasionally for proper medical care and make sure to give only medications which are properly prescribed.

What are the cures for night terrors?

Relaxation techniques and medications are the best treatments for night terrors. Hypnotherapy is also being used, as well as antidepressants like imipramine or a drug called chlordiazepoxide, which may be prescribed for relief of tensions and nervous feeling.

It is a big consolation to know that night terror does not lead to other sleep disturbances and that providing your child with a lot of love and affection is very important while dealing with such health related issues.

Settling Your Baby to Sleep

A sound of an infant's sudden shrill cry at night may break a mother's heart at first, but when it becomes a regular scenario, it becomes irritating. Scolding or shouting at your baby wouldn't be a great idea of calming him down. Talking with your child in a low, soft voice would be a better way to settle baby. A parent's voice is soothing enough for babies to feel safe and secured.

During the first year of life, the little tots are solely dependent on their primary caregiver, usually the parents. The infant is very much fragile and therefore requires constant caring and touch. If these needs are properly met by parents, the child will be able to develop "trust" among the people around him and may feel that the world is not scary after all.

In contrast, some experts may encourage moms to allow their babies to cry at some time during bedtime until the child eventually gets tired of crying and falls back to sleep. Others claim that it may foster child independence. A baby may usually cry whenever he feels that he is alone and scared. This feeling of abandonment may lead to disappointment and "mistrust" to the people around him especially his loved ones. If the child constantly feels deserted, he may develop depression later in life and may cause him to take his own life.

As parents, we should know the importance of parenthood by giving meticulous care on babies' most basic needs - love and support. A special caution should also be given to methods we use to settle baby as it may indicate behavioral dilemmas in the future.

Baby Sleeping Problems

Baby sleeping problems has always been the dilemma of most parents, especially those who are working and at the same time parenting their children. Usually, the child is having a hard time to fall asleep or doesn't want to sleep at all because he's too busy playing all day or has a fever. Sometimes, sleep problems may be a symptom of a more serious underlying problem like sleep apnea.

Here are some great tips on how to avoid sleep problems at night:

• Kids may have trouble sleeping through the night due to oversleeping during the day. A child's nap in the afternoon should only take about 1 - to hours of rest periods. This may allow him to take time off in between play activities. In addition, nap time should be early in the afternoon, and not early evening.
• Avoid giving foods and beverages with caffeine content, especially a few hours before bedtime. Foodstuffs like, tea, soda, chocolates and the like may cause children to go to hyperactive mode throughout the night.
• Train your little tots to wake up early in the morning so that he would be able to do as much fun activities during the day and will eventually fall asleep early in the evening. This may also be a good time to train him to rise early in the morning in preparation for his preparatory schooling.
• Baby sleeping problems may be triggered by the child's separation-anxiety issues from their parents. During this age, toddlers mostly seek their parent's cuddling arms and loving attention. The child feels safely secured when his parents are around him as this may aid him to want to go to bed and sleep soundly.

Settling Baby to Sleep

Helping to settle baby for a good night's sleep is daunting especially when at times they want to stay up all night and party like a rock star. So the question goes, how to settle your baby to a soothing sleep? There are lots of tips available that you can find and you just have to choose what's best for your baby. One of the techniques that most experts would recommend is by creating the right environment so falling asleep comes naturally for your baby. But you actually have to help your baby in doing this and understanding that sleeping is associated with something.

Sleep associations involves many things, including yourself (parents) like feeding, rocking your baby, pacifiers, etc. Your baby thinks that they need them to fall asleep and you just need to choose the best association that suits for your baby to have a restful night sleep. Establishing a sleep association from day one is a key factor. Creating a regular bedtime and consistent bedtime routine will set your baby's internal clock, creating a circadian rhythm. This will help them distinguish between day and night and that night time is bedtime.

Using other method to settle baby to soothe himself to sleep is worth doing for a long term goal. Or you can make it in a gradual process and this will help them develop the ability to fall asleep by their own. However, we should bear in mind that consistency is very much important and necessary for it to effectively work.

Solving Baby Sleep Problems

Solving baby sleeping problems is not an easy task at all but it's not as difficult as it may seem to be and understanding their sleeping pattern could be the answer, especially to new parents. Just remember that there's no single approach that will work best for your baby and the guides are there, but there are no hard and fast rule. Don't persist if it doesn't work with your baby yet be open to trying other styles and technique.

Typically, baby's sleep cycles are quite very irregular in the first 3-4 months and they don't stay asleep for more than 2 to 4 hours at a time over 24 hour period. So expect that you're going to be up several times during the night to feed, change and put them back to sleep. The last part is what causes the major problem for parents. Putting baby back to sleep is difficult and could be a struggle for parents but that is just the way it is and it is just temporary.

By the time your baby reaches 5 or 6 months old, most infants sleep for a long stretch at night and some continue to wake up in order to feed. You may be able to stop your baby sleeping problems if you figure out the signs that your baby is tired. Rubbing his eyes and pulling on his ear are some of the common signs that your baby is tired so don't wait longer in putting them down before your baby become overtired then they'll have trouble falling asleep. But then again, you know your baby best than anyone else and follow your maternal instincts.

Toddlers and Sleep: Waking at Night

Naturally, toddlers are seemingly hyperactive little creatures for they love to explore things around their environment. They are fond of mimicking adult tasks such as feeding and putting baby to sleep, serving tea, and cooking. However, children age 2-3 years tend to wake in the middle of the night when everyone falls in deep slumber.

One of the reasons why a child gets up after two hours of sleep in the evening is because of over-stimulation during the day. Kids go overboard and got overfatigued with nonstop tagging along with toys or other children; making it hard for them to fall asleep at night. Hence, here are some factors that might stimulate unnecessary waking at night and how to deal with them:

• A night lamp may help ease discomforts of the child's perception towards dark rooms and monsters. You may use lights with changing colors for it fosters relaxation and sleep. This will reassure the child that there is nothing scary with the dark.
• Change diapers before going to bed so as to avoid untimely waking up due to leaking diapers.
• Be sure to tuck your child with blankets to keep him warm throughout his sleep.
• When your baby wakes up at night, he may be thirsty or hungry. You can offer him water, cookies or milk (depending on the child's preferences) to help him go back to sleep afterwards. Most doctors would say that milk should not be given to children who get up at night for it would cause tooth decays. Drinking water after eating would best do the trick.
• Different noises may also cause sleep disturbance. When you opt to watch late shows on TV, be sure to keep the volume low to prevent your tots from getting up from sleep.
• Perform comforting activities that would help him calm through the night. You may read story books or sing nursery rhymes together, or teach him to count numbers until he falls asleep.

Settling baby to a Sound Sleep

Are you having a hard time putting your baby to sleep? If your answer is yes, then that's alright since infants do not have fixed sleeping pattern in the first three months after birth. That's because they still need to establish what is night and day but most of all it is frightening for them to be separated from us. And settling baby to a sound sleep is quite a daunting responsibility for new parents. So it is important for parents to understand about infants sleeping pattern.

It is now easy to find articles about infant sleep patterns and on getting baby to sleep. The cyberspace makes it handy for everyone but let me remind you one thing, there's a lot too that gives conflicting information and advice. And if that's the case then don't forget that the best advice that you can get is the mother's instinct. Mothers know better than anyone else for each baby is unique so it is best to find what works for your baby instead of trying to fit your baby to the pattern.

Here are some tips that may be of use to you:

Create a relaxing environment by making the room quiet and switch off the lights or you can use baby light. Also don't forget to make your baby's bed warm. Make sure your baby's clothing is not too warm and not too cold.

Establish a bedtime routine. Always change your baby into bedtime clothes; this will somehow give a signal for them that it's time to sleep. It's another way also of starting to establish their sleeping pattern.

Give your baby a warm bath. Warm bath is relaxing but again this may not be relaxing for others.

The techniques that I mentioned may not work for your baby but remember, babies simply need parental support and always follow your instinct.

Developing Circadian Rhythms

Dealing with infants needs a great deal of patience for it is the start of more months of sleepless nights. Sleep deprivation is not uncommon to new parents with newborns but don't make this as an excuse not to take a rest and sleep for it will just haunt you back in the end. And the most common question we often hear is when will my baby sleep through the night?
Sleep when your baby sleeps is often the words we get from anyone else, even from experts and that make sense after all. But newborns sleeping pattern is erratic and not fixed until by age 3 months or so yet this doesn't mean you should impose a sleep/wake pattern for your baby for it is just natural that they are awaken frequently.

In the first two or three months, you should stretch your patience to adjust with your baby's sleeping and feeding pattern. That would mean getting up every couple of hours and putting baby to sleep sometimes (if not often) is a daunting task. So parents should nurture and cuddle your baby to help them fall asleep because at this stage, they simply don't know the difference between day and night. And their sleep isn't controlled yet by circadian rhythms but you should also start establishing your baby's sleep pattern by starting to develop a bedtime routine.

Typically, by age 3 to 6 months, babies are capable of sleeping through the night but we are not talking of 8 hours, though. It seems plausible to say that sleep habits vary greatly in the amount of time and different individuals have different needs which may be true for baby's sleep requirements. Keep in mind that every baby has their own unique developmental pattern and if your baby isn't sleeping a stretch of five to six hours, don't worry you're not alone.

Putting Baby to Sleep: Grave Mistakes Made by Parents

As first-time moms and dads, it's really hard to put on a firm grip of a good night sleep especially with your bundle of joy around. Doctors would say that babies sleep most of the day, but the thing is it's actually a broken sleep. Several parents believe that teaching babies to sleep early are for toddlers not for babies. But I beg to disagree.

Newborns, even during the early weeks of life can be trained on how to go to bed early by setting a sleep routine at a regular pace like cleaning the baby's face, arms and legs with soft, damp cloth, breast feeding and helping him burp afterwards or chanting nursery rhymes until he goes to slumber land. Putting up these bedtime rituals signal the little ones that it's just about time for them to rest.

Conversely, western cultures roughly advocate the need for the baby to sleep alone inside the crib in his own room during night for it boosts self discipline and independence as the little tot grows. Caregivers, more often than not, adhere to the practice of allowing the child to lie on their tummies rather than on his back for it was believed to facilitate eternal rest. But did you know that putting baby to sleep on his stomach particularly in the crib may actually cause him to die?

SIDS, or the Sudden Infant Death Syndrome is the main cause of mortality in infants who were left alone sleeping prone, since their entire face are being blocked making it hard for them to breathe. Also, the lungs cannot fully expand because it bears most of the infant's weight when lying down.

Cosleeping, on the other hand, has been highly acclaimed by La Leche league International, the foremost breast feeding organization in the world. Studies revealed that cosleeping has been proven to strengthen the bond not only to mothers, but also to the fathers as well. Consequently, it provides a strong emotional security to your little angel when he is around with mommy and daddy. It also favors constant nursing especially at night, thus, decreases the urgency for the baby to cry for his personal needs.

During sleep, the body restores lost cells, elicits growth of hair follicles, toenails, fingernails and skin, and most importantly, recharges the brain. Sleep is indeed crucial in nurturing the youngling's developmental progress. Ergo, with parents' proper guidance and moral support, children will grow with autonomy and self - reliance later in life.

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.

Helping Toddlers To Get a Sound Sleep

Getting the toddlers to sleep in the afternoon, especially at night may be a little harder than when they are babies, since babies sleep most of the day. Unlike toddlers, they have developed the sense of identifying what they want and what they don't want to do. The toddler stage is oftentimes equated with negativity, and no is their favorite word. Toddlers undergo a developmental stage where most often than not, parents are having a hard time understanding.

Here are some helpful tips on how to get your precious toddlers to sleep:

1. Kids are hyperactive; they would love to discover the things around their environment. You must keep the room dark to set your child's mood as if it was nighttime already.


2. Set periods for playtime and sleep time. Allow your child to enjoy his toys for a certain period of time, and then when it's about time for him to take a nap or sleep, tell him that play period is over and that it's time for him to rest. You must also allow your child to learn how to keep his toys after playing so as to set an indication that he needs to sleep. It also helps the child to understand the importance of discipline that will play an important role in his growth and development.


3. Toddlers have their own trends of rituals. To help them develop their own sense of control, let them make their own choices: as to sleeping habits, choice of clothes to wear, and most of all keeping their security objects at hand, i. e., stuffed animals, pillows, security blankets and the like. It helps toddlers to sleep comfortably.


4. Warm milk and a warm bath help the child to relax thereby enhance sleeping.


5. Touch therapy is still the best. Giving your child a gentle massage helps the body to relax, thus it facilitates sleeping. Reading books, cuddling and singing lullabies would also be helpful.

There are lots of methods to help put the child to sleep. But nothing compares to the unconditional warmth and love he gets from his parents. Parents are toddlers' best personalized security objects.

4 Common Mistakes To Avoid When Putting Your Baby To Sleep

Putting your baby into sleep is better said than not. All parents know it. However, the real horror starts the moment you are having a hard time putting your baby, which will create many sleepless nights for parents especially during the toddler night waking routine. With the parents, particularly the moms desire to go catch some sleep, many of them aimed to put their baby's day sleep routine a successful one, making them sometimes tend to overlook some of the safe cautions when putting a baby into sleep.

Below are some of the common mistakes that parents should avoid when putting their baby into sleep.

1. Allowing the baby to sleep on their stomach or side is a big no-no. Studies show that SIDS or Sudden Infant Death Syndrome is heavily related to stomach and side sleeping. The best thing that parents can do is to let their child sleep on his or her back. If this is not possible due to some trouble when in back-only position, parents should look for some ways like having a baby sleep position for a more comfortable sleep.


2. Though it is sweet and tempting to do, parents should avoid the baby to go sleep with them on their bed especially if the baby is newborn because blanket, pillow, and even your body is a threat to the health of a baby that is still unable to rollover.


3. Leaving the baby alone while sleeping is definitely not a good practice especially if the baby is sleeping on the floor, couch, or any dangerous parts of the house, for there might be a tendency for the bay to roll or for the family members and pets to step on the baby.


4. Make it a habit to check labels from the baby's clothing to bedding's and make sure the item is flame retardant.

Avoiding the above-mentioned mistakes from happening will let your baby fall into sleep comfortably while giving you some peace of mind.

Baby Sleeping Ideas

Every human being or even animals needs to sleep in order to survive, because the body needs rest for all the days work and activities. Sleep is important especially for the babies and kids. It is an important process of the baby's growth and the baby's health. Sleep is a way of rest but not only in the physical aspect but also in the mental aspect in which all the human's activity muscles or motor vehicles are put to rest.

Adults already know that it is important to sleep and they are able to sleep when they want to, but babies and kids are sometimes difficult to put to sleep. There are routines, rituals or strategies to help the parents put their little ones to slumber.

There are different ways to put the baby to sleep such as:

• Having a Bedtime Routine. Having a routine with the baby is not an easy task and requires ample time. Parents should spend more time with the baby and do the tasks required for the routine, such as giving the baby a warm bath first, then rubbing on some lotion or oil onto the baby's skin, singing a lullaby or telling a story for the baby every night to make it a routine. And having done that means it is already sleeping time.


• Flexibility in the Bedtime Routine. It is not always that the baby follows the given bedtime routine. So the parent should try another strategy on how to put the baby to sleep, maybe the parent could try turning off the light, rocking the baby or putting the baby on her chest while slow dancing, or putting on some slow music to soothe the baby's mood.


• Train the Baby/Kids. Teach the baby as early as possible that day time is for playing, eating and other activities while night time is for sleeping.

Putting the baby to sleep sometimes is hard and makes the parents irritable but parents should understand that the baby needs ample sleep for his own benefits. Getting enough sleep at night is good for the baby. Day sleep is also a must for babies in order for them to get the rest their baby body needs and daytime naps can prevent a baby from becoming too bizarre to sleep at night.