Does Your Child Suffer from Night Terrors?

Night terrors are not the same as night mares. Night terrors are not a common occurrence in children but if they do occur it is usually in children between eighteen months and six years of age.  Night terrors can be extremely distressing for you, but despite appearances, they are not distressing for your child. 

The reason for this is that night terrors usually occur in the first few hours after going to bed when your child is in very deep sleep. Unlike a nightmare, your child remains asleep during the whole event; even if they are thrashing, walking, screaming or have their eyes open. In the morning they will have no memory of having had the night terror.

Night terrors are quite normal and nothing to be concerned over. They will usually go away by themselves as your child develops a more mature sleep pattern. If your child suffers night terrors don’t try to wake them up - they will only be disorientated and confused. Trying to console them is also futile as they are not conscious of your efforts. If they are thrashing, make sure that they are safe and not going to hurt themselves. Once they stop thrashing guide them back to bed and tuck them in, and they will usually slip back into a calm sleep state quite quickly.

If you’re concerned about the frequency or duration of your child’s night terrors, speak to your family doctor about it.

Getting Help from Online Childcare Articles

Having a child is a life-changing event. No matter how much reading you do before your baby’s arrival or how prepared you think you are going to be, nothing can prepare you for the realities of parenthood - other than going through it. When you leave hospital and bring your child home for the first time the reality of it dawns: you are responsible for this little person.

Online childcare articles are a great source of information and reassurance for parents and the best part is you can get all the information you need from the comfort of your own home.

 

Being daunted by parenthood is very normal. There will be good days and there will be bad days but the most important thing is to not suffer in silence.  Family and friends provide a great deal of support but they can’t always be on hand when you need them. 

Your home computer can become a life line when you need to get some quick advice or have the reassurance that you’re not the only person having a tough time with a screaming baby.

Apart from helpful childcare articles written by parents and child care professionals you can also connect with like-minded parents over the net to share ideas and get the support you need.