I May Have Figured Out My Nap Problem!!

[Sunchimes]

It's too early to be sure, but I may have solved the problem of my 20 mo old who screams for an hour at nap time.

She almost always wakes up after 45 min to an hour, cries out a minute, then goes back to sleep. Last week, she woke up screaming. I ran in there and she was off her mat, huddled in a corner, screaming. I talked quietly to her until she let me pick her up. I tried rocking her but she kicked and fought. At this point, I'm still thinking "bad dream, now she's awake and doesn't want to go back to sleep." I kept telling her it was ok, she didn't have to go to sleep again. I turned on the light and opened the curtains, and when I did, she got back on her mat and went to sleep.

Her mom said she has them at night and sometimes it takes them an hour to calm her down.

Light bulb moment. She has night terrors and maybe she is afraid to go to sleep--she isn't resisting nap, she's afraid to go to sleep in a darkened room. Our routine is that I close the drapes and turn out the light at nap time. The room isn't pitch dark, the door to the hall stays open and it is flooded with light. But the play room is very dim.

Yesterday, I tried something new. I told her it was naptime, I put her mat down, and told her to get on it. She did. I sang softly to her and rubbed her back a bit, and while she whined a little, there was no screaming, and in 5 minutes, she was asleep. One success is too soon to claim victory, but it's hopeful!

One funny thing. A friend of mine is a holistic health instructor. She doesn't specialize in children, but she contacted some of her friends who do to ask for some suggestions for me. They said that night terrors were often related to milk or gluten allergies. A couple said that there was some evidence that sleeping with their head to the south was helpful. I didn't have anything to lose, so I turned her mat north/south instead of east/west. She started out with her head to the south but turned around to the north before she settled down. The weird part is that before she started resisting sleep, her pnp ran north/south and she slept with her head to the south.

Experiment continues tomorrow.

[cheerfuldom]

Night terrors are pretty common. You might also consider a glow worm toy or other toy with a little bit of light to it that she can turn on if she gets scared. If you have a safe option, plug in a night light near her mat. My oldest does not do darkened rooms at all. We always used a string of christmas lights to leave a little light in the room. you can take out every other bulb so its very dim. we also put her room light on a dimmer (very easy to do) so the light is always on, but not glaring her face or keeping her sister up.

[bice99]

My daughter used to do this. I finally figured out it was arousal confusion (or something like that). Started by 18 months kept up until the summer she was 3. She would have 1 or 2 a night at that point. Dr. had no ideas and said she'd outgrow them. I would have to carry her out of her bed and into our spare bedroom (lights off) so we could look out the window for the moon. That would wake her up enough to drink an entire cup of water and then she'd go back to bed. In this situation, the child is either too hot or gets tangled in sheets and cannot transition between the different sleep cycles. That's why it typically happens at about the same time. Solution - it was summer so she was barefoot at night anyway. We took of the jersey knit top sheet that she had picked out when she got her "big big girl bed" and replaced it with a toddler top sheet that I had made. After she fell asleep each night, I uncovered her feet. She's now 10 and from that day on, has never had it happen again BTW - she sleeps with a million stuffed animals and blankets in her bed and sometimes wears socks. It doesn't matter anymore but it did when she was younger.

[Sunchimes]

Cheerfuldom-Her mom doesn't want her sleeping with a toy or blankie. That was my first thought. If the well-lit room works this week, I will start gradually reducing the light. She is the only one sleeping in that room right now, so there is no problem with leaving lights on for her. Over time, I will get her down to just a night light.

Bice99, she doesn't have any covers on her mat. The blanket is available but she won't use it. I'll mention it to her mom though. That might be the problem at home. Thanks.

[Hunni Bee]

I've begun to have night terrors...at almost 25 years old . I never had them as a kid.

I have been either standing up in the middle of the bed, or running out into the hallway, scared out of my mind. I have no idea what's causing it.

[Sunchimes]

HunniBee, I have no idea if it's true, but my holistic health friend swears its gluten or milk sensitivity.

[cheerfuldom]

I've begun to have night terrors...at almost 25 years old . I never had them as a kid.

I have been either standing up in the middle of the bed, or running out into the hallway, scared out of my mind. I have no idea what's causing it.

stress causes sleep issues as well. that has been the cause in my case. i used to have panic attacks but only at night, also insomnia and other sleep issues.