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Sleepwalking child
  • theprincessmommytheprincessmommy
    Posts: 673Member
    I am kind of freaked out. It is 1am and this is the second time in a week that my DS4 has slept walked. The first time just to the bathroom and then to the playroom. Tonight he came down the stairs, I about had a panic attack. Anyone have any advice, experience, anything really. Thank god I was being an insomniac tonight and was awake when he came down.


  • CrashCrash
    Posts: 8,179Member
    It's normal.

    Luckily your son just sleep walks? My daughter would try to sleep-pee. In fact, that's how we knew she probably had to go to the bathroom. She'd wander into the tv room, pull down her pants, and try to pee in front of the tv cabinet. Or in the master bedroom closet. Or anywhere, really. Except the actual bathroom.

    Just last week, at 10 yo...she came upstairs, into the library where my computer is, and says "i have to go get Jolon". I say....Why? She says something unintelligible, and then I say "let me go tuck you back into bed." Then she says "Why?" And I say, because you're supposed to be sleeping, silly. And that was the end.

    It's pretty normal. And I'd expect a few more episodes. Once they walk, they don't stop! Lol. But it's ok. If you're not up and all the lights are out, he'll probably still come to your bed anyway.
    See ya in another life, sister!
  • theprincessmommytheprincessmommy
    Posts: 673Member
    Okay, Just freaked me out. I can't understand him and I'm afraid to wake him and freak him out so I just try to steer him back to bed. My knee is still hurt so tonight I steered him to the couch, so I will be sleeping down here. My older son never did anything like this at the worst he half awake stumbled to the bathroom and missed the potty...he was aimed in the right direction so it wasn't to bad. Still though I am now all hopped up on mommy adrenaline. Thanks for reading my late night freakout.
  • CrashCrash
    Posts: 8,179Member
    It's ok. Sleep walking is just weird, anyway. They say weird stuff, and they're all...zombie-like. But at least now ya know, eh? He might just get up and wander around sometimes.
    See ya in another life, sister!
  • theprincessmommytheprincessmommy
    Posts: 673Member
    I just wish he wouldn't wander onto the stairs we don't have a bannister right now and my dad did the floors in this bamboo hard wood which is super slick. Little Man is not getting socks for sleep any time soon.
  • OUCHOUCH
    Posts: 1,788Member
    When my almost 11 year old was about 6/7 she fell asleep on the couch. We woke her up (or so we thought) and sent her to bed. She got up off the couch and ate a paper towel. We still have no idea WTF that was all about!
    "Promote what you love instead of bashing what you hate." - UNK
    "The amazing thing about life is that you choose what you allow into it, you choose how things affect you, you choose how you react. Happiness is a choice. Make it." - UNK
    "Tattoos don't define the person, the person defines the tattoos." - Me
  • theprincessmommytheprincessmommy
    Posts: 673Member
    That must have been an odd conversation...I can't picture my little one eating a paper towel, I could more see him doing something to the cat or puppy, or doing what curious mentioned and sleep peeing someplace (fingers crossed he doesn't )
  • CrashCrash
    Posts: 8,179Member
    She....ATE....a paper towel?!

    Omg.
    See ya in another life, sister!
  • meandmy243meandmy243
    Posts: 6,281Member
    "His" kid sleepwalks. He was really bad to the point of every night. One night I heard something in the living room so I went to check it out. Dss was figging at the floor with his fingers freaking out cause he couldn't find his ice cream... it was 2 am... so I just guided him back to bed... but he sleeps on the bottom bunk... get a baby gate and gate his door so he can't hurt himself...
    mom of wild children
    going to the chapel 7/5/2014
  • BunnyBunny
    Posts: 430Member
    I caught my son when he was about 4 trying standing on his bunk bed ladder near the window smacking the blinds trying to claw his way out the window. I didn't sleep for a few nights after that..
    Crazy? I was crazy once...they locked me in a room with no windows. That drove me nuts. Nuts! Squirrels eat nuts. They drive me crazy. Crazy! I was crazy once..
  • realtormomrealtormom
    Posts: 645Member
    It's pretty normal. We have one sleep talker and one sleep walker.
    The past has a vote, not a veto ~ Moredecai Kaplan
  • theprincessmommytheprincessmommy
    Posts: 673Member
    meandmy243 said:

    "His" kid sleepwalks. He was really bad to the point of every night. One night I heard something in the living room so I went to check it out. Dss was figging at the floor with his fingers freaking out cause he couldn't find his ice cream... it was 2 am... so I just guided him back to bed... but he sleeps on the bottom bunk... get a baby gate and gate his door so he can't hurt himself...



    Baby gates are no good, on top of the sleepwalking he also gets up to pee at least twice a night. If I gated him in he would probably wet the bed.
  • SasafrasSasafras
    Posts: 1,136Member
    Sleepwalking is creepy! Dh used to do it every night. One night he got up to get a bowl of cereal and he started washing the dishes.... He couldnt be understood, and he ate and went back to sleep.
  • deviltwinsmommadeviltwinsmomma
    Posts: 2,277Member
    My oldest 9yrs dd does this too. Crazy shit. She does it when her stress levels are high.
    She will walk into my bedroom stare at me. Then walk out.
    Creeped me out so bad I started locking up the knives no joke.
    my mother used to sing me a song. It went like this: "Life is short, life is shit, and soon it will be over.
  • SoonergalSoonergal
    Posts: 109Member
    DS11 does this and has since he was little.  Most of the time i can just guide him back to bed and he will go back to sleep.  However, other time he wants to talk, and those conversations NEVER make sense.  One time he told me that he didn't want to go to bed because when he dreams he has to pay a toll in balloons and he was out of balloons.  WTF??

    Just remember to NEVER try and wake them fully.  It can cause them to get even more disoriented and scare them.  Just keep guiding him to bed, and maybe put a baby monitor in his room so if he does get up you will hopefully hear him.
  • theprincessmommytheprincessmommy
    Posts: 673Member
    @soonergal - Yeah I read that I shouldn't wake him. He has been okay to steer for the most part but he wouldn't go up the stairs last night and I couldn't pick him up so I put him on the couch. I am a super light sleeper so I always hear him when he gets up, so I don't need a monitor. 

    Thankyou ladies for all the advice and anecdotes of your own experiences. I am still pretty freaked out about it but we will see how it goes. I need to find out how long is to long for this to be normal behavior.
  • MorganD
    Posts: 3,456Member
    My cousin sleep-walked for several years, but he outgrew it. I'm sure your kiddo will be fine.
  • SoonergalSoonergal
    Posts: 109Member
    @theprincessmommy My son has been sleepwalking since he was 3.  I took him to drs when he was younger and they told me that it would unfortunately affect him until probably puberty.  The good news is, it doesn't happen all the time.  I notice that it really only happens when he is stressed out about something, or has something on his mind that he hasn't talked about.  Hang in there.  It will be ok.  They very rarely hurt themselves or anyone else.
  • rabbitw4
    Posts: 91Member
    3 of my kids sleepwalk, I notice that it's worse when they're feeling stressed. Its not that bad, they usually get up and walk into a wall before getting to far. I usually just yell at them and tell them to go to bed. They look like zombies. Lol

    However my youngest DD13 yells random things in her sleep. Sometimes it can scare the beans out of a person.

    I wonder if it's genetic, b/c I can operate in my sleep (drug free) as if I'm awake, but when I wake up, I don't remember crap. The kids ask me for crap when I'm sleen then try to convince me about it when I wake up. Crappy kids.
  • rabbitw4
    Posts: 91Member
    I forgot to mention, I never wake them up all the way. Even though I yell at them (repeatedly), they listen and go back to bed
  • Ckwdjmommy
    Posts: 20Member
    My son always sleep walks to the kitchen and goes in the refrigerator closes it and goes back to bed. He's been doing it since he was five.
  • irishshamrock
    Posts: 8Member
    My oldest daughter used to sleepwalk.  She even took a trip onto the front porch one night about 2am.  We woke up to the doorbell ringing because she couldnt figure out how to get back in.  Talk about scary!  We put a chain on the door after that episode.
  • theprincessmommytheprincessmommy
    Posts: 673Member
    I am thinking about a chain, he has done it 3 nights in a row now. First night he went to the bathroom and started muttering, Second night he went downstairs and talked to me about going on an adventure and something else I couldn't understand and I steered him to the couch. Last night I heard him through the wall he was throwing clothes around his room. I managed to steer him back to bed but his legs continued to move like he was walking after he laid back down. I am a bit cranky because I keep getting really wound up and stressed because I worry and then don't sleep. I hope it's just a quick faze.
  • Sultry
    Posts: 97Member
    MY BFFs daughter was sleep walking, her Doctor told her to keep her daughter up really late, until they're like passing out tired. (I know that would suck, i can't stay up past 10) but apparently, it helps keep them asleep because theyre so tired.

    It did work. Took about a week.
  • Kizd4AFool
    Posts: 19Member
    If you are concerned for safety put a door alarm on his bedroom door.  It will make a very loud noise when it goes off.  We have bought window alarms at Dollar Tree for a $1 and they word on doors as well.

  • sickandtiredofit
    Posts: 27Member

    My husband and I were getting ready to go to bed the other night.  My middle daughter comes out of her bedroom, and starts putting on her shoes.  My husband called her by name, and said why are you putting your shoes on?  She said I'm going trick or treating.  Then she comes in to my bedroom, and starts looking through clothes.  I asked her what are you doing, she said you know.  I'm going to put socks on over my shoes and walk around the trailer.  Her eyes were completely open during all of this.  My husband walked her back to bed, and told her to stay there and go to sleep.  She is 12, and has never done anything like this.  We asked her the next morning if she remembered anything, and she says no. 

  • DaBOMB
    Posts: 275Member
    Thank God my son doesn't... but I do.  I've woken up in the garage.  I'm scared to death that one day I will drive in my sleep.  I've had sleep studies but thankfully it doesn't happen very often anymore.  And my DH is very aware of what's goin on and has led me back to bed a time or two or 50 since we got married over 20 years ago. 
  • cheesehead4ever
    Posts: 672Member
    DD did it until age 9.  She is now 12.  We noticed that it usually happened when she was overtired and almost always within an hour of falling asleep.  Usually we would just walk her back to bed and tuck her in.  We were so paranoid about her leaving the house even though she never did anything that indicated that she might do that.  We had little door alarms on all of the exterior doors of the house that we would set after she went to bed.  Fortunately nothing ever happened and she outgrew it.
  • BradsCrazyMomBradsCrazyMom
    Posts: 134Member
    @theprincessmommy my son is doing that now he 22 months :( plus night terrors
    I actually starting sleep walking at a very young age also and continued to do so until I was 16. It was so bad at 4 my parents had to lock me in my room so I couldn't leave the house anymore. I still do it but its rare. And I'm terrified my son is going to be like me. I hope this is just a phase for both our little ones. But know you are not alone.
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