Sleepwalking

One of my girls has always had some sleeping weirdness and I think we've just figured out that she's sleepwalking. For...well...for ever, when we go to check on her at night, she would instantly pop up and stand in her crib, still asleep mind you, but standing. We'd always just lay her back down and she'd be out.

Now that they've been out of the cribs for a while, she's ALWAYS sleeping somewhere other than where she fell asleep. I figured she just wakes up and finds somewhere else to get comfy. We put her back in bed and that's that. Once a couple weeks ago, DH went in the room to check on them on his way to bed at like 1 am and she was just standing there in the middle of the room. Again, she went right back to sleep when he laid her down.

Tonight, he just went down there to check on his way to be and she was in the middle of the room again, this time, she was actually walking. Her eyes were closed. She kinda bumped into him and staggered around him. He scooped her up and put her back in bed and she never opened her eyes or even acted like she was awake.

It seems like she's definitely sleepwalking. This also explains her random scared-sounding crying in the middle of the night episodes. I'd bet she's waking up and not knowing why she's not in bed or not even lying down! That would be pretty scary.

So, now what? Is it normal for a two year old to do this? Is there something I can do to stop it? Their room is gated, so I don't worry too much about her wandering around, but still, it seems like she should be getting better sleep than this would allow. Anyone else have a sleepwalker? What did you do?

 

Trevor is a sleepwalker though he's only done it a few times and it's linked to his confusional arousals (and their overtiredness trigger) so it's somewhat preventable for us. They're past using gates so I have a bell that I hang on the door when they go to bed to keep him from wandering unnoticed. Both of my boys talk/laugh in their sleep as well.

I've learned from my research that sleepwalking can begin as soon as they can walk so while it's unusual at such a young age, it does happen. Also, those who start before age 8 are much more likely to outgrow the behavior so I'm taking the early onset as a sign that it won't last forever.

 

Not one of my kids, but DH sleepwalks occasionally. It's the strangest thing - he seems awake, you can have a conversation with him but it will be completely bizarre, or he'll start to do something really strange and I'll ask him what he's doing and he'll explain but make no sense. Eventually he gets back into bed and sleeps normally. In the morning he doesn't remember anything. He once walked out of our apartment and I stopped him from going out the front door of the building in the middle of the night, in the winter, stark naked.

Doesn't seem dangerous, for the most part, so I just find it amusing.

Rachel

 

You just described everything Haydn did at 2. She still does sleepwalk, but it's been MUCH less the last 6-8 months, so I too am thinking she will grow out of it.

 

I think it is more common in boys than girls but yes, sleepwalking starts about 2 years old. My son's night terrors started about 1.8 years old and then he started sleep walking after that. He does all sorts of crazy stuff, like trying to walk out the front door with his pants pulled down so be aware that they can really do the strangest things. He didn't sleep walk all over the house til closer to 3. :hug:

 

Jessy does occasionally when she is sick. She has had night terrors since she was about a year(us leaving their father was very mental hard for all of us. She has terrors after visits with him). i keep both door to the apt chined just in case

 

My niece used to do this. We were staying with them in FLA and my husband (then boyfriend) had gotten up to use the bathroom. He found Brennan standing on top of the chest of drawers. The next night we found her in the recliner in the living room. I would rig something on her bedroom door so you can hear her if she gets up and heads out of the room.