Footsteps in the Dark: Sleep Walking Children

Pitter patter. Pitter patter. I know the sound of those footsteps. Where are those tiny feet taking her tonight? The bathroom? My bedroom? Is the door to the basement stairs closed?

It’s not every night. Not on a full moon. Not associated with night terrors or too much sugar before bedtime.

For the longest time, I thought it was separation anxiety. My child would get from her toddler bed; walk to my safe big bed and fall to sleep cuddled next to me. Perhaps, she was afraid of the dark. Perhaps she was lonely.

Then one day; I got up to meet those tiny feet in the hallway. Turning on the hall light, my daughter had a dazed look in her eyes. I asked her, “Where are you going?” with no reply. She walked past me, crawled into my safe big bed and closed her eyes. Sleep walking!

According to research, sleep walking children is a common occurrence. While sleep walking, a child can perform physical activities yet have no memory of it in the morning. My daughter never remembered climbing into my bed. She has also never remembered going potty on midnight bathroom strolls.

Research advises that parents should not touch sleepwalkers. They can become irritated or bothered. Also, never yell, shake or attempt other means to “wake up” sleepwalkers. Sleep walking is not an act of defiance on the part of the child thus do not punish the child, during the day, for sleep walking at night.

We do our best to keep our sleepwalkers safe. Close doors and keep main pathways clear. (Close doors, in that, close doors to basement staircase. Locking a child in their room is NOT a solution to sleep walking.). We took down the kids’ bunk beds once we realized the smaller child was sleepwalking UP the ladder and into the older child’s bed.

Many children grow out of sleep walking. Perhaps, it is simply best to accept a sleepwalker not begrudge them as a sleep taker. Keeping children safe, by day and by night, well - that is both a parent’s greatest gift and utmost responsibility.

About the Author Writer/Mother/sock finder/Blogger/laundress/Community Editor/mitten matcher/Researcher/nose wiper/buzz creator/Moderator/whatever... Posted by Caroline in behaviour on July 13, 2010 More from this author  |  Author Website

Comments  

 

0 # littlemissmocha 2010-07-13 08:58

Caroline, this is a great article. I do not have a sleepwalking child (yet, still a wee one in a crib) but I would feel very comforted by this. Good advice, and the last two sentences ring with any parent...that it's important not to resent any sleep we lose caring for our children or keeping them safe. It's a meaningful part of our job as parents.

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0 # Mara Shapiro 2010-11-20 10:32

My Daughter used to sleepwalk. Several times we found her just standing in her doorway. Once,we heard something, and she was trying to get out the front door of the house. After that, we made sure the baby gates were closed before we went to bed. When she was about 7, she stopped doing it.

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