All is calm and relaxing when screams so horrible start from my little girl’s room.  We run to her looking for wounds worthy of the blood curdling howl she is giving.  Nothing, no intruder, no wounds, no bruises, no spiders, Nothing.

We try to console her, reason with her, hug her…  All our efforts are met with even louder screams and violent thrashing about.  So I sit, hold her and wait.  2o minutes later the screams stop as abruptly they started.  I wipe my sweet babies tears away and listen to her little baby talk like nothing was wrong.

Sometime passes I kiss her little neck her squishy cheeks and lay her back down and head straight for the internet.

I looked through probably 20 medical sites.  Apparently our daughter just experienced a night terror.  The best info I found was at BabyCenter.com:

How are night terrors different from nightmares?

Nightmares happen during rapid eye movement (REM) or dream sleep. A child who’s had a nightmare is likely to have a fairly clear idea of what scared him, though he probably won’t be able to articulate his fright until he’s about 2. He may also be afraid to fall back asleep, and in the morning, he’ll probably remember that he had a bad dream.

What should I do when my toddler has a night terror?

Of course, your first instinct will be to comfort him, but your efforts will most likely be futile (remember, he’s not really awake and he’s not aware of your presence). You just have to wait it out and make sure he doesn’t hurt himself. Don’t speak to him or try to soothe him, and don’t try to shake or startle him awake or physically restrain him — all of which could lead to more frantic behavior. In 15 to 20 minutes, your child should calm down, curl up, and fall into a deep sleep again.

Is there anything I can do to prevent night terrors?

There are several steps you can take to reduce the chances that your toddler will have night terrors. First, make sure that he’s getting enough sleep, since children who go to bed overtired are more likely to experience these sleep disturbances. To avoid fatigue, extend your toddler’s nap time, let him sleep a little later in the morning, or put him to bed earlier at night. And be sure to schedule plenty of time for calming bedtime rituals, such as a bath, a song, a book, and lots of cuddling.

Since night terrors usually occur during the first part of the night, you could also try gently rousing your toddler after he’s been asleep for an hour or two — about 15 minutes before the typical episode would start. This should alter his sleep pattern enough to head off the night terror at the pass.

Baby girl sleeps about 14 hours a day.  I might try one more nap and waking her up and resetting her sleep.

Have you gone through this with your little one?