Our son sometimes walks around the house in his sleep. He also frequently talks in his sleep—mainly muttering things we can't understand. Is this a problem that we need to do something about? Will he outgrow it?
Sleepwalking is a common sleep quirk for toddlers and preschoolers, and nearly a third of children will have at least one sleepwalking episode. Boys are more likely to sleepwalk than girls. Sleepwalking tends to run in families, so you may find that your parents or your spouse's parents have a few humorous stories to embarrass you with. Very often these stories have to do with a sleepwalker using a very odd object as a toilet—often a trash can or a box in the closet.
Sleepwalking usually happens in the beginning of the night, between one and three hours after your child has gone to sleep. Usually, a sleepwalking child opens his eyes, gets out of bed, and wanders a bit disoriented around the house. He's in a state between sleeping and wakefulness and not at all aware that he's even out of bed! If you talk to him the next morning about his sleepwalking, he won't remember it at all. So it's better not to bring it up when he's awake, as it might even make him confused, worried, or scared.
If you wake to find your child walking around the house, gently carry him or lead him back to bed. You don't have to talk to him, other than a few comforting words, since he won't really be hearing you. Most often, your child will simply fall right back to sleep once he's resettled in bed.
Sleepwalking isn't a sign of any emotional or physical problem, and most children simply outgrow it. The worry for parents is that their child will wander outside, fall down stairs, or trip over something and get hurt, since sleepwalkers aren't aware of exactly where they are or where they are going. If you have a little sleepwalker, you should take these precautions:
• Attach a bell to the bedroom door or a motion detector in front of his doorway so that you are alerted to the fact he's up and out of bed. If you're a deep sleeper and won't hear a bell or an alarm, you can put a child safety gate in his bedroom doorway. A gated doorway, as awful as that may sound, could prevent your little one from wandering around the house without your knowledge and getting hurt.
• A co-sleeping family can put the sleepwalker between two parents or between a parent and a wall so that you're alerted when she tries to climb out of bed.
• Avoid putting a child who sleepwalks to sleep in a high bed or on the top of a bunk bed (particularly if he's wearing Superman pajamas).
• Keep all outside doors and windows locked. (Put a note up to remind yourself to check these nightly.)
• Use window guards (metal grids that snap into the window) on upper-floor windows. (This is an important idea whether or not you have a sleepwalker.)
• If your household burglar alarm has a setting that creates a beep anytime a door or window is opened, then take advantage of this handy (albeit annoying) feature.
• Install child safety gates at the tops of stairs.
• Make sure your childproofing is complete throughout the house: lock up toxic solutions or dangerous objects, secure cords, and cover outlets.
• Avoid having toys and clutter on your child's bedroom floor. (OK, maybe this isn't reasonable. At least make sure you remove sharp or hard objects.)
• Avoid giving your child excess fluids in the hour before bedtime. Have your child use the toilet every night right before she gets in bed so that a full bladder doesn't have her up and looking for a place to go potty!
Most often there's no reason to try to stop your child from sleepwalking. However, if your child is making this a regular habit and you have concerns about your little, happy wanderer's safety, you can try a simple intervention that might reestablish a natural sleep cycle.
The first step is to keep track of the typical time when your child gets out of bed; specifically, how long after he goes to sleep does he get up? After you've done this for a week or so you should see a pattern. Once you find out what his typical timing is, you can wake him up about ten to fifteen minutes before he usually begins walking around. Take him to the bathroom, give him a hug, and tuck him back into bed. Follow this routine for a week, and then let him sleep without disruption and see if his sleepwalking stops. If this doesn't stop his sleepwalking, then talk to your health care provider about your concerns.
Delaney, four years old, and Lauren, two years old
I know that this isn't something most parents who are already working on sleep-related issues are willing to try! So I want to say again that unless your child's safety is a concern, you don't really need to do anything about sleepwalking. Most often he'll grow out of this phase without your intervention.
Sleep talking is even more common than sleepwalking, and about half of all children will have a few midnight jabbering sessions. Sleepwalkers are very often sleep talkers, too. Some children might mumble or make sounds in their sleep, while others carry on entire conversations with themselves. Some sleep talkers use a quiet monotonous voice, but others can be quite loud and emotional. If you talk to a child who is talking in her sleep, she may respond but her answer will likely make little sense.
Most sleep talking is amusing, brief, and harmless. If the talking isn't bothering anyone else, you don't need to do anything about it. If your little sleep talker is loud and episodes are frequent and bothersome to other sleepers, you may want to consider some of the remedies in the next section.
The following tips may be helpful in reducing the amount of walking or talking your child does in his sleep. There is no foolproof solution, but since these ideas are based on general rules for healthy sleep, it won't hurt to try some of them.
• Some studies have found that children who are not getting enough sleep are more likely to sleepwalk or sleep talk. It's wise, therefore, to check the sleep table on page 12 to see if your little one is getting enough sleep hours and modify his bedtime if he needs more sleep. (If you haven't already noticed, this is a common reason for many sleep problems.)
• Inconsistent sleep times can contribute to sleepwalking and sleep talking, so if you haven't already made the change discussed in Part I of this book, you may want to take another look at setting a specific daily bedtime and daily awake time for your little night wanderer or night talker.
• Another possible cause of sleepwalking and sleep talking is fatigue or stress and tension. The tips that begin on page 89 discussing relaxation techniques may be worth trying.
• Because a late heavy meal can contribute to these sleep problems, avoid having your child eat a big meal before bedtime. Stick to a light snack devoid of heavy spices or sugars.
• Occasionally, sleepwalking is brought about in response to a change in the child's life, such as moving, the parents' divorce, attending a new school, or another major event. These are temporary situations, and once your child is settled in to a new routine, the sleepwalking should disappear.