Sleep-walking

A sort of “mobile dreaming”, sleep-walking occurs when a child wanders about the house while asleep.

A sleep-walking child does not walk about with his eyes closed and his arms held straight out in front. His eyes will be open but he will be asleep; he won't see you and won't understand anything you say to him. Many children go through a short phase of sleep-walking, but this soon passes.

What to do

If you find your child sleep-walking, don't try to waken him. Lead him slowly and gently back to bed. There is no need to get medical advice unless the sleep-walking is very frequent and you need reassurance that nothing is seriously wrong. Protect your child, for instance, by putting a barrier at the top of the stairway at night so he can't fall down the stairs, and by making sure that no windows are left open. Try to reassure your child if you think you know the underlying cause of the sleepwalking.

Dr Miriam Stoppard

New Babycare
Copyright © 2009 Dorling Kindersley
Text copyright © 2009 Miriam Stoppard

Posted 03.11.2010

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