Night terrors are not uncommon, occurring in about 6 per cent of children – and are more terrifying for the parent than the child. To help manage them, ensure that your child is in a safe environment and cannot hurt herself during an episode, and do not try to pick her up or wake her up – this will not shorten or stop the episode and may scare your child. night terrors are not a sign of psychological "problems," usually settle on their own, and on the positive side, your child will have no recollection of the event in the morning.
~ Dr. Jeremy Friedman, MB, BCh, FRCP(C), is the Division Head of Paediatric Medicine at The Hospital for Sick Children and an Associate Professor of Paediatrics at the University of Toronto. He has published articles in peer-reviewed journals and sits on the editorial board of general pediatric journals in Canada and the US. Friedman is also the author of Canada’s Toddler Care Book and The Baby Care Book. Friedman hopes that this book will help empower caregivers and provide them with answers to many of the frequent questions and challenges they face on a daily basis.
