The Feelings Corner

Our littles have lots of feelings. Sometimes BIG feelings. Here’s a space for tips and ideas to help with those feelings.

These tips are helpful for all ages!

Your kid has been waking up, SCREAMING in the middle of the night. It comes out of nowhere and it shakes 👏you 👏 up 👏⁠ Your mom, neighbor, bestie, or barista suggests “ohhhhh probably night terrors.”⁠
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Hold up, what is a night TERROR?!?! 😯 Conveniently left that out of the baby books didn’t they?!⁠

⁠As a parent, night terrors can feel TERRIFYING to watch – AND did you know that night terrors are actually most common in ages 3-12 yrs, with new cases peaking at age 3.5 yrs?! This means night terrors are definitely a toddler thang.⁠😑⁠
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So, if your toddler is having one of these scary episodes, what do you actually do?!?⁠
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✨Speak calmly and gently✨⁠
“I’m right here with you, you’re safe.”⁠
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✨Avoid shaking them or trying to wake them up✨⁠
This can wind them up more. Instead, give a squeeze of the hand to signal you’re there.⁠
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✨Wait it out⁠✨⁠
Sit there and make sure they’re safe (that they don’t roll off the bed, get hurt while thrashing) With a true night terror, they’ll fall right back asleep on their own.⁠
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Unlike a scary dream, night terrors are something they don’t remember in the morning. Meaning, they won’t be totally traumatized like you are.😳 Your job in them is to just keep them safe and trust that they will be okay. Most kids grow out of night terrors, but, if at any moment you’re feeling nervous about it or it feels like they’re too frequent or too intense, trust your instincts and reach out to your pediatrician 💯⁠

-Big Little Feelings