How do you know if someone is sleepwalking?

[Aidensmom]

My 4 year old just came out of his room, walked here into the office, said something incoherent about Spiderman, and walked back into his room. I asked him if he needed something, he said something I could not understand.

He does this about 4 nights a week. I think he may be sleepwalking, but how do you know for sure? Anyone had experience with this?

 

[Sparx]

it sounds like he is. I don't know much about sleep walking, but I do talk in my sleep. if you ask him something he will answer you, that is sleep talking. If he is doing that and walking, I am guessing that that would be sleepwalking?

 

[Beth76]

Sounds like it to me. I wonder if he was dreaming about Spiderman. That's so cute.

 

[the kabuki]

Other night, DS8 walked down to the kitchen (it's 1 am) opened the pantry doors and stood there looking. I Said his name, what was he doing? he said he was looking for something. Turned him around and walked him back to bed. He Didn't remember any of it in the morning. What i found amusing is that I actually had a conversation with him, like he answered my question and yet I know he was sleepwalking. So yep, I'd say your 4 yr old was sleepwalking.

 

[ChristmasElf]

I don't think you are supposed to wake up someone that is sleep walking, just keep an eye on them so they don't get hurt and maybe help them get back to bed.
Does he usually eat something like ice cream within 3 hours of going to bed on nights he has sleepwalked?

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Does he usually eat something like ice cream within 3 hours of going to bed on nights he has sleepwalked?

Just a little chocolate milk I think.

 

[Aidensmom]

Just a little chocolate milk I think.

Yes, he does drink that within an hour of going to bed almost every night, but when he gets up, it is about 4-5 hours after he has gone to sleep.

ChristmasElf - do certain foods cause sleepwalking?

 

[marydmjj]

My DS-10 does this numerous times each week. The only difference is he is always distraut about something. The only way we can get him to calm down is if we wake him up. I usually talk to him calmly, walk him to the bathroom to get a drink of water and by then he's aware enough of what is going on. I don't know if you are supposed to wake a sleepwalker up or not but we always do.

 

[JennaTX]

Sounds like sleepwalking to me. Especially because how often he does it. I used to sleepwalk as a child, when I was about 6 years old I woke up, walked out the front door and went to check the mail it was the middle of the night, and I remember looking down the street and something scaring me, I ran back in the house and slammed the front door, which woke my parents up. After that they put a chain on the front door that I could not reach, and I remember waking up many nights, standing at the front door.

Also my DD has walked out into the den and done the same thing, said a few words that did not make sense and then went back to bed.

Does he remember anything in the morning if you ask about it?

 

[Kimberly]

My youngest brother used to sleep talk to me all the time. In the middle of the night he would literally wake me up (as teenager too, mind you) and tell me something completely incoherent, and if I could hear it, it was something entirely ridiculous.

Sleep talking is relatively common, I wouldn't be too concerned about it unless it starts to disturb your child's sleeping. Just have some good laughs about it.

 

[froglady]

I both sleep talk and sleep walk, although I very rarely do the latter. If I say or do something humorous, DH will write it down. One night, I sat up in bed, looked at him, and said "I took all the beet juice." He asked me to repeat myself, which I did. Definitely said "I took all the beet juice!"

 

[Nette]

I remember my brother sleep walking once... He got up, went into the bathroom that us kids shared and proceeded to pee in the tub. I asked him why he was doing that and he insisted NUMEROUS times that he was NOT peeing in the tub.

That's about the extent of funny sleep walking in my family...

I sleepwalked (slept walked???) for several years... Turns out I was actually having seizures...

My daughter has "woken up" SCREAMING bloody murder that there are ants all over her... She wasn't really awake, it was a night terror. I'd say that 4 is a little old for a night terror though.

Since it's been going on for a while, I'd mention it at his next pedi appt... Probably nothing to worry about, but then at least the doctor can tell you how to handle it, and can remember to ask you how that is progressing...

 

[Barb D]

...I sat up in bed, looked at him, and said "I took all the beet juice." He asked me to repeat myself, which I did. Definitely said "I took all the beet juice!"

Sounds like a tag to me!

Then there's the time that DS14 was about 3. DH and I heard a strange sound coming from upstairs. We went upstairs to check, and discovered him peeing in DD's diaper pail in the hall outside his room. We asked him what he was doing, and he said (eyes closed, most likely asleep) that he couldn't find the bathroom! (It was right behind him.)

BTW, he did just give me permission to post this, and tag fairy please do NOT make a tag out of it! He's embarassed enough that his being pick-pocketed by a baby made a tag!

 

[Aidensmom]

Thank you all for confirming my suspicions.

I am going to talk to his pediatrician about it.