There’s a disturbing trend happening around our house lately. (Well, actually there are a few but I’ll get to those later). This one happens in the middle of the night. And the frequency is growing.
Last week, I was awoken at 2am by the shrill sounds of Justin Bieber singing ‘Baby’. The song was courtesy of Will’s toothbrush. Why? (I know – bigger question is why do we have a Justin Bieber toothbrush!). Well because Will was sleepwalking. He went right into the bathroom and started brushing away. I jumped out of bed to check out who I thought was a hygenically anal robber and promptly caught my achilles under the bed. This caused a screaming ‘mothereffer’ to come out of my mouth…waking up the robber Will who in return, burst into tears. Besides the tooth brushing, he had neatly laid out his water bottle and a stuffed animal at the top of the stairs. Gulp.
Friday night, my awesome sitter stayed over with him while I drank too much wine had a quiet evening with friends. Ally said at a certain point, he fell out of bed (this is a frequent occurrence), got up and proceeded to walk downstairs into the kitchen. She followed and listened as he talked gibberish, then she picked him up and put him back into bed. I think she spent the rest of the night in a freaked out fit of insomnia!
It’s a bit scary. I don’t want him falling down the stairs or walking out the door. I’ve never been so anal about locking my doors as the last couple of weeks. Rumour is my sister walked right out the front door in the snow when she was little. I’ve also heard that you should never wake a sleepwalker so I guess I need to just gently lead him back to bed? The whole thing is a little Poltergeist for me!
I was reminded on Friday night (the quiet evening) of how I sleptwalked right out of my hotel room in Mexico after a few too many margaritas. I ended waking up while peeing in a potted plant in the basement of our hotel – in my tank top, underwear and no glasses. Trust me. No one wants to wake up with their ass in a potted plant when you can’t see two inches ahead of you. Regardless….
Do your kids sleepwalk? Do you have any advice on how to handle? Do I have to reinstall baby gates??
I sleepwalk and have done so as a child. It freaks my husband out too. He quietly says to me, you’re dreaming, go back to bed. It works.
Hey ya… I was a chronic sleep walker. My mom found me in the bath tub, under the dining room table, walking out the door- crazy! Personally I would vote for a bell on his door ( does he sleep with it shut?) and/or the baby gate until the phase passes. Monkey!
Oh gosh… I think at the very least that baby-gate idea is a good one. Or a bell on his door handle. YIKES!!
i would reinstall a gate, at least a the top of the stairs. good luck, hope he outgrows it.
A friend of mine installed a video surrveillance camera because her daughter walked a block away from their house! Thought it was extreme….I told her to tie a bell on her bedroom door and if he sleeps with the door closed than you can always use one of those child handles on the inside BUT I think he might freak….bells work, they’ll wake you!! My nephew slept walk and the Dr said not wake him, just redirect him…and put him back to bed…another thing my friend installed was a hotel flap up high on the front door.
Hopefully he grows out of it SOON! Holy heart attack!!