Help, my child is sleepwalking
Today we're talking about somnambulism. This is neither something naughty nor something to eat - but quite simply: sleepwalking.
Is your child sleepwalking? He or she is not alone! It occurs in about a third of children. It typically begins between the ages of three and five and usually disappears again during puberty. Very important: it is not a clinical picture. Rather, it is often a family history that can simply occur.
However, there are a few trigger factors - these are
When there is a fever.
When children are under great stress.
When they are clearly overtired
You should be relaxed about it when your child is sleepwalking. Not much can happen. However, the colloquial "sleepwalking safety" is not always a given. Although children move around relatively safely, they can fall down the stairs or walk out of the front door. It is therefore important for parents of a sleepwalking child to lock windows and doors and secure stairs to prevent accidents.
We paediatricians are not really needed. Exception: If it occurs so frequently that the child is massively overtired or is aggressive or often injures itself when sleepwalking. For these rare cases, there is also a treatment approach with medication.
Further interesting tips
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My conclusion after almost 15 years as a paediatrician in private practice: tick-borne diseases are probably the most overestimated health risk - at least from the parents' point of view.
Tantrums I
It turns the sweetest child into a bully: the tantrum. How to recognise whether tantrums are a cause for concern or simply a minor evil:
Self-harming behaviour I
Today we are looking at a really serious topic: self-harming behaviour in young people. Unfortunately, we've been seeing more and more of this in surgeries in recent years. It typically becomes an issue from the age of around 14. It occurs more frequently in girls, but also in boys, also increasingly in recent years.