Sleepwalking 9 year old

[felicity]

We found DS (9) sleepwalking the other night, and I'm curious if anyone else has experience with this with a somewhat older child. He came downstairs and DH realized what was happening when he just started mumbling stuff and wouldn't respond to questions, so DH just led him back to bed and he went right down. I was already in bed so didn't witness it. DS thinks he might have done it one other time in recent months, because he randomly found his toothbrush sitting on his nightstand one morning, and he doesn't remember leaving it there. Otherwise, as far as we know this is the only time he has done it.

Any suggestions on how to keep him safe, especially from falling down the stairs? I'm reading horror stories online about people falling down stairs while sleep walking, so now I'm anxious. He needs to be able to come and go from his room independently as well as up and down the stairs when he wakes up in the morning. I've seen recommendations online for things like alarms, but DS wakes up first most mornings and goes downstairs before the rest of us, and I don't really want an alarm going off every morning when he goes downstairs before the rest of us, unless this is really the only option (obviously we want him to be safe more than anything else). Would a baby gate be enough to stop him in a sleepwalking state? He was able to operate his doorknob, so not sure if he could do the same thing with a baby gate? Any other suggestions?

[winemaker06]

Both of my kids do this and have since at least age 3. I was told multiple times to not worry about it since they usually grow out of it around age 8. Well DS is 10 and still does it occasionally…

Thankfully he has never fallen down the stairs or done anything that we are aware of that seems super dangerous. They have done things like operate doorknobs, come all the way downstairs, stripped all the sheets from their beds and taken them into another room, etc. so a baby gate wouldn’t pose much of a challenge!
Thankfully it is slowing down with age, so hopefully it it similar for you and doesn’t become a big problem.

[thoseareradishes]

We have a baby gate at the top of the stairs that is bolted to the wall and you squeeze the handle to open it. E can open the gate to go downstairs in the morning. I'm not sure if someone sleepwalking could open it though.

[felicity]

Jun 29, 2024 17:37:51 GMT -5 winemaker06 said:

Both of my kids do this and have since at least age 3. I was told multiple times to not worry about it since they usually grow out of it around age 8. Well DS is 10 and still does it occasionally…

Thankfully he has never fallen down the stairs or done anything that we are aware of that seems super dangerous. They have done things like operate doorknobs, come all the way downstairs, stripped all the sheets from their beds and taken them into another room, etc. so a baby gate wouldn’t pose much of a challenge!
Thankfully it is slowing down with age, so hopefully it it similar for you and doesn’t become a big problem.

I actually lol'd at the stripping the sheets, but I'm sure it wasn't funny at the time! Kids man. 

[redheadbaker]

DS is 12 and still sleepwalks from time to time, usually when he is overtired.

The most recent time, he started to open the front door, but H was still awake watching TV in the living room and stopped him. I need to get a latch or something.

[JayhawkGirl]

Sleepwalker checking in… mine is stress related and ran from age 20-30 I’d say. I won’t open doors or go on stairs, so I made sure to sleep w the door closed. DS (14) does it occasionally, usually if overtired. We have chirps on every door and set the alarm to home mode automatically at 10pm (we are always up past then). I’ll admit the alarm system was more for this than security from the outside, originally. He never remembers it and I never did. I’d wake up standing in the computer room of my sorority house, or in the living room of my old house. I’ve woken up having changed pjs with no memory of it. DS and I are also both big sleep talkers and vivid dreamers. So far DD doesn’t seem to be.