My child has seizures. How can I be sure he is safe while he is sleeping?

My child has seizures. How can I be sure he is safe while he is sleeping?

There are types of seizures that occur only or primarily during sleep. These types of seizures at night are no more dangerous than seizures during the day, and they usually resolve on their own without any problem. Fortunately, most of the seizures occurring at night in children are a benign form of epilepsy and they disappear spontaneously before adolescence.

Although most seizures do not lead to damage or physical harm, it might be possible for a child to be injured during a nocturnal seizure.

For the safety of a child with nocturnal seizures, I suggest the following:

– If your child sleeps in a bed, use a low bed with padded headboards.

– Make sure there are no sharp or potentially dangerous objects near the bed.

– Avoid large soft pillows, which can increase the risk of smothering.

– Keep heavy furniture away from the bedside to prevent injury during a fall.

– Consider using safety mats on the floor next to the bed if your child tends to fall out of bed during seizures (if your child is old enough to be in a bed instead of a crib).

– Use a baby or child “monitor.”

– Use new devices that track epileptic seizures (bracelets, watches, mattress).