Larry - important information for you.
It sounds to me as if your little girl is suffering from
Night Terrors. It is
very common in toddlers, and the vast majority of kids grow out of it after a few years.
I have had them all my life (one of the unlucky tiny minority who didn't grow out of it - bah) and they happen just as you wake up, and can go on for about 5 minutes. They are confusing and terrifying, but are usually forgotten by morning. If your little girl is getting night terrors she will be very scared, far worse than a nightmare, and confused for a while (which is why she sometimes doesn't seem to know where she is). All you can do is comfort her - and it sounds as if you are doing that - but only give her a cuddle when she's ready because in some kids being touched during the night terror can increase the panic, talking softly and soothingly until she wants a cuddle is the best way to deal with it.
Don't worry, they don't cause any harm, and there's nothing wrong with her - this happens to a lot of kids. She will be fine.
They can be triggered by eating too late at night, being too hot at night, or ear infections, or being too tired at bedtime, but can also just occur randomly with no trigger.
Give her a hug from me Larry. [img]smile.gif[/img]
EDIT: to say the link I posted is mostly for adults like me who continued to suffer from them after childhood, and talks mostly about adult's experiences. There is a message board there, and there are I'm sure loads of parents on there who are going through similar experiences with their little ones.
[ 05-20-2003, 07:00 AM: Message edited by: Epona ]