It doesn't necessarily mean he is stressed, however stress may bring out sleepwalking in a child with the tendency to sleepwalk. Other factors are sleep deprivation, some medications, illnesses, or sleeping in an unfamiliar place (such as a friend's house). Most children do outgrow the tendency for sleepwalking, usually by the teen years.

While some kids will simply just sit up in their beds, others will pee in the closet and some will wander the house. The goal is to protect your child from getting hurt. Consider gating his bedroom door or hang a bell on his door so you can hear if he opens it. Definitely install safety gates at the top of any stairs in your home. Also, make sure windows and doors to the outside are closed and locked so he can't fall out of a window or exit the house. If you leave a window open for ventilation, install window guards to prevent a fall. Install an alarm, or set your alarm so it beeps if a door or window opens. This is to wake you so you can get to him. Rearrange any furniture that may be in his path and make sure there aren't any obstacles such as toys that he might trip over.

What's the best way to deal with a sleepwalking child? First, don't wake him as that might scare him. Simply guide him back to bed. Make sure you have a regular bedtime routine and move it an hour or two earlier if possible, since increasing the number of hours he sleeps may decrease the tendency for sleepwalking. No matter how tempting it might be, don't discuss the event the next morning, as needless worry about sleepwalking may increase the sleepwalking itself.