You are informed that a preschool-age child screams during the night but does not remember the episode occurring. Which action would you recommend to prevent these events?

The scenario describes a preschool-age child who screams during the night but has no recollection of the episode afterward. This is characteristic of night terrors, also known as sleep terrors, which are a type of parasomnia that occurs during the transition from deep non-REM sleep to lighter sleep stages. Night terrors are developmentally normal in preschool-age children and almost universally resolve on their own as the child's nervous system matures. No intervention is required, and parents should be reassured that these events are benign and self-limiting. Providing a snack before bedtime is not supported by evidence as a prevention strategy for night terrors and could inadvertently disrupt sleep by promoting gastric activity. Keeping the child awake longer in the evening is counterproductive — sleep deprivation can actually increase the frequency of parasomnias, not reduce them, because it intensifies deep sleep stages during which night terrors occur. Reading to the child before bedtime promotes good sleep hygiene and is a healthy bedtime routine, but it does not specifically prevent night terrors and is not the recommended action when the concern is specifically about these events. The most appropriate parental guidance is reassurance that night terrors disappear without any specific intervention.