Wandering Eagan Toddler May Have Been Sleepwalking | News

There's a good chance the 3-year-old boy found wandering on an Eagan highway in the middle of the night was sleepwalking.

Police say the child wandered a half mile from home until a couple spotted him at 2:45 a.m. Tuesday.

Leslie Petroff found the boy and says he didn't seem awake. When Dr. Michel Cramer Bornemann, head of the Minnesota Regional Sleep Disorder Center, heard about the case, he thought the same thing.

Experts say sleepwalking is so common in children they don't consider it a disorder. About 12 percent of kids and four percent of adults walk in their sleep.

Dr. Bornemann says as soon as a child is old enough to walk, they're old enough to sleepwalk. The boy could have easily walked down the stairs and even open a garage door while sleeping.

Dr. Bornemann urges parents to use extra locks on doors and windows, and even install alarms if they're concerned.