Night Terrors...? Idk

jennajoybeck · March 2014

For the past week now, DS has been often (but not always) waking up earlier in the morning and from naps screaming. Full on screaming. When I go pick him up to rock, he's nearly hyperventilating, crying big ol tears, and clinging to me for dear life. When he wakes up in the morning like this it's typically only an hour earlier than usual, so if after ten min or so if I can't get him calmed down we'll just get up for the day. A lot of times when he wakes up from nap this way, even after getting up and coming into living room he'll still be clingy and scream if we put him down.

So tonight he started doing this after sleeping for 3 hours. He's never done this at/in middle of night. I went in and tried to console him multiple times and even after I'd get him calmed down, if I laid him back in crib he freaked out. This lasted nonstop for nearly two hours. Now he is sleeping for ten min, waking up screaming for ten min, sleeping for ten min, etc.

I feel so bad for him - I can't figure out how to help him. I also have a 5 month old DD and he's already woken her up with his screams once. She's also reverted back to waking 3x/night so I'm already sleep deprived. DS's good sleeping habits were one thing I had going for me at night!! Praying this is a one night thing.

Anyone else have any experience with this?

Hummingbirdbaby3 · March 2014

Aw this sounds heartbreaking. No experience. But have you tried any night lights, music, something soothing in the room? What happens if you let him CIO for 10 minutes? My LO has woken before crying a scared cry but usually falls back to sleep within 5 minutes. Poor baby.

jennajoybeck · March 2014

CIO isn't helping him. I mean eventually he fell asleep (he just surpassed 10 min of silence for first time in just over two hours). Yeah, his sounds like a scared cry and when I go in there he's like gasping for small breathes of air. He's never had a night light and has slept 12 hours straight since 6 months. I'm afraid adding a night light will be a distraction more than help. Idk - do they start having nightmares this early?

Also he was overly grumpy and clingy all day today, so I'm thinking possibly teeth? He's never been a thumb sucker but the last couple days he's been kind of chewing on his fingers. I know one of this back teeth has been kind of half in for a while - maybe it's trying to finish pushing through...?

It is heartbreaking. I can't stand hearing him cry and knowing I can't do anything. I can't wait until he can use his words to give me an idea of what's bothering him.

Thanks for replying @Hummingbirdbaby3. I needed the support tonight! Hopefully the worst of tonight is behind me.

SurpriseAt39 · March 2014

I don't know about nightMARES and when they could start... But nightTERRORS, my DD used to get them. A loud, screaming, scared cry IN HER SLEEP. It could last just a few seconds or several minutes.
She never woke up from them.

As for waking up crying and clingy, DS does that occasionally. Not sure why. We haven't made any association to teething or pain, or hunger.
It mostly happens after a nap. (It could be because he has different people care for him throughout the week and he just wants extra mommy and daddy snuggles?)

GL.

Kmartinrvt13 · March 2014

DD used to do that all the time a few months ago, we got her a night light and it has since calmed way down. Rarely will she wake up screaming anymore. I would try a night light seemed to really help us out. GL and hope you get some sleep!

LBStewart · March 2014

DD has had a few rough nights like that where it seemed like nothing I could do would help. Typically she would cut a tooth shortly after. Maybe your DS is working on his teeth. Those dang molars took forever. We have a sound machine mounted inside DD's crib. She's at the point where she can turn it on herself if she wakes at an unusual time.

Hummingbirdbaby3 · March 2014

I think maybe teeth then. If you can see LO is having some trouble during the day too. Those molars suck! Try Tylenol and see if that helps.

Gargita · March 2014

Maybe a

jennajoybeck said:
For the past week now, DS has been often (but not always) waking up earlier in the morning and from naps screaming. Full on screaming. When I go pick him up to rock, he's nearly hyperventilating, crying big ol tears, and clinging to me for dear life. When he wakes up in the morning like this it's typically only an hour earlier than usual, so if after ten min or so if I can't get him calmed down we'll just get up for the day. A lot of times when he wakes up from nap this way, even after getting up and coming into living room he'll still be clingy and scream if we put him down.

So tonight he started doing this after sleeping for 3 hours. He's never done this at/in middle of night. I went in and tried to console him multiple times and even after I'd get him calmed down, if I laid him back in crib he freaked out. This lasted nonstop for nearly two hours. Now he is sleeping for ten min, waking up screaming for ten min, sleeping for ten min, etc.

I feel so bad for him - I can't figure out how to help him. I also have a 5 month old DD and he's already woken her up with his screams once. She's also reverted back to waking 3x/night so I'm already sleep deprived. DS's good sleeping habits were one thing I had going for me at night!! Praying this is a one night thing.

Anyone else have any experience with this?

Maybe an ear infection? H does that when he has one, especially if it's progressing. Fx everything is ok!

maven212 · March 2014

This is happening over here as well. Sometimes it is a night terror and there is not a lot that can be done until LO slowly wakes up. I usually hold her hand when this is happening....if she isn't hitting at it etc.. Other times it is just a nightmare, in which case she comes around more quickly. Most cases for us coincide with her being really tired, hungry or very gassy.

When she comes around, we take her to the kitchen for a quick snack or drink of water...usually a few crackers or berries. She is very clingy during this time and we basically are feeding her just in case it was hunger pangs that started the whole business. We visit our resident furball, let her watch me type on the computer while she is on my knee for a few minutes...just to show her everything is cool. Then we change her diaper (these events sometimes coincide with poop), and put her back in the crib and she goes back to sleep. My LO likes to hold hands or fingers when she is tired, so one of us usually ends up hanging over the crib so she can play with our hands while she settles in.

We were having a really hard time with this until we shifted her bedtime to an earlier time. She started screwing around with her naps and this coincided with tantrums and terrors. We started putting her to bed a few hours earlier and both of those things decreased significantly in occurrence.

I don't know if that is useful info., but hopefully it is. Keep us posted on how this goes.

maven212 · March 2014

@Chickie79 - thanks! Slowly but surely things are getting better. Working in a few signs helped too.

That was such a rough period. I'm so grateful for the support everyone here offered. We wouldn't have been able to tackle it so quickly without you.

techg0ddess · March 2014

Sounds like how Z gets when he's really hungry in the mornings or when he has awful gas. I just hold him and pat him on the butt to bounce him (seems to help him pass the gas) and try to get him to eat something. the only thing that he'll usually calm down enough to eat is yogurt. after a couple of bites with screaming in between, he settles down and finishes it off and all seems ok.

I also second the checking on the ear infection just in case.

jg1011 · March 2014

Sounds like V. He wakes up what seem like terrified. Except I am not sure he is really up? His eyes are open but I'm not sure he even realizes it's me holding him. I physically have to say his name several times and get talk to him before he realizes it's me and calms down.

I'm hoping its a phase because I need him to go back to even ALMOST sleeping through the night.

billybumbler · March 2014

If he's not really waking up it could be night terrors. If he stops screaming after you pick him up that's probably not it - in night terrors the child is still asleep so you picking him up or talking to him would not calm him down.

I second @gargita that it could be an ear infection - it hurts when he lays down so that's why he screams.

jennajoybeck · March 2014

Wow. Thank you all so much for the support! It means so much, gals.

He did just get over a double ear infection so there is a possibility that there was still some lingering pain. Luckily, (knock on wood) that was the only night he's done this.

Now if DD (5 months) would go back to STTN, that'd be awesome!

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