Why is my 18 month old wake up screaming & crying in the middle of the night?

Question

She almost always sleeps all night long, but over the past 2 days she has woken up at around 2 am and she's unconsolable unless I pick her up and walk around with her. She doesn't have a fever, but she does have a molar coming in...but if it were her teeth, wouldn't she be more fussy during the day? (Which she hasn't been)

I'm wondering if she's getting recurring nightmares or something.

How do I deal with this? Last night I checked in on her and tried to soothe her. After I left her room, she cried it out for almost an hour. I finally went and got her and had to sleep on the couch with her for much of the night so I wouldn't disturb my husband.

Should I let her cry it out for as long as it takes? If this becomes a habit, I don't want her to think that I'm going to pick her up every night so she can sleep on the couch with me.

Answer 1

Both of my children did similar things around this age. I call it night terrors. It usually happens when the child is very tired... perhaps had a very active day or exhausting day and little or no napping. Often it takes a while for them to calm down and they are inconsolable and none of the usual soothing techniques work. It is normal for this to happen to some children around this age... more common in 2 yr olds.

When this happens with my son, who is 2 and a half, I go to him and try to soothe him in his bed at first, I will pick him up if he isn't thrashing around too much and I calmly and quietly speak his name and tell him I am there and he is safe. I think at first he is not truly awake and it takes a while for him to become conscious of his surroundings and wakeful. The screaming and crying can continue for some time but when he isn't quite as upset and the crying is lessening I put him back to bed and pat his back continuing to tell him I am here and to go back to sleep etc. It can take a while for them to calm down so you have to remain calm and patient. As I said this usually happens when he is very tired... we can almost predict which nights it will happen.

Having said all that, it could be her teeth. With toothache it is often more painful when children are lying down and therefore at night time. Plus there aren't as many distractions at night so they can be more fussy with teeth at night... also could be true of ear infections. The only way to rule out an ear infection is to have her ears checked. Has she had ear infections before and if she has what are her usual symptoms? It's important to rule out medical reasons for crying which could be from discomfort. How about other things like, is she eating and drinking normally, are there any things different that could indicate that she is fighting a bug?

While 2 days seems like a long time for you, especially when you are not getting much sleep it doesn't mean it will be a habit... follow your instincts... if you think it could be teeth it won't hurt to try to give her some pain relieving medication like acetaminophen or ibuprofen or a herbal remedy for that depending on your preference. If that has no effect then perhaps it could be night terrors.

Is it a painful cry or more of a scared, frightened cry? If you are able to tell the difference that could help you decide which plan of action to try first.

I hope this helped, and I hope you get some better sleep soon.

Answer 2

It sounds like your child is experiencing a common phenomenon called "night terrors."  Usually in the toddler years, children awake screaming and crying from nightmares.  Going in and providing comfort to her is necessary, but you are right that creating a habit of mommy getting up and staying up are going to make you lose sleep!  I agree with the suggestion that you go in, comfort, hold, give her something cuddly to hold.  Reassure her that dreams can be scary, but they aren't real and that you will always protect her from anything scary.  The molars could definitely be a factor.  My youngest was fine during the day when teething, but at night - look out!  He was a bear.

As they say, this too shall pass.  

Answer 3

I experienced the same thing with my 17month son last week. what I did was just change his diaper, or change his clothes into some warm pyjamas.It seemed to work with him, I thought maybe he want to get attention. He did that for a couple of days . He may also just having a nightmare,or as someone says before me he needs more naps during the day.

Answer 4

it sounds like a reacurring nightmare or something, but i would go in a check on her when she cries, sooth her and let her know its ok, give her a bear or something to hold onto, nad lay her back down dont lay with her or stay too long or it will then just become a habit, but at least go in and check on her if you dont and she had a nightmare that could really freak her out!!

Answer 5

My son was doing the same thing.  I was so frustrated because I knew there was nothing wrong with him medically.  He was fine during the day.  I read a parenting book which recommended more sleep during the day.  You didn't mention her sleep pattern during the day, but it turns out my son wasn't getting enough naps.  Somehow, not getting enough sleep during the day makes them irritable at night.  So I tried it and it worked like a charm.  I put him down for one more extra nap in the late afternoon.  I woke him for dinner, a bath, and back to bed.  He never woke up during the night again.  I wish I could remember the name of the book because it was a good one; I gave it to a friend.