VERY strange, almost teenaged tantrum in the middle of the night from 2.5yo!

[CountessDracula]

My 2.5 yo woke up in the middle of the night last night. I went down to see her, when I went in she shouted "no mummy, go away!"

I picked her up out of her cot, she wriggled free, writhed kicking and screaming on the floor for a bit, then when I tried to calm her she ran out of the room, arms above head, for all the world like a frightened ET - she ran into the bathroom, slammed the door and screamed NO GO AWAY!!

I went in, tried to comfort her and she ran the other way, slamming the door and leaving me in the bathroom!

Eventually after dh had got her a drink and we had had lots of cuddles, she calmed down and this morning was fine.

Anyone know what this could be? Maybe she had a nightmare that I was doing something horrible to her?

[katierocket]

does sound like a nightmare CD. also, if she still seemed asleep while all this was going on (like sleep walking IFYKWIM) it could be night terrors.

[puddle]

Night terrors. My DS had them at almost exactly the same age. Did she seem not to 'see' you properly even though her eyes were open and she seemed awake? It's a definite phase and they grow out of it.

We used to put the night light on, hold my ds and talk to him calmly trying to get him to wake up. You can't calm them down until they are properly awake.

[mrsflowerpot]

Night terror? DS did this a few times around 2.5 - 3 years, seemed to be awake, wide eyed, able to walk around, but inconsolably screaming. A friend witnessed it once and said it was night terrors, sort of between sleep and waking, not necessarily a nightmare as such but total disorientation. All we ever found worked was putting on the lights and maybe the TV and lots of cuddles, and as long as we stayed calm it passed after a while. He never remembered it the next day. Horrible experience.

[CountessDracula]

She seemed fully awake while rushing around slamming doors.

She did have a big poo about half an hour later, maybe she just had a tummy ache?

[nailpolish]

cd, my dd is the same age, and tells everyone to go away very sternly when she is doing a poo. maybe it was the poo

[CountessDracula]

Yes I think maybe you are right. It was a biggie too LOL!

[nailpolish]

are you potty training yet? just being nosy, your dd sounds a bit like mine!

[CountessDracula]

nope, she shows NO interest AT ALL! And you?

[Blu]

Night terrors. DS had a phase of this, usually when he was getting a temperature or a little unwell or over-tired / over-excited.

IME the difference between a night terror and a nightmare is that you can easily wake them from a nightmare and then calm them down. In a terror, they don't actually wake v easily at all - even though they seem fully awake, and if you try to wake them, it just provokes more screaming. V hard to do, but we found it was easier to intervene as little as possible, merely ensure that DS didn't hurt himself, and let it run it's course. He would be screaming 'Mummy go away' or something similiar repetively and sitting up and pointing, or demanding to go upstairs - or downstairs, but would only immediately demand the reverse if we complied. he never remembered any of it in the morning.

[nailpolish]

nope cd. its like she knows its easier just to use a nappy. ho hum! its my biggest dread at the moment

[harro39]

my nearly 2yo s seems to be having these night terrors at moment and since the clocks have gone forward he is resisting going to bed when he used to go really well. we are going to start putting him later to see if that works. also tends to wake early 6.30 is a real luxury. also very restless sleeper and kicks duvet off. any tips for keeping duvet on without clipping to bed as he would not like being pinned to the bed in that way. all in all sleep is not good at moment - help!