Dd 2.9 wakes every 2-3hrs last few night, screaming. Why??

[titferbrains]

Dropped nap a few weeks ago and so she's only had th odd nap since then. Could it be over tiredness?

She is screaming but mostly unresponsive. Kicking and upset. Cry is hi pitched. I thought tonight maybe teething pain, back molars?

Night terrors? If it was nightmares think she'd say I saw something scary etc.

Getting anxious as we're all getting crap sleep as a result. Am pg.

Considering co- sleeping tonight if she wakes again as am worried.

Doesn.t normally wake 1st half of night as in v deep sleep. Hence unresponsiveness when she does wake, I think.

I have no toddler help books but am considering buying one now!

Gave calpol last night and tonight but no help, she woke at 8.30 and about 30 min ago.

No idea what it is, but DD (2.7) is doing exactly the same thing...

Dropped nap about three weeks ago, last four nights has done exactly the same as your DD.

Do you think they're psychic?

Is she wide awake when you go to her? DS went through something similar (but had always been a crap sleeper anyway!), and at a certain age I started telling him that sometimes when we sleep we have stories in our head, and it was ok and all he had to do was cuddle his teddy and think of mummy and daddy and go back to sleep. It seemed to help. - both DCs still join us in bed when they wake sometimes though and we just go with it so we can all sleep, probably a couple of nights a fortnight now, (altho more lately as both with colds) - if you're happy to co-sleep maybe go with that to give her the reassurance, might then settle down again? - maybe she's a bit anxious about new sibling if she understands about it all now?

Could be tiredness then. Was gonna give nap today but she had bad fall at lunchtime so trip to a and e instead. Sigh. Nap tmw for sure.

Cadif had chat like this last wk. Hard to deal with cos she is crying and screaming but not saying what's wrong. Is clutching on to me tight tho.

Hoping someone on here might link it to sth developmental?

maybe if you can cope with the co-sleeping then just go with it then and see if it gets better - you have my sympathies totally, both DC didn't reliably sleep through till 2yo, but DS regressed anyway when I was pg with DD - it's so hard, you really have my sympathies, hope somebody comes along with good advice so you can get soem much needed rest! x

Cadif, I'm actually really not up for co-sleeping as we stopped it back when she was a few months old, neither me or dh sleep well when she's in with us as I can't lie comfortably (she wants to hold me as she falls asleep) and she wants to chat when she wakes.

Also her big bed is arriving next week so don't want to encourage her to come into our bed. She does ask sometimes to sleep with us but I jsut feel she'll want to every night if we let her. She is an all or nothing person!

Also meant to say that she has been dribbling a lot as she falls asleep on my shoulder after waking, another reason I was wondering about teething. Last night I decided to give infant ibuprofen when she woke 2nd time in case she was in pain and she seemed to sleep better after that. She did wake once more but just cried a little, no high pitch screams and kicking this time. Just asked for a cuddle and I put her back down after a couple of min.

anyone else help me with this? Please?

her behaviour has also deteriorated since dropping nap. More demanding and difficult. She is very busy and active, we have tv after lunch but am not sure how to get her doing something else quietly. She is not playing with toys much these days, either wants to be out scooting or at park, or else at home watching her favourite movies.

Any good upstairs toys that I can get for quiet playtime in her room?

Good soothing non-annoying story CDS?

Am so tired today, just want to help her get back on track. How the hell do you figure out how often she needs a nap? Every 3 days? once a week? on weekends? am willing to put up with her going to bed later on nap days if I can help her to get a better sleep pattern.

Both my DDs did this; I think it's def a developmental thing, prob exacerbated by teething/anything else external!

DD1 was an awful sleeper anyway so didn't think too much about it (altho when this horrible pattern wore off she became a MODEL sleeper, so take heart!) but DD2 was an amazing sleeper from birth who then turned into vile-sleep-avoiding-witch exactly as you describe!!! BUT IT WILL STOP!!

We ended up co sleeping on and off for about 2 yrs... it became so that it was about once a fortnight that she'd have a little spell... Tho we found that if we could 'break' the pattern once it started it helped i.e sleeping at Granny's or having a late night etc... Also we were really firm about rules once we gave in to co sleeping and it worked... If we could summon up the energy we'd take get back to her own bed after 20mins or so and she seemed happy with that (mainly cos I made her so uncomfortable in with us i think!!!!) ..

Just remembered that with DD1 we got her 'big girls bed' just before DD2 arrived (as you are?) and she then started napping in it after lunch... Which solved the whole issue of the nighttime shenanigans... Weirdly!!!! So there is hope for you too!!!

My two are now 12 & 10 and sleep forever so it will pass I PROMISE!!

...and I'm a great believer in 'sleep breeds sleep' so put her down for a nap/fall asleep in car as much as you want to, and enjoy the peace did a little while!!!

JoBo, are you saying you co-slept for two years after this behaviour starter?

Excuse me while I take myself off to lie down in a darkened room.

No!!!! Just occasionally over a period of two yrs!!!!! If meant, I it works and you get some sleep then do whatever it takes! Sorry to frighten you.....

My DS did this - it was night terrors, and funnily enough it was when I was pg with DS2. He was 2ish. He'd scream solidly, hysterically for 20 minutes at a time, then kind of yawn and go back to sleep. Would happen several times a night, a few nights a week. We were exhausted (well I say we, but DH was very good at sleeping through it. The health visitor said there was basically no way of reaching him when it happened - although his eyes were open he wasn't really awake, and therefore couldn't really respond to anything we did. All he would do was say no to everything we asked - was he hurting, was he having a bad dream, etc. The health visitor told us that as there was nothing we coudl do to help, we might as well stay in bed and ignore it

Couldn't do that...so would just sit by his cot stroking his leg until he stoppped. Eventually he grew out of it - if it's true night terrors I don't think you can do much except wait it out.

Ear infection? That's usually worst at night....., and v painful....