Waking up screaming (1/2 sleep cycles after falling asleep)

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My 9 month old has recently started waking up screaming in the early evening - often an hour or two after going to bed. His night time sleep is still fine (thankfully) but I'm puzzled as to what is causing him to wake so distressed. He's always been a great sleeper, self settling and sleeping through from 7 weeks. I don't think it's teething as he'll settle again with me popping in to shush 2/3 times.

Is it just the beginning of separation anxiety? The poor lamb seems really upset.

My 8 month old has just started doing this to. Same as you, night sleep still fine, sleeping through since 6 weeks, self settles. Goes to bed bout half 6 and wakes up crying at about 8. Most of the time she settles herself after a few mins and goes back to sleep but I have had to go in a few times. No idea what's causing it tho!!! X

I'd love to know. My DD still does it at 2.7, and doesn't settle back to sleep. I think she's dreaming (a few times she's shouted out) but by the time she's comforted enough to talk, she can't remember why she's awake.

I think it could be night terrors or something like that. My ds used to do it & the only way to get him back off was to properly wake up. Sometimes we'd have to take him in a fully lit room to do it. It didn't last that long & didn't happen every night.

He's just woken again - this is normally the latest he'll wake before morning. Had to make him laugh by pretending to sniff him before he'd calm down enough to let me leave the room. Think it must be some sort of nightmare. He had real tears in his eyes.

My youngest did this, and also had night terrors from around two years.

Better than my eldest, who had nightmares at 1am every night for months