20 mo daughter wakes up screaming and won't calm down

[kirbs]

For about 2-3 weeks every 2 or 3 days, my 20 month daughter wakes from her nightime sleep crying frantically and can't be calmed down by me. When I try to take her from her cot, she fights and has held on to the bars. Once she is out, she starts to calm down after a good 10 minutes but then sets off again. The only cure is waiting for my husband to take over, he carrys her till she stops crying then she points at her cot, takes her dummy (which has been spat out on many occasions) and goes to sleep.

She sleeps regularly from 7pm to 7am and a 2 hour daytime nap, pretty much like clock work.

Sometimes when she wakes she is screaming still with her dummy in (we don't always use a dummy mind!).

Not sure what to do. Health visitor says control crying, but control crying is usually based around the fact that when you do go to see them they stop srtiaght away at teh sight of you....my daughter just crys more...

HELP

I had the same experience at about this age with dd2
I now believe that it was something like night terrors....a strange thing a little like sleep walking inasmuch that she isn't really awake

could that be possible?

All three of my boys had night terrors from about eighteen months to three or four, apparently it runs in families and my mum says I did too. All you can do is hover until they calm down (this can take as much as 15mins) and then comfort them, it is very distressing when they seem awake but push you away but the good thing is they seem to go back to sleep v. quickly. I am surprised that the HV didn't mention night terrors but then, when I think about it, all the HV.s I have dealt with have been nice but pretty clueless!

Sounds exactly like night terrors. she isn't awake, so she doesn't know it is you IYSWIM.

I used to cuddle mine and sing quietly until they calmed down. I used to sing a familiar/favourite song. I never tried to wake them, or talk to them - it just frightened them more.

Dd still sleepwalks, and i never try to wake her or emgage in conversation (sometimes she is talking) I just say "Time for bed now, sleep well, night night" and that works.

If they fight you, it is better not to touch them though.

When my DD2 reacts like that i find she calms down fastest if i put her back down calmly and leave.

thanks for the advice all.