1 year old waking at night screaming hysterically.

[Marie1410]

Hi! Really looking for some advice or someone who is going through a similar situation. Really worrying about my son he is 17 months old, was sleeping through the night amazingly in his own cot bedtime around 19:30 sleeping right through until 6:30-7:00am. I haven’t made any changes to his daytime nap or routine for the past 4 nights he has been really unsettled from the moment I put him to bed he is moving around in his sleep a lot. He wakes up at around 10pm screaming crying doesn’t want any milk/water he has a soother doesn’t want that does also start to push me away in distress but then wants me to console him still after he’s pushed me away. He does really sound in distress and very agitated, he isn’t showing any signs of teething nor is he pulling his knees up for tummy pains I just can’t see any obvious signs as to why he is waking screaming like this. In the end I bring him to my bed where he then continues to do the same all throughout the night waking every half an hour or so crying hysterically. Laying on me wanting a cuddle but then goes back to pushing me away quite distressed then comes back again for another cuddle again throughout the night doesn’t want milk/water or soother. It’s not his usual cry which is why I’m a bit concerned and at a loss he looked pale and sad as well throughout the day not his usual happy self. He is playing and moving not lethargic he just looks so upset! He doesn’t have any flu symptoms. I do also try to stand up and walk around with him speaking gently or finding something to distract him with this just amplifies the crying. He is super clingy to me throughout the day as well doesn’t want to go to anyone else and becomes upset when I leave the room.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated i am going to get him into doctors but just fear we will be sent away with possibly a viral infection.
TIA 🥰

I was going to say maybe night terrors but then read it continues through the night and he's not himself during the day.
Could be some teeth coming through, does calpol help at all?

Worms could be a possibility. My LO has been similarly distressed at night previously and it was due to worms. I believe this typically stops causing distress during the day however. Could also be many other things of course. But wouldn’t hurt to try slathering on some sudocrem before bed as this helped my LO!

Hi! We had a similar thing happen when my son was 15 months old. For several weeks/maybe a month he would wake up crying hysterically for no apparent reason. He was also very clingy to me during the day. In the end it just stopped without us doing anything. I remember searching online to find what could be causing it and the only thing that I could find at the time was night terrors. I still don’t know if that’s what it was but just wanted to give you some hope that it’s just temporary. Whilst it lasted I had to just bring him into our bed at night when he woke up and that helped a little.

@Marie1410 sounds like night terrors. They are awful.
Does your child have asthma? Singular/montelukast? These are classic side effects of that medicine 😔

After the Earthing documentary I would be trying a grounding sheet on his bed. One of the mum's in the documentary was a doctor and her colicky baby was crying all the time as well but when she was grounded she stopped. Sounds like a fairytale but the science seems to be there. Worth a try?

Earache? Typically no pain when upright during the day but agonising pain when horizontal. Child gets more and more distressed with a combination of pain and exhaustion.

Ask doctor to look in his ears.

Definitely sounds like night terrors to me. My son has them. It's a horrible thing to experience as a parent as you can't do anything to help them. When my son has them it's like he doesn't recognise me 😭