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Original poster

Hysterical Night-time Baby

18 replies

lisaj · 31/03/2003 10:10

Help! I've just had a really bad experience with dd, who's 15 months. She woke up at about 3.30am screaming her head off (not that unusual), however, when I picked her up, I could do nothing to console her. She was absolutely hysterical for over an hour, including thrashing around so much that I could hardly keep hold of her. I have never known either her or ds, who is just over 4, to be like this before. I thought it could be her teeth, so gave her some nurofen, but this had absolutely no effect whatsoever, which is very unusual for her. Dh and I even looked all over her body, as we began to think the worst and that she might have meningitis or something, but fortunately she was fine. Eventually she was so shattered that she feel asleep. Has anyone else had anything like this? Also she is due to have her MMR this week, but I really think perhaps this is not a good idea at the moment.

OP posts:

Jimjams · 31/03/2003 10:13

I haven't had anything like that- maybe she woke with a night terror?

i would postpone MMR- because you're not going to be very happy doing it at the moment- and if she is sickening for something it's better to avoid it. Postponing it for a month won't make much difference.....

snickers · 31/03/2003 10:32

Poor baby! All of you! I think it's about this time they can start having nightmares, and if you think how scary nightmares can be even for us grown ups it must be pretty awful to suddenly have one as a baby (although I wonder what they have dreams and nightmares about? Guess we'll never know). Always probably best to go through the various possibilities (like pain, teeth etc cause you never know) and other than that - I guess it's perseverence on the comforting side, holding tight and making lots of comforting reassuring noises over and over again. Was she fine when she woke this morning?

mum2toby · 31/03/2003 10:33

Lisaj - we have been having this problem with ds since he was about that age too. It only happens occasionally, but it's almost like he's scared of EVERYTHING!! Including us sometimes.

It's very distressing, but when he stops (of his own accord!) he doesn't seem any different. He just cuddles in with us and goes to sleep and wakes up all cheery in the morning. I hadn't heard of night terrors until I read about it on Mumsnet, but it seems quite common.

My Mum said I used to do the same and I can actually remember being like that when I was 4 and I was terrified of my Sister!!

I can't help with how to stop it(if there is a way, I'd love to know), but it does sound quite normal. HTH

I personally don't think postponing the MMR will make a difference, it must be just a wee phase she's going through.

smartie · 31/03/2003 19:04

I agree with everyone else on the night terror theory, particularly if she seems fine in the morning and continues to have more episodes like this, mind you 15mnths does sound young and I am under the impression that night terrors tend to happen within an hour or two of the child going to sleep.

My ds, 8, has had these for as long as I can remember, The best intervention with him is quiet, calm reasurance, (which can be difficult when he's suddenly scared of my presence!) Waking him or moving him from his bed has never helped. Maybe keeping the lights low and soothing her in her cot might be more successful.

Sorry, nothing else to offer. Hope tonight is less distressing!

Original poster

lisaj · 31/03/2003 22:09

Thanks for your advice - dd has been absolutely fine all day, so maybe it was a night terror, if so just hope she doesn't have another one too soon! Hopefully she will sleep alright tonight.

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leander · 31/03/2003 22:45

lisaj,I rember posting something similar a while ago,my ds is now 14mths he has had these night terrors since he was about 8/9 mths, he seems to get them when he is over-tired or teething,Is your dd awake through all this or do you have difficulty waking her? I just try to hold him tightly to me and speak soothingly to him till he calms down then he goes back to sleep and is fine the following morning,Hope you get a good nights sleep 2nite + dd is fine. xx

Chinchilla · 31/03/2003 22:46

My hv told me that nightmares generally started at 2.5 years, but I am convinced that ds has them. Last night he woke up (3am ish) and was trembling like a leaf. Something was terrifying him, but when I took him in our room to be with me and dh, he was absolutely fine. He would not go to sleep for ages though, and we had a dreadful night as a result. Hope tonight is better

katierocket · 01/04/2003 05:49

lisaj, we've just started having these with DS (18 months). IN fact he had one last night, woke up screaming after being asleep for about 3 hours and he was pointing at 'nothing' and fighting 'it' off. I'm sure it was a nightmare/night terror and it does seem to happen when he's overtired. Breaks my heart actually - I know all children have nightmares but it's so hard seeing your child frightened. We just give lots of reassurance and cuddles but sometimes, initially he seems slightly scared of us too.

Original poster

lisaj · 02/04/2003 08:32

Well unfortuately despite having a good night on Monday, we had a bad night again last night. Again dd woke at about 3am, although this time she wasn't quite so hysterical, but still far from normal. We've decided to postpone the MMR until we are more certain about what is the matter with her at night.

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mum2toby · 02/04/2003 09:50

LisaJ - I really don't think there is much you can do to stop it, just try to reassure her and hug her like you are doing already. The MMR injection shouldn't have any effect on this... I'm not trying to be negative, but from what I can tell from other posts this could carry on for months! Maybe you're better getting the MMR over and done with.

If there is something that can be done to stop night terrors I'd LOVE to know what it is. All we can think of is to avoid giving our ds cheese after lunchtime.... don't know if it's just an old wives tale about cheese causing nightmares, but I'm not taking any chances.

We had a good night with ds last.... who knows what he'll be like tonight. We thought it was just us, but he has had little 'episodes' like that when he's stayed over at my Mum's too. It's a total mystery!!

Jimjams · 02/04/2003 10:04

HI Lisaj- sorry to hear it's still going on. Hope it doens;t carry on for too much longer!

Think you're wise to postpone the MMR- if only because one of the symptoms of a bad reaction to the MMR is uncontrolled screaming- and you don't want to scare yourself silly.

If she is sickening for something you should find out what it fairly soon.

Only other MMR advice- same as always from me- don't give it around chickenpox (leave a good few months after a bout of chickenpox- preferably 6 months-akthough that's probably being over cautious- and definitely don't give it if she could be incubating chickenpox) and don't give it during an eczema flare up.

OK off my soap box and going back into hiding. Haven't got much time to post at the moment- too many hospital appointments- but I can never resist ones which mention the MMR

Hope she's sleeping better soon.

Original poster

lisaj · 02/04/2003 12:20

Thanks again for your comments. The one good thing is that ds sleeps so heavily that he is never disrupted by dd's outbursts, even though their bedrooms are next to each other, so at least we're not having to cope with two children at once.

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smartie · 02/04/2003 12:43

mumtotoby, the cheese theory is definately not an old wives tale, certain foods take the body longer to digest chocolate and cheese are two of them, I make a point of helping the children avoid both of these after tea.
Try them youselves, I'm definately effected.

milch · 08/04/2003 13:29

lisaj - don't get too wound up by this, i think i can tell you what it feels like to have a night terror as i've been prone to them on and off all my life. they are not nightmares and they really are not upsetting to the person having them. if waking your dd doesn't console her, then the best thing to do is nothing. she'll scream herself out, it may take 5 or 10 minutes and probably not be bothered at all afterwards. it is better if you can sit with her, so that if she does wake herself and is upset you can reassure her. that is how it has usually been for me. the cheese business is probably true, but also being over-tired has a very strong effect, also maybe together with generally stressful periods. good luck, and take it easy.

jamsy · 29/07/2003 12:07

Dear All

this is an old thread so no-one may read this, but my ds had a night terror last night and we ended up in casualty! Normal first-time paranoia but I couldn't be sure he wasn't in pain; know better now!

The triage nurse said if it always happens at the same time (eg 3am), try waking them 10 minutes before that time, keeping them up for a few minutes, then settling them back down. This can be enough to break the habit. It seems babies / toddlers don't wake up during the terrors and can't remember them in the morning, but they should not be woken during one. (I seem to remember hearing this on a programme about adults who still suffer from them, but who apparantly are aware and do remember.) Probably worse for the parents than the child! I blame dh, who sleep talks, walks and thrashes regularly!

boyandgirl · 29/07/2003 14:20

Poor you, jamsy, how scarey. It may not happen again, but if it does, at least you'll know what's going on!

vickie · 29/07/2003 16:58

I know this is an old thread but it rings a bell with DD who had exactly the same thing. Primary care doctor said it was a 'febrile convulsion' which happens when their temperature shoots up. Its not uncommon but very very frightening. Tip was to try to cool them off asap by gong outside with them (weather permitting). or cool flannel.

Hope this helps

Original poster

lisaj · 30/07/2003 12:49

Jamsy - as you will have seen, I started this thread when dd developed these outbursts out of the blue. You might like to know that dd doesn't have them anymore, but it just seemed to be a fairly short-lived phase that she went through. HTH

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