18 months usually good sleeper screaming in the night - common?

[fififrog]

Someone else started a thread along similar lines, and I was foolish enough to reply saying we had had similar but thought it was now over...

DD usually sleeps well, goes to bed without much complaint at 7-7.30, self-settles well if she wakes in the night (which she does quite a bit) and she doesn't need any attention in the night unless ill or teething. Our usual issue is early waking but we had begun to make some progress with that recently, so obviously up pops the next issue!

A few times in the last couple of weeks she has woken up SCREAMING (sometimes wordless, sometimes calling out "Mummy"). Mostly this has been in the early hours, and mostly she's been happy to be consoled with a stroke and a kiss and to be told "mummy's here now it's sleep time". I've managed to go back to bed, though it's been about 50:50 whether she's gone back to sleep and a couple of times after a while I've brought her into bed as I've still been awake and can hear her still thrashing around quietly.

Last night, it was 10.30, and she didn't get properly back to sleep until 1.30 - she'd been "asleep" but thrashing for the previous 40 mins. I sat with her until 11.15, not moving a muscle, and she was quiet in her cot and quite content but when I tried to creep out she instantly started up again. I evicted DH and she came in with me, but still didn't fall asleep for another hour and a half.

I don't mind the odd night in with me, but I am not sure of the cause of these wakings, as they have gone from nil to three or four times a week almost instantly. Is this a common phase at 18 months for sleep to suddenly go to pot? I have been thinking bad dream because she is consoled so easily by my presence, but why have they come on so suddenly?

Anyway, if you have had similar, how long did it last for your DC?

THanks!

Bump

At just this age my dd suddenly got scared of the dark and behaved much as you describe here. Try a nightlight?

Watching this one with interest fififrog. I could've written your post pretty much word for word, as you know.

A cheffy friend of mine has an obvious yet brilliant rule about cooking that wedged firmly in my mind (stick with me): it's ready when it's ready, not when you're ready. The more I think about it, the more that applies to children as well. In the meantime, here's to some unbroken night's sleep - and soon!

Thanks sometimes, I actually think now it might have been the opposite! I'd put a groclock in her room a couple of nights before. I'd had it in our room for a week or so, firstly to check the time relative to our clock but also to let her look at the moon and sun. She loved it, kept asking to see the moon, and when I said did she want it in her room she said yes and all was ok the first night, then we had the night from hell. The next evening I said "do you want the moon?" and got an emphatic "no". So I wonder if the blue light freaked her out. I said to her that I was there if she needed me but it Wouk be nice if she could sleep in her own bed so we could all be less tired (of course she won't have understood but at least I felt I'd explained) and touch wood we've had two good nights.

I think it is just one of those things and I'll just have to hope I can work out why she's unsettled next time. I will certainly bear fear of dark in mind though as I had thought she was a bit worried about being left in the dark one night a few weeks back.

Ruby from the lack of responses I can only conclude thatthis isn't that common a problem! I hope you've had some better nights?