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Original poster

2yo waking every night inconsolable

11 replies

Florenceblanche · 27/12/2017 13:00

Hi. My 2yo daughter has started waking in the middle of the night crying/screaming and there is nothing we can do to calm her down. She stands in her cot crying for up to half an hour while we try to offer her her dummy, cuddles, water but she seems to get angry when we do anything to try to help. Eventually she grabs her dummy of her own accord and goes to sleep until the morning.

This has been going on for about 2 weeks and is every night between 1am-3am. Before this she would wake crying and we would put the dummy in and that would be that.

Anyone know what this could be? I thought maybe night terrors but it doesn’t seem to fit as she seems awake during this period.

OP posts:
QuackPorridgeBacon · 27/12/2017 13:33

Could just be a really vivid nightmare. Not really sure what to suggest, but my elder child at the same age did this a few times. I would just hold her tight while rocking and telling her it was all ok. Have you asked her if it was a nightmare?

FATEdestiny · 28/12/2017 15:05

Does she need more daytime sleep?

Sleep deprivation and longer term over tiredness can cause this kind of restlessness over night.

Hidingalion · 30/12/2017 23:29

Night terrors - mine had them when she was particularly over tired. Can you engineer a boring car journey/trip in the buggy, to get her a nap in the day, it might reset her? or if she still naps then try earlier bedtime?

irrationallyworried · 30/12/2017 23:38

Are you sure they aren't night terrors? They do look as if they are awake during night terrors (their eyes are open and they can even talk sometimes as well as scream and shout) but in fact they're not. They are very odd to be honest! DS1 had them very badly for a year, sometimes multiple times a night between 2 and 3 - less often since then. It took us a while to realise what they were. We found that actually any attempt to interact with/comfort him just made the terrors worse and made him more distressed. There's not much you can do about them unfortunately though if they are happening very often (e.g. most nights) you can try waking her up 30 minutes before they usually happen and then settling her again. This can supposedly avoid it. Sympathies though even when we were used to them I still found them quite upsetting as he seemed so distressed and there was nothing we could do.

minipie · 30/12/2017 23:41

Sounds like night terrors. My 2yo gets them if overtired. She does seem awake but is completely irrational iyswim (eg I want mummy even though I am holding her).

Try earlier bedtime or maybe a nap

If she's in the middle of one, the only thing that makes my DD snap out of it is showing her photos on my phone. Weird but true!

WallisFrizz · 30/12/2017 23:46

My DD has just turned 3. In the last year she had woken up 10-15 times crying half asleep, this turned into wide awake screaming and tantruming. To this day, I don’t know what was going on but when she did it, nothing would soothe her until she was ready (about 30 long minutes later). Like I said she is now 3 and seems to have grown out of it.

LockJawTrouble · 30/12/2017 23:47

I am so sorry that your DC is going through this. My little one had this too and it's very upsetting to see them like this. Even though they seem awake they are not. Don't try to wake her up,because it's going to difficult, as she will relate that feeling of being scared with going to bed & bedtime is going to be difficult. Make sure she is safe and if you feel like just hold her in your arms & gently rock her.
I found lavender oil sprayed into the bedding, room and surrounding helpful.
This phase will pass soon. Thanksfor you both.

AdultHumanFemale · 30/12/2017 23:48

DC1 was diagnosed with something called confusional arousals (as in 'rousing' / waking). I had initially thought it was night terrors, but apparently it is different. DC1's was severe; several times a night, sometimes for half an hour at a time, and very little we could do about it. But, just like the paed said, they grew out of it. Have a google, and best of luck, it is so worrying (and tiring!).

Original poster
Florenceblanche · 31/12/2017 09:03

Thank you for all your messages. It must be an overtired thing, with it being the holiday season her bedtime has been changing. It didn’t happen last night which was a relief, although we didn’t do anything different with naps and bedtime routine.

OP posts:
midsummabreak · 31/12/2017 09:08

May not be relevant in this case but my DS was waking like this age 23 months and it turned out to be a really nasty ear infection. We didnt work ot out until took to GP & his ear was badly infected

YouDancin · 10/01/2018 22:44

How is your daughter?
Did the night terrors stop? Sometimes these are caused by medication side effects.

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