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Sleep

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Original poster

8 month old with night terrors??

11 replies

Narlat · 09/06/2020 18:50

Hi.
So I've googled until I can Google no more.
My little girl is 8 months. She is a dream. However. At night she has her bottle, we sing, we rock, I lay her in her cot, close the door and she settles herself to sleep. Then between 1 and 3 hours later she screams, a high pitched blood curdling scream. When we go in to settle her she Keeps screaming and even when we pick her up and try to sooth her she keeps screaming. Nothing we do stops it. After 5 or 10 mins she stops herself and we lay her back down and she goes back to sleep.

I've read all the blurb on Google and apparently it's really very very rare for children under 4 to have night terrors, but I'm sure that's what it is.

She's not in pain, she's not teething, she's clean and warm and most of all she is inconsolable for as long as she determines.

I know I had night terrors but I don't know when they started and there is no one to ask.

Does anyone have any opinion on this or advice.

I'm not worried that it will hurt her or anything it just means I'm on edge all evening waiting for it.

OP posts:

FATEdestiny · 09/06/2020 22:37

No, it won't be night terrors.

At 8 months baby had only just started to realise that material objects she can't see do still exist. Until recently baby assumed that the only things which exist are what she can currently see.

The cognitive development needed to imagine scenarios in dream form is so far away at this age that it's inconceivable.

Babies cry for a million and one reasons. There will be some other reason for your baby crying.

R9090 · 10/06/2020 00:04

Sorry I can't help- just wanted to let you know you're not alone! My 6 month old does this, it's heartbreaking! She even sometimes looks at us, terrified as if she doesn't know who we are thankfully it doesn't happen every night

Neome · 10/06/2020 00:16

Couldn’t pass by but too tired to post much right now.

My 6 year old has night terrors. They were present and dramatic from a very early age but it wasn’t until at least a year old we realised having had no previous experience with them.

Genuine suggestion start a diary and keep track for a week or so for things like time going to sleep, time and duration of NTs

I have to totally disagree with you FATEdestiny I’m not sure you understand what night terrors are, it’s not about imagination.

OP, sounds like you know it’s totally not nightmares or upsetting for the person having the night terrors but is incredibly dramatic and exhausting to deal with.

I will come back and tell you more about what I’ve tried and how I’ve coped also some classic strategies. It’s not taken very seriously when they’re little in my experience but it’s a killer to live with.

Feel free to PM me, hope you get some rest 🍀

Original poster

Narlat · 10/06/2020 07:15

Thank you @Neome @R9090 @FATEdestiny.
I know all the psychologists and child behaviour experts say its nion impossible, but I can't work out what else it could be!!

Anyway no screaming last night.
Thank you all.

OP posts:

LutherRalph1 · 10/06/2020 07:22

My DS suffered from confusional arousals which was an awful experience. We managed to narrow it down to him not having enough sleep in the day. Once we made sure nothing affected his day naps, they seemed to disappear. Is she sleeping enough in the day? Could not be this as she's very young, DS was 20
Months

Original poster

Narlat · 10/06/2020 07:44

@LutherRalph1she sleeps 12 or 13 hours at night. Has a 90 min nap about 10am and then again at 230pm. So I'm sure she is getting enough sleep.
It's just odd how once she stops screaming she doesn't need anything to go back to sleep, no nappy change no food nothing she just re settles

OP posts:

Lynda07 · 10/06/2020 07:51

I remember mine having panic attacks as a baby. It happens. We co slept and that made everything alright, we all slept cosily.

Scruffbob · 10/06/2020 07:54

Can't help with a solution but mine did this around that age and did just grow out of it.

SamVimesFavouriteDragon · 10/06/2020 07:59

Mine did this from six months to about ten months. He's one now and hasn't done it for a while. No tips I'm afraid, but I agree, it does happen. I understand why people say it can't be night terrors, but it was very clear he was frightened in his sleep, then woke up afraid. I found it got worse the week he started standing up, presumably because he also did a lot of falling that week, and so maybe was dreaming about falling?
He doesn't seem to have nightmares at the moment though.

Original poster

Narlat · 10/06/2020 08:30

Ah thank you for the reassurance.
It's nice to know.
I'm greatfull she doesn't remember. The scream makes me think she is terrified x

OP posts:

Gabbbbbbby · 10/06/2020 09:25

Yep I have the same thing occasionally with my 7mo. It's horrible because it doesn't seem to actually make a difference if we pick him up and hug him. In fact I've noticed if we wake him up it takes him much longer to go back to sleep, so now I just go in and stroke his head and shhh him quietly. More for me than him, I suppose he probably doesn't know I'm there, but it makes me feel better! It definitely happens when I've put him down to bed a bit too late and he is overtired.

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