**At the end of my tether... 12mo - night screams?? **

[newmomma]

Hi,
Hoping for some advice please...

My 12 month old son has previously been a wonderful sleeper since the age of 6m when I did a bit of sleep training (gentler version of CC).

We've had a strange few weeks - horrid chest/ear infections all round over Christmas and then being snowed in more recently so not much fun at home and a change of routine for him.

He started waking a few weeks ago whilst poorly and would happily have a drink (water) or a cuddle and go back within minutes. Having said that we usually leave him for a few minutes and he goes back to sleep himself 90% of the time.

Then the last few nights he started getting really upset rather than settling himself. It quickly turned into screams after literally a minute and then he was inconsollable. The first night it took us THREE hours to calm him down. And its happened every night since; twice last night. It now only seems to take an hour of sobbing before he'll stop the screaming and we can get him back to bed - but then last night there was no slow crescendo - he just woke up screaming instantly.

Its just so upsetting to watch him getting so upset and we just don't know how to calm him down - he's crying big fat tears and doesn't seem to want anything to make it better.

We have been giving him pain relief in case its teeth and a drink but he screams after and nothing else seems to help.

Does anyone have any suggestion or advice?? Please help...

Hi newmomma

I don't have anything constructive to offer, but have some sympathy. My DS (16mo) does this night screaming thing occasionally.

He settles in his cot really easily at around 7.30, and wakes crying about every 3 hours through the night. After trying sleep training (which had limited impact) we have been co-sleeping from about 11pm most nights for the last few weeks to try to settle him quicker and this seems to be working for all of us. I dream of having a nights sleep! He also has an inconsolable screaming session on what seems to be random nights. My RL friends suggested that he is dreaming, but doesn't know that he is and is waking up scared???

It seems to shorten and lessen the intensity of a crying session if he is gently cuddled or one of us lays down beside him. The more we want to do, the louder he gets, so we've learned to limit our interaction to just that.

Suggestions and advice welcome here too??

bump

it could be a night terror?

No help I am afraid, dd1 cried uncontrollaby every time she woke up until she was about 5, was a bloomin nightmare for the rest of the family. Your ds seems to be quite extreme though, sounds like def night terrors too me.