My 2 year old wakes up screaming in the night

Nicola - posted on 01/07/2012

My 2 year old girl is having this she wakes up screaming for hours on end! We have tried everything I'm so worn out and it's getting me down. She has not had 1 full night sleep since she was born. HELP

Stifler's - posted on 08/07/2011

How long has this been going on? I thought my kid had night terrors and stuff and then someone suggested that he might have worms. So we bought some Combantrin and he's like a new child.

Kaidee - posted on 07/09/2010

Can anyone tell me the brand of this powder? My daugter will not drink milk and has been waking up every night screaming for about a hour! I need this!

Rebecca - posted on 08/06/2011

Hi Michelle my daughter is almost 20 months old now and she suffers with night terror also. The best Thing I can advise is to get your child out of harms way so she doesn't injure herself. Night terrors I know are scary to look at. And my experience with night terror in my 20 month old is this: they may look awake because their eyes are open but their mind is still in sleep mode. You can always try to comfort ur child but if he or she isn't allowing you to comfort them then what I do personally is put the child down and let me go. My child when I do this in particular she tries to get underneath the couch and bashes her head on the floor which I then move her away and try the comforting again. Don't speak to the child tho, only comfort them by giving them a hug or if that doesn't work putting them down on the ground until they have come through the night terror but also keeping them from harming themselves. Hope this helps with your 2 year old waking up screaming.



Good luck,

Veronica - posted on 01/16/2009

My son did the same thing and we figured out that his legs were "falling asleep". He used to curl up after putting him to bed, he would tuck his legs under his stomach and sleep curled up like a frog, they would "fall asleep" and he would wake up screaming!! It took us forever to figure it out. It was an easy fix, we would pull his legs back out straight after he was sound asleep and the waking up screaming stopped!! Good luck with your 2 year old waking up screaming!

Stephanie - posted on 01/13/2012

my son had night terrors...its common from what the docs told me...and the best way to get them through it is to just leave them alone...waking them could make it worse...good luck

Rachael - posted on 12/13/2011

Potty! Take the little one to the potty... my son had night terrors and I think it partially their bodies trying not to pee the bed... just scoop him/her up and put them on the potty

Stephanie - posted on 08/07/2011

http://www.babycenter.ca/toddler/sleep/n... is a

pretty good website and might help with your 2 year old waking up screaming.

Charlene - posted on 07/09/2010

My oldest wasl like this. He used to cry and scream but he wasnt even awake. I know how helpless it feels. But they grow out of them from what I know.

[deleted account]

Hi, my son had night terrors at age 3. Out of the blue they came about. I went and seen my doctor and he said that 9 times out of 10 they are caused by some kind of trauma. My son had had his tonsills and adnoids out about 2 months earlier. He sailed through the op and recovered really well, so i never thought that was the trauma. Doctor said that he would try him on 1/2 Valium tablet for 3 nights max and it will be enough to get him out of the routine and sleeping through again without the terrors. We only needed 2 nights and he was sleeping through again. Never had one since and he is now 10. Maybe just see your doctor for advice on your 2 year old waking up screaming. You never know... Good luck.

Amy - posted on 01/31/2009

I'm so glad you tried it!  I was AMAZED at how fast it really worked.  The milk was hard for him, because he really didn't like it.  Then the calcium powder had caused a stomach upset.  I am very glad it worked for you, though!

Christina - posted on 01/31/2009

My 1 1/2 year old wakes up occasionally like that.. but it seems like when it happens to her.. i can get her calmed down and back asleep.. but then 3-4 hours later she is screaming again.

its crazy i wish there was something you could do.. i havent been able to find anything yet. but i let her sleep in the bed with me b/c it seems like its not as bad if im beside her when she wakes up.. when she slept in her crib i would always feel bad b/c i couldnt get to her quick enough.

Michelle - posted on 01/31/2009

We increased his dairy intake and have had amazing results! Unbelievable! Sounded way to easy but it has worked! Thanks for the help!

[deleted account]

My 3 year old son is going through the same thing right now. He calms down right away if I take him for a little walk around the house and look in every room. My friend's daughter is also having night terrors and is afraid to go to sleep after so they spray her room with nightmare repellent (just a decorated squirt bottle filled with water) and that seems to do the trick.

Leighann - posted on 01/30/2009

How about that,.. my son curls up like that too...I'm going to keep an eye on his legs while he's sleeping. He just started having terrors, they aren't that frequent but they are scary to watch.

Angela - posted on 01/16/2009

My daughter had these as well...I've find that it just takes time for them to grow out of it. She stopped having them about a year ago and she just turned 7. Just make sure that she isn't where she can get hurt. I found with my daughter that it went by shorter if I let her know that I was there if she needed me and didn't restrain her. It was hard, but it will pass.

Rebecca - posted on 01/15/2009

With night terrors it is really about being over tired. When our son would have them he looked awake but was not really. He had no recollection of the dreams the next day. His would happen around the same time each night. They happened when he gave up afternoon naps and was really exhausted. Once he caught up on sleep they went away. He stayed up NYE for the fireworks. 2 nights later when he began to catch up on sleep he got one again. We even had one in the car one day asleep in the car seat on the freeway. He would sob and shake uncontrollably. I used to have to restrain him and rock him, now I can go in and rub his back and calm him back down.

I don't believe the milk thing as our son used to have 7+ servings of dairy a day. They do outgrow it and it could be a warning they are not getting enough sleep.

Angie - posted on 01/15/2009

Hmmm...I am going to try the milk thing now. My son isn't a big milk drinker, but I will try that too. Heck, anything is worth a try at this point!

Brein - posted on 01/15/2009

Michelle, Your daughter is having what are called " night frights".   Good news for her but bad for you, she will have little to no recall of these sitiuations but there really is nothing you can do to stop them. It will pass over time. I did it as a toddler, my oldest son for about 18 months ( the episodes get fewer and further between ) and my youngest son just began about a week ago. Just be prepared this is usually a sign of future sleep walkers.

Beverly - posted on 01/15/2009

New to this, but thought I'd chime in. I'm buying the milk theory because when my now 7 yr old twin boys were about 14 - 18 months - they started having them. Well actually, we figured out that it was just one of the twins (the one that had a bit of a calcium deficiency) and when he would have one, the other baby would wake up crying. Anyway - doc said to do the same routine from about 2 hrs before their bedtime and it really worked - we bathed them, dim lit room, played soft music, and stayed in their room with them until they fell asleep...within 2 nights they were both sleeping thru the night! Never had them again until about 4 months ago- he had 1 or 2 while he was healing from a tonsillectomy. (Again - couldn't have any dairy products for 2 wks or so) Now that I think about it, that milk thing is just a trip - WOW :) Good luck with your 2 year old waking up screaming!

Shelley - posted on 01/15/2009

My son used to have night terrors-- would wake up screaming. His pediatrician suggested that we leave on some extra lights near his room. It was brighter than I could ever sleep in but it really seemed to help. He rarely had the terrors after that and has now outgrown them. Best wishes on better sleep for ALL of you! : )

Michelle - posted on 01/15/2009

I think I'm buying into the milk thing. He usually would go to bed with a sippy cup of milk. However, for the past 4-5 nights we've been giving him water. Interesting. We will switch back to the milk tonight and keep our fingers crossed our 2 year old waking up screaming is coming to an end. Thanks so much everyone!

Jennifer - posted on 01/15/2009

That's really interesting because my daughter would get them - not a big milk drinker, but my son never did (huge milk drinker).  Hmmmm..

Angie - posted on 01/15/2009

My 3 year old son is also going through the same thing right now. His peditrician recommended a few things to do and it seems to have helped. Some of the things have already been mentioned above.

1. Consistent bedtime routine of bath.

2. If your child says what is wrong during the night terror, then talk to him the next day. Draw a picture of a happy ending to his fear and go over it before he goes to bed.

3. Give him 1-3 miligrams of meletomin (it is a natural vitamin that you can get OTC at any pharmacy or health store). We crush one up and mix it into a little bit of apple sauce. I recommend you talk to his doctor first about this.

4. Read a couple of books...NO tv or music.



My little boy was waking up one - two times a night. Now he only wakes up once every couple of nights. Hope this helps.

Amy - posted on 01/15/2009

This sounds odd, but my daughter had them, as well as my youngest son.  I went to a chiropractor years later (unfortunately too late for her) and told him about my son's problem and found out it was a calcium deficiency.  He gave me some calcium powder and I put it in my son's apple juice (best with acidic drinks) and **VIOLA!**  The night terrors went away.  It worked like magic and it was all natural, which I love!

Sandra - posted on 01/15/2009

My son sees a theopist for the same thing . She had me wake me up like 2 hours before he would usally wake up . Dont wake him up fully but enough for him to answer u then let him fall back asleep . It doesnt work for everyone but its worth a shot.

Good luck

Brittany_murtagh - posted on 01/15/2009

My daughter had these and her dr said if they happened at the same time every night then you could try waking them up right before it is to happen.  But ask you dr first but it helped for us.  hope it helps

Rebecca - posted on 01/15/2009

My son went through this and would cry and scream but wouldn't actually wake up. Depending on how bad it was I would with either hold him or try really hard to wake him up which wasn't easy to do. When he was awake he wouldn't remember anything......didn't realize he was crying....or screaming.  I was really bothered by it but my doctor said because he wasn't waking up and didn't remember anything it was night terrors and he  would outgrow it. Which he did eventually I can't remember for certain but I think it lasted 2 or 3 years he outgrew it by the time he started school.  Wish I had a quick remedy for you. I  can definately sympathize with you. :)

Christy - posted on 01/15/2009

my son got these when he was a few months old. At first I didnt know what they were, I would give him some mylecon for gas and a little tylenol for pain and held him and consoled him till he stopped. Thankfully they didnt last to long and eventually stopped all together. It is toughto see them go through but there isnt much you can do besides be there for them.

[deleted account]

From my experience there is nothing you can do really help these. I was told that a good bedtime routine to help them really calm down before bed helps but other than that my experience is you just have to ride it out; they will eventually outgrow it. I know how hard it can be to not be able to do anything to help. My 7year old used to wake up crying "Mommy help me....help me" I was right there and he was safe but I couldn't comfort him....he just couldn't hear me. He once fell down a couple of stairs cuz I was alseep when it started. It is very scary but as long as you ensure they are safe if they wake up and start wondering around, you are doing the best job possible.



Good Luck!

Natalie - posted on 01/15/2009

My oldest Bella used to have these.  She will be 6 in April and has out grown them (thank god).  She started when she was about 6 months old.  It was really bad when she didn't get a nap or was really tired.  Don't get mad just hold her very tight - no matter how hard she fights you.  It won't last forever.  Just give her lots of love when it does happen.

Good Luck

Natalie

Natalie - posted on 01/15/2009

My oldest Bella used to have these.  She will be 6 in April and has out grown them (thank god).  She started when she was about 6 months old.  It was really bad when she didn't get a nap or was really tired.  Don't get mad just hold her very tight - no matter how hard she fights you.  It won't last forever.  Just give her lots of love when it does happen.

Good Luck

Natalie

Natalie - posted on 01/15/2009

My oldest Bella used to have these.  She will be 6 in April and has out grown them (thank god).  She started when she was about 6 months old.  It was really bad when she didn't get a nap or was really tired.  Don't get mad just hold her very tight - no matter how hard she fights you.  It won't last forever.  Just give her lots of love when it does happen.

Good Luck

Natalie

Stephanie - posted on 08/07/2011

http://www.babycenter.ca/toddler/sleep/n... is a

pretty good website and might help with your 2 year old waking up screaming.

[deleted account]

Hi, my son had night terrors at age 3. Out of the blue they came about. I went and seen my doctor and he said that 9 times out of 10 they are caused by some kind of trauma. My son had had his tonsills and adnoids out about 2 months earlier. He sailed through the op and recovered really well, so i never thought that was the trauma. Doctor said that he would try him on 1/2 Valium tablet for 3 nights max and it will be enough to get him out of the routine and sleeping through again without the terrors. We only needed 2 nights and he was sleeping through again. Never had one since and he is now 10. Maybe just see your doctor for advice on your 2 year old waking up screaming. You never know... Good luck.

Beverly - posted on 01/15/2009

New to this, but thought I'd chime in. I'm buying the milk theory because when my now 7 yr old twin boys were about 14 - 18 months - they started having them. Well actually, we figured out that it was just one of the twins (the one that had a bit of a calcium deficiency) and when he would have one, the other baby would wake up crying. Anyway - doc said to do the same routine from about 2 hrs before their bedtime and it really worked - we bathed them, dim lit room, played soft music, and stayed in their room with them until they fell asleep...within 2 nights they were both sleeping thru the night! Never had them again until about 4 months ago- he had 1 or 2 while he was healing from a tonsillectomy. (Again - couldn't have any dairy products for 2 wks or so) Now that I think about it, that milk thing is just a trip - WOW :) Good luck with your 2 year old waking up screaming!

Michelle - posted on 01/15/2009

I think I'm buying into the milk thing. He usually would go to bed with a sippy cup of milk. However, for the past 4-5 nights we've been giving him water. Interesting. We will switch back to the milk tonight and keep our fingers crossed our 2 year old waking up screaming is coming to an end. Thanks so much everyone!