What is going on supermoms? :) My baby always slept fine with one waking to nurse around 5am...until hitting 16 months. He is tired. But he just screams in his crib (and I even gave him Tylenol tonight; it did nothing). Then he sleeps for a few hours and then howls again. All night long. Poor little guy. This is going on day 4. The first day it happened I took his temperature, changed his diaper, etc. But he did not settle down. He is FINE during the day; no tugging at ears. So I figured if he had a bad ear infection, that would be obvious in the day, too? He has a runny nose I just noticed today.
Is it just teeth? One molar recently popped through but it broke the gum a few days ago, so I don't imagine that tooth is still super painful. Maybe more are coming. I am not sure how to help him sleep. It's the weekend so the doctor office is closed, of course. Hmmm??? Before I head to urgent care (certainly an option) I wonder what others think. Ears? Teeth? Something else?
Thanks! A trip to the Dr. (well, urgent care at this point) is in order. I just wanted to be more informative when I went in, instead of saying he simply screams all night. :) I have a lot of good responses, which is great!
I have to second separation anxiety! I never realized it before reading Megan's post, but both of my kids did this exactly as you are describing. I just went in and comforted them for a few minutes and put them down again. Sometimes I had to go in a couple of times, but it just went away. I didn't really notice how long it took though! It is all gone now, so it doesn't become part of the regular long term routine. Good luck mama!
Sooooo many possibilities.
I've learned (the hard way) to rule out medical first.
Screaming when laid flat is almost always ears or sinuses. If he'll sleep "up" (being held up, in a carseat, etc.) then it's just about guaranteed.
((Pain often isn't obvious during the day for a couple reasons; 1: because being up and moving allows fluids to drain -wherever they are-, 2: there are distracting things around to 'keep their mind off'))
I'd place money on ears....have him looked at.
Not to alarm you, but a friend of mine's 18 month old was crying an crying, just wouldn't stop. Day two they took him into urgent care and found out that babe's brain was swelling. They had to air lift him and operate and he's brain damaged now.
Chances of that happening? Slim to none.
My point is, listen to your mama gut. If you think something is wrong, take baby in. Worst case scenario, you take him in and find out he has an infection or something else. Best case scenario you were wrong and can sleep a little more soundly knowing that your babe isn't in danger.
Have you ever heard of 'night terrors' ? It might be something like that. Does he seem awake and aware of you, when he is screaming, or does he instead seem like he doesn't see you?
Possibly a growth spurt and he is hungry or maybe he has gas? Possibly acid reflux? A runny nose could mean the teething issue you're talking about.
All my grand kids did this about that same age up to 22 months or so. Did you give him a bottle? Did you offer him food? He is in the throes of a growth spurt that will take him out of his toddler stage into his preschool stage. He will shoot up, slim down, get long legs, his head will fit his body size better, he'll start a lot of cognitive activities too. I think giving the kids a snack late at night, right before bed helps but it can't be something that's light. I needs to have some protein and complex carbs but not too heavy so they are uncomfortable laying down.
If you did try the bottle and did try food but it didn't help then he surely needs to see someone to check his ears.
Often when a person lays down their drainage will need to find it's way out of the sinuses. The ear canal is the most convenient at this point.
My son had separation anxiety later on then most kids who get it around 9 months. I felt so lucky when friends were telling me how their babies were doing exactly what you describe and I had none of it...oh did Karma get me. I assumed teeth and ears as you did, so I scheduled an appt to rule it out since he has a knack for developing ear infections. I described the screaming in his bed before finally going to sleep and then waking in the night at least once or twice and doing it again. The doctor said not to worry, and that he is just going through SA a little later on. It will just pass. Best you can do is just re assure him you are still there. so if getting up and rubbing his back from 2 mins is what it took then that was fine. By the end of it, it was about 2 weeks before we got back on a normal schedule.
Also try his bedtime, as he is getting old and more active he may be more tired earlier on. We went from 8:00 to 7:30 and found that made a world of difference as well
Could he be hungry? Growth spurts can make them hungry in the night.
I'd take him to the doctor. This sounds medical.
So sorry and hope this stops soon!
Dawn
I would bet on tte winning combination of ear infection and teething. I would take him to urgent care to be safe - especially if he is in that much pain. Even if it turns out not to be the ears, you can rule out anything medical. Trust your instincts!
