My 10 Month Old Is Having Nightmares

have you tried soft music playing in the room.. maybe this will help. Also try going in.. and just patting the baby until she feels better. Try not to pick her up.. otherwise she will get used to this. do you have bumpers in the crib? maybe the color is startling when she wakes up.. maybe try a softer color? Good luck

Hi J.,

My son was older when this happened and the doctor i seen was really good and he explained it to me very well. He said when they wake up scraming like that it is because their brain wakes up before their eyes and they get scared. He recommended melatonin for him, you can go to a vitamin store and they have it in liquid for for your little one. Once i gave my sone that he never woke up screaming like that again.
Good luck,
J.

Hi J., It is not uncommon for a child in this age group to have separation fears. It should pass and she does need to know you are there. I understand your not wanting to start nursing her in the night again although that is most comforting. Try bringing a bottle with some water and hold her close until she is reassured and ready to sleep. There are no set rules to motherhood. Just follow your heart and good sense. You can whisper that mommy is here or hum a tune. I hope this helps. Grandma Mary

Are you sure it is nightmares or is she teething? My 10 mo. is doing the same thing right now. She woke screaming on and off for a few weeks while the bottom two were coming in. It stopped for a few months but has recently started again. My guess is that her top two teeth are on the way in. When she is up every few hours at night for a few days in a row, I give her one dose of Tylenol (per her pediatrician) and it does the trick. Her Dr. also said that a pacifier helps while she is teething. I feel like if it were nightmares, the Tylenol would no work. Good luck. I know how hard it is not to sleep!

I think it sounds like you're doing a really good job of listening to your daughter. If she's going through a scary phase, and just needs your soothing right now, then I think you've got to do exactly what you're doing. Last night, you took care of your baby! And you clearly know the difference between fussing (let her do it!) and true crying/screaming (don't!).

You may want to take her to your pediatrician to discuss your concerns, and make sure she doesn't have an ear infection. But if it's simply night terrors, which my 9 month old has on occasion, then all you can do is comfort and soothe. I'm sorry- I know it's really hard to see them slip back a little after being so independent. But she'll figure it out, and you'll have reminded her that you are always there for her when she needs you!

Hi J.,

My son who is now 7 began waking up every hour screaming crying when he was 10 months old. I went in and sat holding him in a rocking chair till he fell back to sleep then an hour later the same thing. Finally after doing this for a few nights my husband who worked early in the morning broke down and said just take him into bed with us till we figure it out. He slept fine with us but we didnt really want a "family" bed. For naps and such he slept in our bed since I still b/f. After he was in our bed at night I tried putting him back into his crib after he fell asleep. He was ok for a few nights and it happened again every hour. I spoke to the pedi and explained what was going on. He said it could be night terrors and not nightmares (night terrors are like nightmares that don't end when the baby opens their eyes). My pedi suggested giving him a dose of Benedril before bedtime and that worked. He still on occassion has a night terror and WOW it is scary, you do what you can to soothe but they dont even know you are there until they wake up. Benedril still works and I call it the magic medicine. My son doesnt remember anything that he sees when the night terrors happen after he wakes but parents do and it really is scary to not be able to comfort a terrified child. My advise is to rule out teething, gas, and all other things and if it still happens talk to your pedi and see what they suggest. BTW my son began being scared of his crib so we moved him into a toddler bed at 11.5 months old and he slept great, and we didn't have a full-time family bed. Good luck

i would bring her to the doctor just to be safe. babies at that age arent "afriad" in the way older children/adults are so experts dont believe they have nightmares that young. what you described sound more like a pain cry, poss gas, but it really sounds like teething. babies go to sleep, then when the pain hits in the light sleep mode, they feel it enough to wake them up, but when they are in deep sleep, its just not painful enough to wake them. then add in the fact that they are soooo tired and got woken up, more crying.

i dont believe in crying it out, no matter "why" the baby is wanting comfort ie they are scared, in pain, cold, wet, lonely, ect, i believe you should respond. a babys cry is their way of communicating, esp to say they need you. i would highly suggest you respond to your daughter, she is crying because she needs you. now it might be because she misses you, or it might be because she is in pain. either way, she needs her mommy.

good luck, remember too she is at an age where she is learning or attempting so many new activities, her brain will be overloaded and her body achy at the same time she just wants to sleep. that too can cause sudden wakenings like you describe.

Hi J.. My daughter now 18 months used to do that too however, I think it was due to gas or teething or possibly needing more food since she was growing so fast. Could her whimpering be from some discomfort? definately check with your DR. but I think its more common that something would be causing discomfort rather than nightmares, but thats just my opinion :) Best of Luck, sounds like she is getting lots of love from her mommy!