Night Mares/nigh Terrros -Crying in the Night

My 9 month old son just went through this. I asked his pediatrician about it and he said that eventually it will stop. My son got the "terrors" for about 2 weeks. By the 2nd week, he would cry, I would go in, and just rub his cheek until he fell back asleep. I would be in there a total of 5 mintues. Then it stopped. Good luck and hang in there :)

Take note of his diet. If he is having a reaction to any foods, it is likely to hit him at bedtime. If after the episode nears its end and he goes right back to sleep this could be it. I had this problem too and I've seen many other mamas with this problem here. The culprit for many of us is milk or chocolate (the doc says these are very hard on youngsters). However as young as your is, it could be a certain juice, fruit, or veggie. Hope this helps some. The way I narrowed mine down was to keep a journal of what he ate. I looked for anything in common on the nights he did this and it was chocolate. I took it to the doc and she confirmed that many children have this problem. They just don't digest it properly. Try a food journal for a week or two and see what you find. Good luck, Shannon G.

My daughter used to have "night terrors". I would calming talk her (first without toughing her) saying things like "Mommy's here....you are safe....it's okay....Mommy/Daddy will take care of you" stuff like that in a very loving - kind - caring voice. Then I would hold her rock her back and forther in her bed continuing the same words until she calmed down and the night terror turned back into regular sleep. Eventually the "night terrors" went away. I hope this helps.

God Bless,
J.

Our Daughter use to have the night terrors we watched the sugar intake for 2 to 3 hours before bedtime.Lots of things have sugar you have to watch everything you think a fruit would be a good snack but full of sugar.Juice also GOOD LUCK
D.

Have you ever considered that he may be remembering a past life that gave him grief?

My child never went through this but I remember and still have the development paper work from his 6 mo. checkup. The doctor and the handouts they gave me said that at about 6 mos. is when this can start happening. Most will grow out of it and what the baby is looking for is reassurance that you are there.

It seems to be a little early for nightmares but you can't rule it out completely. My guess is that it may be an ear infection. It would be worth checking out. The pressure seems to be greatest on the ear when they are trying to sleep.

If you think it may be a nightmare, my daughter thrashed around alot during hers, then there isn't much you can really do for them. I used to go into her room and make sure she was okay but not pick her up unless she went really wild. Eventually, she got used to it and the episodes were shorter in duration until she would let out one or two screams and then roll over and go back to sleep on her own.

Good Luck!

I had always heard dreams start around 18 months so I doubt that's it. Could he be having bad gas pains or trouble pooping?

My daughter (now 6) went throught the same thing, probably from about 7 months or so, until 18 months. It wasn't every night, but she would wake up screaming. It seemed like no amount of comforting would help. She was obviuosly asleep. We held her, rocked her, etc. Sometimes it helped, sometimes it didn't. Sometimes just saying her name and that we loved her seemed to break through. Unlike some others, when she did wake up, she did not become more scared or startled, but calmed down. She was and always has been a very deep sleeper. Depending on how long it lasts (not duration, but how old he is) it does become easier once he can tell you what is wrong - that is if he wakes up. Usually kids grow out of these kinds of things. I know it's tough, but I would try not to worry too much unless it gets to a point where he is in danger of hurting himself or others - sleep walking, getting out of bed, etc.

Good luck!

Hi, my son used to have "night terrors" all the time. Our pediatrician just said that he was too hot at night. He was having dreams of being caught or enclosed and he had no way out. As soon as we dressed him more lightly or just put light blankets and sheets on him - the "night terrors" stopped - course, a nightlight didn't hurt. Oh, and - try not to allow this to become a habit - it is a habit that is difficult to break.

Prepare bedtime with a sweet book and a prayer - they go a long way to sooth a child before they sleep. Hugs, Debbie

It's just night terrors as they call it. Boys seem to get this around 6 months or after. It shouldn't last too much longer, but it is scary although there isn't much you can do. My first born son had it. He had it on and off for a couple of months. As he got older he threw a lot of tantrums, don't know if that's related. He also had bad colic when he was 1 month old.

A.,
i have had similar problems with my daughter who is now 5.It's like she's not awake, but she will even sit up in bed while she's crying but her eyes are closed and she doesn't remember it in the morning. I asked my pediatrician about this and she told me not to take her out of bed since this may actually wake her up and startle her more, resulting in more crying. Instead she recommended laying her back down gently and rub or pat her back and in a calm soothing voice tell her it's OK and reassure her that you are there. This seems to work pretty good and our night terrors usually only last a couple minutes. My daughter is a triplet and sleeps in the same room as her sisters so I needed to find a way to calm her down quickly so she didn't wake her sisters. The doctor said this is a phase and she should grow out of it by 7 or so. Since your child is only 7 months i don't know if not picking them up is a good idea, but try not to wake him because I've experienced longer episodes when I did this.
Good Luck and I hope this helps!!

A. - mother of triplet 5 year old girls

Hi A.!

My son began having a very difficult time sleeping around 7 months. He did experience nights where he woke up screaming/crying and seemed as though he wasn't even awake. It took about 10-15 minutes to get him calmed down. For us, it turned out to be his teeth! He was cutting tooth after tooth. He had all of his teeth by the time he was 10 1/2 months old.

Once I figured out it was his teeth, I gave him Motrin when he woke up. He liked sucking on cold/frozen wash cloths. I also gave him teething tablets.

I'm not sure about nightmares or night terrors in children so young. I hope you find a solution soon!

Our 10 month old son has done the same thing on and off since birth. Since our 2 year old daughter did nothing of the kind, it really scared me. Between our doctor and other parents, it seems to be night terrors. We have been told to comfort him but don't try to wake him up. Apparently, the baby doesn't even know it is happening so it is best to just ride it out until he stops and goes to sleep. I know that it is very distressing, but hope that helps assure you that there are others of us out there and it is "normal".

I have often wished I knew if they had nightmares. To think of one so young being afraid of anything just about does me in, but three of my children went through this - all boys. I would ask your pediatrician if there is any reason for concern just to make sure. Maybe he/she will have some ideas that will help. With one of my children I would take him outside. We would sit in a lawn chair until he calmed down. For some reason it helped, but I can't tell you why.