Hi Moms,
Our 13 month old has started, this week, screaming in the middle of the night for 1-3 hours. He has no fever, isn't hurt, isn't hungry, clean diaper, etc.... no source that we can determine. We figure it must be related to teething or maybe the scariness of trying to learn to walk but we just don't know what to do for him! Nothing really seems to help and he eventually has to cry it out, which I hate. Any suggestions would be very welcome! Thank you!
Try comforting crib toys to help him soothe himself....and if you think it is teething, use some orajel on his gums or baby tylenol.
13 months is pretty normal for a sleep regression, especially if he is learning to walk. There's really no one way to handle these. For one, we let kiddo sleep with us on and off, for another we just let her wail. Consider some Tylenol or Motrin for the teeth, maybe? Mostly, just hang in there. This, too, shall pass, even if it feels like it won't.
You should really speak to the pediatrician, but this could be night terrors. Does your son seem to even recognize you when the screaming is ocurring, and then wake up feeling fine and normal? If so - then it's night terrors. And, I PROMISE you that if it is - it truly is harmless for your son. They are much more worse for you than him because you have to listen to it, and cannot make it stop. He will grow out of it. My son went thru it, and he is perfectly fine. If he is having teething pain, he would not be screaming like that in the middle of the night. He would be moaning and steadily crying in pain. Ask the doctor about night terrors. It's very common, and ALMOST never anything to worry about.
I'm with the other Mom. I couldn't stand letting her cry it out....right about this age our oldest starting doing this. I let her cry it out because I thought that's what she needed. I felt awful when I noticed a little blood in her mouth and suddenly realized the kid was in pain from her molars coming in...I so wished I had cuddled her instead.
I agree it could be night terrors. They typically come on when kids are over tired or out of their routine.
I hope it gets better.
Could it be night terrors?
I would just hold him and try to calm him down. That's what I do for my 13 month old when he is up crying at night. Those sleep methods don't work for all kids, I don't care what anyone says.
Good luck!
I would try the teething ointments that are available at the drugstore to eliminate that possibility and give him some relief. As to just walking, I found when I massaged my daughter's legs, it helped tremendously. Her leg muscles were over worked and not used to that level of workout.
I would make sure there aren't any digestion issues. My daughter has had digestion issues since she was about 9 months old & still to this day. She's 2yrs. old. She only has discomfort at night. She has a low level of hydrochloric acid, which is needed to properly digest food. In addition to her gluten & dairy allergy.
I would try a modified Ferber method to deal with this. Go in after about 5 mins, calm him down, and lay him back down. Come in again after around 7 mins and repeat. Then 9 mins. Repeat every 9-10 mins until he falls asleep. The next night do the same. You will find that reassuring him you are there will speed things up the following nights. Yes, gross motor milestones are usually ssociated w/ some sleep disruption. I suspect if you keep checking every 5-10 minutes he will figure it out and stop within 4-5 days.
do you use the teething tablets? do you still nurse? nursing is a natural pain reliever so if you do you may want to nurse to help relieve the pain...poor thing must be in so much pain!
Hi T. Even though your son appears okay, I would advise you to take him in the see his peditrican just to be on the safe side.
