My almost 5 month old son has usually gone to sleep on his own or with some help and most nights will sleep through the night(8-9 hours uninterupted). He recently got his 1st 2 teeth about 2 weeks ago. Last week he got a cold (runny nose & cough) which has gotten much better but is not totally gone. For the past 4-5 nights or so, he'll go to sleep and then wake up 2-3 times during the night screaming a distressful cry as if he's in pain (no fever, and he keeps his eyes closed). I try soothing him and it doesn't work, which is unusual. He usually stops crying when mommy picks him up. Now I believe the only way to somewhat calm him down is to feed him a bottle, then he'll go back to sleep (not easily) and we'll go through this again in a couple of hours. He is very happy during the day. Any suggestions??
R.
Shortly after sending this request, I tried feeding my son more (formula and rice cereal) throughout the day as I thought maybe was truly just hungry in the middle of the night because he wasn't eating as much during the day. The night I did this...he did not wake up crying, but woke up playing in his crib, I fed him and put him back down and he went right to sleep again. So that was it, he was just hungry. He's been sleeping better and actually occasionally sleeping through the night again. We are so glad that he's not screaming anymore. We've just started him on stage 1 foods too (he LOVED his peas yesterday!). Thanks for all your advice!
R.
It might be his teeth bothering him my daughter was the same way I use to give her teething tablets at night before she went to sleep. Humphreys worked the best for my daughter but I had to buy 3 or 4 diffrent brands. You can buy Humphreys at walgreens that is the only place I found them they are pricy but they work.
I agree with the others, sounds very much like an ear infection. He probably needs to be seen by the pediatrician.
Hello. I have a 13 month old daughter and starting about 5-6 months ago she started screaming in the middle of the night and she was totally inconsolible, there was nothing I could do. I asked her doctor at a check up and he said that she is having night terrors. Of course, I was scared because they sound to terrible, but he said the best thing to do is check on her to make sure that she is okay and leave her in her crib, which is the safest place for her, somewhere where she can't hurt herself. It would definitely be worth asking your doctor about....
Hope this helps! Good luck.
I just went through the same exact thing with my 4 month old! After about a week it passed on it's own. If the same thing happens for you, sounds like you may be near the end of it. This had happened with her once before as well, and again, ended after about a week.
Just have to get through it and afterward you really realize how much you enjoyed your sleep! LOL
We actually just had this happen this week. Saturday night I was up with her every 2 hours or so, but last night she slept the whole night through and is still sleeping now! WOO HOO
Good luck and hang in there!
You've probably heard this already - but I would bet the baby has an ear infection. He falls asleep but the pain seems to worsen during the night and then when you pick him up, it changes the pressure in the ear and the baby gets relief. You're right though - the baby will quickly learn that if he's in distress and you come and pick him up he feels much better...that leads to lots of trouble in the future. Get him to the doctor - there are also homeopathic medicines off the shelf for ear pain that work great! I went thru many years of ear problems and have tried them all!! Good luck.
If your son had a cold it could indeed be an ear infection - that was always the cue with our son and usually followed a cold.
If this does not seem to be the case, please let me know what your pediatrician says! I woke (sleepily) from a wakeful night with my 5 month old and saw your message. Our daughter is also suddenly waking and requires nursing to go back down - she was sleeping really well until about a week ago. Could it be a growth spurt? I'm exhausted and desperate for it to end. It feels like we have a newborn again.
Do please let me know (my ped is pretty useless when it comes to sleep) and good luck!
R.,
My doughter had a hard time with the teeth at 7 months. Try giving FeverAll supositories, which is basically Tylenol. Get the lower dose 80 mg I think. Right before bed and he should be fine. Like all phases this too shall pass.
A.
It sounds like it could be an ear infection - this happened to both of my sons, too! They would be fine and happy all day, but as soon as they went to bed at night, they would wake up frequently, crying and inconsolable. The doctor would ask if they had fevers or if they were pulling on their ears, but they never had those symptoms - only the night-waking issues. And it usually happened after they had just gotten over colds. When the waking happened two nights in a row or more, I would go to my pediatrician and get it checked out - it was an ear infection every time. And thankfully, after one or two nights of the antibiotics, everyone was sleeping well again! Hope this helps, and I hope your little guy feels better soon!
Just when you think you have those babies all figured out, they start something new, huh? If he has no fever or other ailment symptoms, I would recommend giving him Motrin before he goes to sleep for a couple of days. If it is the pain of new teeth, then the Motrin should do it. If he is still crying, then maybe call your Pediatrican and see what they recommend. You should be able to call thier office and ask a few questions without having to bring him in. Good luck - I know how that sleep deprevation can make everyone crazy!
~K.
I would ask your doctor. Everyone will tell you different things, but you want to be sure he isn't sick. If it is ear infections, it can become serious! Don't take any chances!!
Hi R.,
I bet he is getting more teeth. My youngest daughter is like that. She screams her head off when she is getting teeth and gets the colds. The best thing I found that really helps is the teething pills by Highland. I give her a few and it helps her sleep for a while. They are homeopathic. The place I am able to find them are at Jewel or Whole Food Stores. Oral Gel helps some.
Hope it helps!
:0) K.
R.,
Hello. That has been happening to my little boy (3months old). The past two nights he has woke-up screaming in his sleep.He usually would sleep 5-6 hours. I knew that he has not got any teeth yet but I have to feed him to get to sdleep and then sometime he wakes up a hour later.
Let me know what you find out.
Colleen
I think it is the teeth. Another one may be cutting through. Your story sounds the same as mine. Buy some over the counter homeopathic tooth rub (it is in tablet form) and rub it on his teeth when he wakes up. It should numb the gum and he should feel better relativly quickly and fall back to sleep.
Good Luck!
My son when he was an infant would scream like that after he had a cold, and then it ended up that he had ear infections. Try elevating his mattress when he is sleeping, it helps keep pressure off of the ears.
Hey R.,
There is nothing more frustrating than when that happens. From expererience, I can state that the baby may have fluid in the inner ear and that is why it only bothers him when he is asleep at night, and happy durring the day. When your son is lying down, he is prone to have his head one way or another and the fluid is setteling and causing discomfort.
It is not always necessary to wait for the baby to spike a temp either. Two of my children had cronic fluid in the inner ear with no other symptons.
The other thing I thought is that maybe the baby is going through some sort of growth spirt. When kids go through growth spirts, they may often wake up hungry or crabby in the middle of the night. At times when my children were babies, I would nurse or give them a bottle when this happened and within a couple of days, they were back on schedule sleeping through the night. Did you know that children can grow up to 2 inches over nite? Amazing! That however might not acct for the painful cry.
R.,
It looks like you have gotten lots of advice here. I would add that at 4 months, my first-born started screaming, too. This went on for months. You know, they can be cutting teeth long before you see any of them. Also, symptoms of a cold can be related to teething. This includes pressure in the ears, which can be extremely painful. Do you have a baby swing? We could not have made it without our Graco swing! I would hold him and co-sleep also. Snuggling does wonders. Also, if you still have any breast milk, I would "put him on." This is a wonderful drug. Regarding Motrin, I think your baby is a bit young for that. I think they prefer 6 months of age, so you might check on that. Motrin does wonders, though. For us, it works better than Tylenol. Also, there are several homeopathic teething remedies available. For such a young baby, we had success with Boiron brand Chamomilia. Hyland's makes a good remedy also. This will pass, though it is intense right now.
Amy
It is quite possible he may have an ear infection. Both my kids got them with no fever and few signs of illness. The congestion he had before may have caused it. I would definitely take him to the doctor. When they lay flat that's when it hurts. Good luck.
