Need Help with Toddler Who Screams When He Wakes Up

I think some kids just do that. I have watched kids for years and I have had two that I watched that did that. It's not so pleasant. Their parents say that they did it at home too.

This could be sensory processing disorder. Does he have language? Is there anything he doesn't like to touch? Or does he seek touch? If you google this maybe you can pinpoint some things. This happened to our child after 7 vaccines in one day. His little central nervous system couldn't handle it. And trust me he was a healthy happy baby before. Doctors will not accept this but millions of moms have witnessed the same thing. If you would like some more info and help, just email me.
Thanks , L.
____@____.com

Yes... I have experienced that a lot! I have been a nanny for almost 30 years and I know it seems scarey, but I don't think you need to worry!
Several children I have taken care of have done that. It's actually more normal for a child to cry when they wake up, than not! And the vomiting thing is that he just gets himself so worked up that he vomits. That's actually pretty normal too! The thing that I found to help with all of that was to have soothing music playing before they go to sleep and let it keep playing til they wake up! I think they have little people nightmares or something and it just distresses them! But the soothing music worked like a miracle! No joke! Different ones work for different children. One lil boy I nannied for loved the thunderstorm CD that I downloaded for him. It really relaxed him, and another lil boy was frightened by the thunderstorm, but I discovered that he was soothed by the sweet saxophone sounds of Paul Taylor! It doesn't always have to be a lullaby CD although that works too! Then with another child the thing that worked was a CD I found at a zen type of shop, that was called white sounds! But if they get accustomed to that sound as they fall asleep and while they are sleeping, it's almost as though their lil spirit is at rest. Might sound crazy, but I promise it works. On your car trip, when he fell asleep if he had been listening to something soothing and woke up to it, he may not have cried like that. It won't work instantly but if you try it for a couple of weeks and try different kinds of soothing sounds, I bet all the stars in the sky, it will work! I'd love for you to write back and let me know if worked for you! Good luck sweetie! ____@____.com

It wasn't so extreme for us, but our older daughter did this to a certain extent. She would wake up sobbing like her little heart was breaking! (To the point that she would break out in hives - she's a redhead, so she has that pale skin that gets all blotchy when she cries.) I just figured she was one of those people who woke up on the wrong side of the bed all the time, but one time when we were visiting my parents, my mom sat my daughter down before nap time and said, "Listen, it's so much better when you wake up happy. So this time, instead of waking up crying, you need to wake up happy. When you wake up, don't cry, just be happy!" I was thinking, ok, my mom has finally gone around the bend and has lost her mind... but guess what? It worked! My daughter woke up happy. I thought, well, that's a fluke. But I started doing it every time I put her to bed (reminding her to wake up happy). And she did! I know that just sounds crazy, but for us, it worked. But our case was not as extreme, so I don't know if it would work for you. Maybe worth a try. If you think there is nothing physically wrong with him, and he's the sort of kid who has trouble with transitions, maybe it's just a matter of helping him prepare for the transition from sleep to wake ahead of time? I don't know - I hope it helps you like it helped us!

i would go see a gastro. It could be reflux, food allergies etc. The laying down position could be making it worse when he finally wakes up. Just a thought based on some things with our life:) Night terrors are an issue too....not sure what age they start but we had that problem as well...not to the point of vomiting but every child is different.

We had similar events with our 4 yr old since his birth. It might be sensory processing disorder. - check out spdfoundation.org. Iknow this is very hard for you and your family. Keep searching until you find the answer! You can do it!

Night-Terrors or night-mares.
Look it up online.
These are 2 different things.
It is involuntary....
But developmental based.
Not an attention thing.
Just soothe him.
It is stressful for the child too.
My son and daughter, at about that age, had night-mares.... which developmentally starts at about that age of 2 onward.
They would wake, screaming/crying and literally 'scared.' I would ask them calmly "did you have a night-mare?" And they would say yes... so I soothed them.
He is not 'making himself' vomit.... but it is a outcome of having been crying so much and being in anguish/scared/hysterical.

In the car, maybe he even gets motion sickness. Especially if he had been napping in the car in transit. Thus, vomiting.

Make sure he is not over-stimulated or over-tired... before bed. And that he naps regularly. When over-tired or over-stimulated, some kids can get night-mares/sleep difficulty.

Or yes, it could be reflux.

all the best,
Susan

Our youngest had night terrors and yours do not sound like the same thing. Our son would "wake up" screaming but he was not awake. He would scream for one of us but when we went into the room he would not realize we were there. It was scary but did not happen each time he slept. I do not think that is what you are dealing with. I would try to talk to your Ped. again and if he is not helpful seek help elsewhere. Good luck, any tyoe of sleep disorder is scary and disturbing for parents.

I would try cranio-sacral massage therapy. It may not help, but it can't possibly hurt him, and you'll know whether or not it helped after just one session. It's very helpful for kids with sensory issues, adults with stress/anxiety issues and all kinds of other subtle stuff most doctors blow off. It improved the quality of my daughter's sleep tremendously, and keeps my own nightmares and TMJ under control. If it's amazing for your son, you'll see a difference within 24 hours.

www.kenpiercy.com My kids and I see Ken...he's awesome!

It's totally safe for babies if you have a therapist who is experienced with kids. You want a CST-D level certification (that's a master's level degree).
My third child had his first cranio session at 4 days old. He slept through the whole thing.

Hang in there, and keep looking for help. Your son can't tell you exactly what's going on, but he needs you to keep trying to figure it out. Don't forget to deal with your own stress too, because your stress spills over to him more than you realize. Read a book, go out with your girlfriends, spend the night at a friend's house once in a while so you can skip the screaming one morning.

S.
SAHM of 3

My almost seven year old child had night terrors until this year. My middle daughter had it too but only for about a year. My middle daughter, I thought was awake, and I figured out when I gave her something to drink, she wasn't awake when she choked on it. Don't assume he's awake. My youngest one has her eyes open, crying hysterically and it was hard to calm her. I would sing to her and let her know I was there until she stopped and went back to sleep. She would sometimes wake up this way as well. Some children get this way some do not. You can talk to your pediatrician about it or look up night terrors on line. These are not nightmares and your child will not remember it in the morning or when they finally come to wake. When you ask what is wrong, they will tell you they don't know. Just be there for them and yes it is nerve wracking as a mom to watch this but just hold them and let them know you are there.

My for year old did the same thing. I am very pleased to tell you that he no longer does it! It is nerve racking and you are sure that you should be able to fix it but at least for us there was never anything we could do to make it better.

I sympathise with you. When my daughter was small,she had night terrors. It was very frightening.It's possible this is a form of that.Can he tell you ig he is having nightmares? My Dr. said that with night terrors they don't remember what they are dreaming.Do they have sleep studies for children? It might be a sleep disturbance of some sort.

My 31 month old does this about 1/2 the time for naps and for mornings too.

It is difficult to deal with. For nap time I almost always can tie it to not enough sleep.

Otherwise I don't know. I've done some reading that it is normal and that they tend to outgrow it.

Good luck mama, just wanted you to know you weren't alone.