She used to do this all the time when she wwas younger. Then about 3 weeks ago it stopped, now it's happening again. She crys and screams in her sleep and sometimes I can"t wake her up. What is this and What can I do to help it stop.
2006-09-20 07:18:26 · 14 answers · asked by karissa s 2 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Toddler & Preschooler
Sounds like night terrors. There is probably nothing you can do. In fact she probably doesn't remember it happening.
in fact, they are probably harder on you than they are on her.
good luck!
2006-09-20 07:23:33 · answer #1 · answered by kd36 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
All babies cry quite a lot and for a variety of reasons. As for newborn and young babies, crying is the only means of communication for young babies. Therefore at first your baby will cry for all their needs. These include physical needs such as hunger, tiredness, a wet nappy, being too hot or too cold, or even discomfort from tight clothing. Your baby will also crying because of anxiety or an emotional need such as affection.
This said, your child has been crying for 2 years: this is a lot but not un-usual. What's more surprising is she is crying while sleeping and not waking up which does not much support the hypothesis of hunger, colic, teething, nappy rash and other usual baby little troubles.
Have you behaved differently when she stopped crying for 3 weeks? Maybe she is asking for attention again?
Are you enough available during the day because you may be working? If yes, talk to her like she understands everything (be sure she will get the meaning/the tone of what you mean...), reassure her that you love her more than anything. When home, try to make frequent appearances to reassure your baby that you are nearby.
Is your baby stressed by other factors, like noise, nightmares etc: then try to make her asleep in a relaxing way, with soft music, nice and beautiful story, objective being for her to sleep with a smile...
Anyhow, I am not too worried with what you describe but in fairness, you should explore if there is not possible source of anxiety and then work on addressing them.
Cheers,
2006-09-20 07:38:13 · answer #2 · answered by casper_international2005 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It sounds like night terrors to me. My 4 year old does sometimes too, usually when she's had a really busy day. It can happen because they can't process all the information they've gained throughout the day. Try some low music in her room when she's sleeping it might help soothe her, it works wonders with my daughter. Good Luck, just make sure she can't hurt herself if she gets little combative in her sleep, my daughter does that. She should grow out of it soon. It might sound strange but something my mo would tell me to do when my girls are having a rough night is once they are asleep take 2 glasses one with water in it and on empty and an egg, at the head of your daughters bed cracked the egg in to the glass of water then pour the egg and water back and forth from one glass to the other 3 times then sit the glass with the egg and water under the head of her bed overnight. In the morning put the glass on a window sill, the egg white should form the image of whatever might be bothering your daughter or it will just rid her of whatever it is. My grandmother did this with my aunt and the egg white formed a large dog and my aunt is deathly afraid of large dogs. It is just a thought, maybe it will help. Good luck. :)
2006-09-21 05:32:43 · answer #3 · answered by Diana H 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
it's a normal phase, nothing to worry about (though yes it can be bothersome).
what worked for my kids was:
- wake them up (yes, was sometimes hard) by telling them to "get out of the dream"
- make them, say, walk to the bathroom to get a glass of water, just to make sure they were really awake
- cuddle them in bed, reassure them. Ask them to tell me their nightmare (if they could remember it). Reassure them if this could be done. Or else start on a story they like and that cannot be scary
- explain, time and time again, that dreams are just the "television of the brain", i.e. just images, nothing real. That THEY are in control of the remote of that television. I also sometimes would tell them that at night, during sleep, one part of the brain, more primitive, not allowed to speak during the day, would want to take its revenge and invent weird stories. Or I'd say that, at night, the brain was sometimes getting bored just lying there, and was making up stories to make time feel shorter.
Despite all this some of my kids have had this phase last at least a few weeks.
Good luck
2006-09-20 09:42:13 · answer #4 · answered by AntoineBachmann 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sounds like night terrors. They should stpo in time but if shes anything like me they might not, or they will stop and start again. I used to get them when i was little and in the last 6 years they started again. Im 22 now, and i have them all the time. If they get worse she may need medication to help her sleep better. Talk to a doctor.
2006-09-20 07:23:35 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sounds like night terrors. The kids that experience this aren't awake and don't remember them happening. They don't affect the child unless mom and dad make a big deal over them. If she was awake and crying it could be nightmares, but this sounds more like night terrors. Try this website for more information. It may be necessary to see a doctor about this.
2006-09-20 07:25:55 · answer #6 · answered by S. O. 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
So somewhere she has had a tramatic experiance and it is stuck in her mind! Talk to her about her dreams she is having! It may shed some light on why she is going through this! My oldest used to do this too and hers was because she climbed her dresser and it fell on her. She ended up in the ER getting a gash on her forhead glued to together and after a horrible dentist experiance she would wake up screaming and crying! For 3 yrs this went on! So somewhere she has had a tramatic experiance and it is stuck in her mind! GOOD LUCK!!
2006-09-20 08:41:04 · answer #7 · answered by kolowski4 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Do you get up and pamper her every time she does this? My son used to wake up crying and I ran to his side for about 3 weeks. He would only do this to me, not dad. There was nothing wrong with him, he just wanted to be babied. Of course, there are times when things are actually wrong. They could be teething, upset stomach, hungry. I think you should take her to the doctor. Does she go to daycare? Ask them if she's doing the same thing there also?
2006-09-20 07:24:48 · answer #8 · answered by tean 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
It's night terrors. My son has these sometimes as well. I find that they occur more when he's overtired. They sound awful, but he's not really awake, isn't really scared, and goes "back to sleep" (even though he wasn't really awake) quickly. It's nothing to worry about and is totally normal for this age. As someone else said, it's much harder on you than on her!
2006-09-20 13:08:23 · answer #9 · answered by KL 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i would not try to wake your child i would sooth them back to sleep lay next to her for a few moments untill she calms down thsi has been on t.v alot as long as she is not hurting herself then i would just lay next to her untill she calms i know that it breaks your heart to see her crying like this does she even remember this the next morning alot of children dont recall it so just let it run its course and juts stay calm yourself and love on her when this happens and if you think that it needs more help then call her doctor but i dont think there is anything more that can be done .
2006-09-20 07:39:56 · answer #10 · answered by Shorty 2 Short :) 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Something is prob. scaring her a toy pet curtain u should try to ask her what is scaring you is it a toy or do you have alot on your mind spend time with her then you show her happy things she will go 2 sleep at night thinking bout a grat happy day try to do this as offten as you can then it should stop.Jet her sleep with you then it will make her feel safe!
♥ Jessica ♥
2006-09-20 07:34:42 · answer #11 · answered by ♥qiqqleszxbaybeeh ! 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋