My son wakes up in the middle of the night screaming bloody murder!! I will change him, and give him milk and tylenol ( he is cutting a tooth again) and this works until the milk is gone then he is back to screaming. Like tonight for example... he woke up at 3 screaming, so I made his bottle and he was quiet and about to go to sleep. I could hear him throw his empty bottle down and then proceeded to try to find a sleeping position for about 10 mins. He obviously didnt find the right one bc he started screaming bloooodddyyy murder! It was terrible... I have decided to try to sit and wait method. and it works but only after about 30 mins of screams and wails. He sheds tears for gods sake.... Is it ok to let him cry himself to sleep or is there an underlying problem I am missing.. He is cutting a tooth, but even when he was cutting 2 teeth at once he never acted like this. A little tylenol and some milk or juice sent him right back to sleep..Is this normal behavior for an 11 month old?
2006-10-26 22:45:59 · 14 answers · asked by Melissa 1 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Newborn & Baby
My son is 11 months old also, and just started waking again also, he is cutting the two top teeth. He never had problems with the lower two, but the top two have made him more cranky (these teeth are bigger!) I will go in his room after a bit of crying when I knew he is not going back to sleep, lay him back down (because his is sitting or standing at this point), give him a soother, cover him up and leave. I never turn on the light or talk to him at all, I make it quick! I give him a while (he may go back to sleep). If not I wait 20 mins or so, if he is still screaming I will give him some baby tylenol. It is unusual for my baby to wake like this, so i know somthing must be hurting (teeth).
My ped and doctoer told me never to give them a bottle in the middle of the night, they will come to expect it and it will cause their little bodies to get hungry at that time and wake them at the same time every night. You should only use the bottle at absolutly last resort! Good Luck, my thoughts are with you at 2 am, when i listen to my son cry also!
2006-10-27 03:31:25 · answer #1 · answered by Wes's Mommy 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's probably not the cutting of teeth that is causing him to wake up screaming. Researchers are split on whether teething can really cause all the problems people usually associated with teething such as fever, night wakings, pain, etc.
He might be experiencing night terrors, or something similiar to that, also kids can sometimes at this age, or anytime in the young years just really miss their parents and not want to go to sleep or back to sleep.
He may also know that you will come in and give him attention when he does this, so he keeps doing it.
Have you been giving him any foods that my be upsetting his stomach? That could be a possibility also. There are so many things it could be and it's really hard when they can't tell you! I have a little boy who is almost 7 months and he sleeps 11 hrs a night and has for months, and he sometimes wakes up screeching! It scares us because he is wailing so hard. Usually I can go in and hold him for a minute until he calms down, then give him his pacifier and he will lay back down and go to sleep within a few minutes.
I think you should talk to a pediatrician if you are this worried, just to rule out any medical conditions. If you are there with him when he is crying it should be ok, as long as he knows you aren't leaving him. After 6 mths, some pediatricians and sleep specialists say you can let them cry only if you know that they are ok and just don't want to sleep. I think you should make sure though that he has nothing wrong and then if he continues to do it, the pediatrician will give you further advice.
There are lots of sleep books for kids out there too. You could go and take a peek at your local bookstore and browse though them until you find one that may help.
I would also suggest NOT giving him a bottle in bed. That leads to serious tooth decay in children. My bestfriend works in a children's dental office and she sees TONS of kids with rotten teeth and they are under 5, because of this. You can read about it on health or baby sites. You should slowly try watering it down until it is just water or he is going to be screaming a lot worse down the road than he is now.
Also some people think because they are baby teeth and fall out that it doesn't matter, but it does because it causes underlying problems in the mouth that can continue when the child gets new teeth. Please consider this.
Good luck.
2006-10-27 06:05:51 · answer #2 · answered by Sexy_Bunny 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
OK it could in deed be an ear infection which is common while teething. Have him checked definitely. If it isn't that then it could be a problem with the milk and juice curdling on his inners so don't give them too close together and if he's on regular milk change from D to 2% which is better for them.If he is use to you sleeping with him then let him cry it out and I know it drives you crazy I went through it myself thought it was going to send me to the crazy house for about a week guess what after two weeks of screaming and pucking (no joke that kid was determined to have his way and so was my husband ) he finally started to understand mommy wasn't going to sleep with him any more and he slept like a log. It could simply be an adjustment period.
2006-10-27 06:11:11 · answer #3 · answered by yahoo 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
He may just need a bit of reassurance and closeness with you. For millions of years, human children evolved to have their mothers close at night. Being stuck in cribs in separate rooms is really relatively new and not very natural at all. Have you tried taking him to bed with you for the second part of the night and seeing if that helps?
Particularly if he is mastering a new skill or in pain from his teeth, he might need some reassurance.
If he is still going back to sleep as easily as you describe I really doubt it is an ear infection. However, a bit of garlic oil in each ear can get rid of an infection if one is starting. I found out about that alternative after my son had a nasty reaction to some antibiotics, and we haven't had a problem since then.
One thing that I learned with my son is that if we tried a new food that didn't agree with his stomach, he'd show it by waking up a lot at night. If I rested my hand on his stomach, I would then feel a lot of gurgling, or his belly would be hard from gas.
2006-10-27 07:08:28 · answer #4 · answered by kittymom 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
its OK to let a baby cry it out for about 30 min. maybe he's got gas,this will cause sharp terrible pain for him and cramps also .you should try Mylacon drops or something like that it works in like 20 min or less .Or if it's just when he's in the laying position, call and see what the dr. thinks (1yr. in a few days)mine just had an 'eruption' in her ear it was an infection that built up inside her ear she showed no other signs but the pressure she felt while lying down was painful .it took 4ever to get her to sleep and she woke frequently and would stay up for up to an hour. call the Dr.
2006-10-27 08:51:49 · answer #5 · answered by ivory 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's possible he has tummy problems and the eating is actually making it worse in the middle of the night. You could try taking him to the doctor and see what he recommends. It is also possible that he is developing his senses and so is becoming afraid of the dark or other fears, such as seperation. Have you tried rocking him? Or giving him a warm blanket? I don't think it will hurt him to let him cry. But you also want to offer comfort to him so he feels safe. And you also want to rule out any other possible problems - such as tummy trouble or ear infection. Good luck and this too shall pass.
2006-10-27 05:57:39 · answer #6 · answered by Shadowtwinchaos 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is fairly normal, but if it concerns you take him to the doctor and have him checked out just to make sure there isn't anything wrong. Try leaving him when he wakes up for a bit instead of giving him a bottle then leaving him. That teaches him that when he cries you'll come straight away so he doesn't want to give up the second time.
2006-10-27 05:53:06 · answer #7 · answered by jenieatworld 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
He's probably just frustrated that he cannot get back to sleep. Give him some toys to play with, so that if he wakes up, he can entertain himself until he falls back asleep. By getting up everytime and taking him milk, juice, etc, you are just making it harder on yourself. If you get into this habit, it will continue, and he'll think it's ok to get up in the middle of the night and wake up mommy.
2006-10-27 05:54:27 · answer #8 · answered by Stacy 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
He may have an ear infection or maybe his throat hurts .I would at least take him to get looked at .When they are that small they can't tell you if they are hurting. It doesn't hurt to let them cry ,but usually they will fall asleep before the bottle is gone so there might be something else bothering hm. Bless his heart ,Good luck.
2006-10-27 05:50:31 · answer #9 · answered by blueberry_coconut_1 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
To give yourself and bubba some comfort, take him to the Doctor because it sounds like there could be something else giving him some grief.
Like someone else said here, could be ear or throat infections, you find they will pull at the ear sometimes if ear problem.
2006-10-27 05:55:09 · answer #10 · answered by *JC* 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋