Night Terrors?

Question

My Daughter is almost 5 months old and is sleeping in her own crib. For the last 4-5 nights she is waking up every hour or hour and a half, screaming and crying. She is awake and has real tears, I let her cry for a few minutes but her crying gets worse. as soon as I go into her room, I try the pacifier and will finally pick her up and within seconds she calms down and falls back asleep. I put her back in her crib and this happens all over again. She has a night light, and soft music I can put on. She has no problem falling asleep in her own crib. I wonder why she isn't staying asleep. Could this be night terrors? Any suggestions?
She also takes a warm bath and is full before bed. She doesn't sleep much during the days, but at night she normally sleeps, 3-4 hours at a time. This is something new and I can figure it out.

Answer 1

Night terrors usually happen around 3 yrs old in toddlers. This is unusual and I doubt they are night terrors. Does she seem awake during these episodes? My daughter has had them for a few years which turned out to be seizures. Her eyes are always wide open and looks like she is terrified. You should also rule out problems that may be causing her pain like reflux which is aggravated when lying down. You should talk to her pediatrician.

Answer 2

At 5 months old you should not be expecting the child to sleep through the night. Some do but most do not at this age. Waking up is normal and she cries to alert you to her needs. Night terrors usually come around 18mos to 2or 3 years. She has figured out that by crying she can get mor attention and that is nice. Are you certain that she doesn not want a bottle at that time.

Answer 3

The only thing I can suggest is that you try and get her into a sleep -play-feed routine during the day. If babies are having regular sleeps during the day, they actually sleep better at night. I know this from troubles with my first daughter, who never slept during the day, and slept very little at night. As soon as I got her into a daytime routine, her nights became much better. So, make sure she has regular sleeps during the day. From memory, I think that at 5 months, they should still be having at least three sleeps during the day.

Hope this helps.

Answer 4

I am sorry for you and your daughter, I can imagine how trying this is for you. I suffered from severe night terrors until I was in my early twenties. It is hard on both mother and child. I wish I knew of a way to help but I don't, I just thought I would post you a little note of support. Good Luck

Answer 5

My son used to have night terrors. He would NOT be awake at all and nothing could be done to wake him. He would arch his back and scream for up to 45 minutes. I never felt so helpless. I don't think what your daughter is having night terrors.

Answer 6

If she's only crying when she's lying down, she might have an ear infection, or even just a really stuffy nose.
She also might just be going through a little phase and needs a little extra love and comfort.

Answer 7

Babies are innocent and see spirits often. She has to sleep with you. She's too young to sleep on her own. She's either scared or disturbed by the sight of some unearthly thing

Answer 8

It's probably a normal thing for her age. She wakes up hungry and alone and starts crying.
She needs reassurance that you are there and she is not alone.

Answer 9

Babys dream of memories so i don't think its night terrors. It could be colic, she could be teething prematurely... consult her doc.

Answer 10

Do you believe in spirits? The innocent are said to see spirits regularly. And not all spirits are good. I would move the crib into your room.