Night terrors - help

[Brodster'sMommy]

Hmm. I've been thinking about this one for a while and I'm not sure what I think exactly. Here's my opinion but it's just an opinion and hopefully someone else will also jump on who has experience.

When your LO fights going to bed at night, I wouldn't consider that a night terror or nightmare. To me that sounds like a routine issue, a developmental issue or SA, teething, etc. But I'm quite sure it's not a terror (from what I have read) or nightmare. I tend to think those happen more in the night after a period of sleep. Could he maybe be scared?

As far as when your LO wakes up, it sounds like it could be a night terror but more of a nightmare to me. (I'm basing this off what I read on your post) When my LO has a night terror, he thrashed and kicks so much that I can't even hold onto him sometimes. His screams are high pitched and he's an absolute mess for at least 10 minutes. When I put him in his crib, he will throw himself around, bang his head into the side, etc. It's almost a little violent! I am sure there are varrying degrees of terrors but in my experience, they are very severe. Once I get him snapped out if it and calmed down, he goes down pretty easily. Does your LO do any of these things when he wakes?

On the otherhand, when my LO has a nightmare he screams out and acts scared and clingy. He's comforted the minute I hold him and usually needs a little AP to get back to sleep. I think that's what you might be experiencing. If it is a nightmare, then there is probably something that happened to him that days or a few days back. Since DS started his terrors I've been very careful to observe my LOs day and watch for anything he might see or hear that is disturbing. Usually when he has a nightmare, I can look back to something that happened very easily. Whereas I notice with the terrors that they seem to correlate with a routine issue or OT or OS. If you had to stay with your LO for 3 hours last night and you don't think it has to do with routine or teething, etc. I would say it was more of him being scared or some SA.

You might consider posting your routine and seeing if maybe that could be it? 3 hours is a long time to take for a LO to settle. Something is definitely up.

HTH!!

[UlrikaandOlle]

Thanks for your input. Yes I am pretty sure too that there is a mix of SA, nighmares and that he's scared (could be that scary bit in the Pippi Longstocking DVD he's seen the last couple of days). Yesterday night at bedtime I went back to my old routine of WI/WO - it took him 40 mins to fall asleep (which hasn't happened for over a year), and when he woke at 1.30am in the night and cried a bit, I just left him and he went back to sleep within 5-10 mins and woke up happy at 7am. So I will just try to avoid any AP and stick to my routine, bann that Pippi scene, and keep days low key - and hopefully things will pass. 

[Crispy Chick]

Hey

Been so busy that i have been off the radar on this post for a while!

Ulrika - hopefully your problems are passing now if your LO is having better nights?  I guess we all go through things which seem unusual, but we cant put our finger on them.  I am with brodster's mommy on this one - when my LO has these night terrors he is thrashing and unable to calm down.  They tend to always happen about 2 hours after he goes to sleep and he usually goes to sleep no problem in the first instance.

What about second year molars (early)?  could be moving through his gums.  I know you say teething has not affected him in the past, but molars are HUGE!  Not that i have any experience of this as my LO only has 6 teeth at 17 months - ha ha.

We have had a clear couple of weeks without night terrors now, although there are often murmours or a few pityful cries at the time they normally happen - i am wondering if he has some sort of 'thing' every night, but on some occassions it escalates to the full terror!

Still clueless to be honest.  I had thought it was OT  and was watching him like a hawk.  This made me very nervous to do anything that broke routine, but on sunday we went to a christening and he only had 30 min nap in car for the whole day - no night terror!  I think i will be clueless forever more.  The only other link i can think of is his first lot of molars are clearly moving into the gums - i can see white shiny patches -so perhaps this hasn't helped.