Teething or night terrors? 1yr old screaming in the middle of the night

[vreitsma]

Hi,

So our dear little one is a very happy boy and naps fairly well.
For the past few months though he will go about a week of sleeping through the night then have a couple nights-week of
screaming in the middle of the night. We thought it was teeth so we were giving him Motrin before bed and in the middle of the night
when he would wake up... but that still didn't help.

I also tried nursing him (which would calm him down quickly but he is old enough to not need to eat at night!).
It's been about a week now without giving him anything in the middle of the night and just trying pu/pd on its own.

He still sits up screaming bloody murder and it breaks my heart. He doesn't really want to be picked up, fights when we try to
hold and rock him, and takes FOREVER to calm down. It takes me holding him VERY close and VERY snug with his lovey right by his face
for him to even calm down. He just cut another tooth a couple days ago but is still struggling at night. Could this be night terrors, bad habit, or teething?
Any ideas would be appreciated! Here is a sample of his routine...

Wake 6:30-7am
Eat 7:30
Activity
Nap 10 or 11ish
Wake 12-12:30
Eat 12:30
Activity
Eat 5pm
Wind down time 6:30
Bedtime 7ish

I nurse him about 2 times throughout the day, usually in-between meals. He cut himself down to 1 nap a few months ago... if he has 2 naps he wakes even more frequently at night. He goes down well for naps and bedtime and then does his waking anywhere from 10pm-2am. Thanks in advance!

[Buttonbobs]

It could be teething and/or night terrors that you're describing and if it is teething you're doing everything you can already with meds and extra cuddles really. I'm sorry I donmf have any btdt experience with night terrors but I have read that LOs are not really awake during them. Does it sound like this is what it is to you?

Looking at his routine, his nap is very early I the day so he could be really OT by BT which wouldn't help any NWs. Could you move the nap later, he may resist at first as he'll be used to getting sleep at 10am but most children on one nap would be sleeping at the earliest around 11.30/12 to begin with and over time this moves later. What do you think?

[barbaraz78]

I fully agree with pp regarding the routine and the nap time.
What time in the night does he have these nw? are they at the same time? in the first part of the night or the second? NTs tend to come in the earlier part of the night, bad dreams in the second.
I also wanted to add that at 1 yo you normally don't need to PU anymore, just doing PD if he pull himself up if you need, and even not that, WI/WO or gradual withdrawal are better methods after 1 yo. But only if he is not in pain or if it is a NT, in that case I will stay with him without picking him up (PU can be more stimulating at that age), with my hand on him to let him know I am there.

[*Ali*]

My DS1 had night terrors and it is heart breaking. As pp said they normally happen in the beginning of the night. What time are his wakings?

I just sit to next to his bed on the floor with a hand on him if he will allow (he normally throws it off) and gently remind him that Mummy is there and it is ok. He will suddenly snap out of it and be a bit confused and then go back to sleep. He often calls me while having the terrors but doesn't seem like he knows I am there next to him. It is very strange.

A tip if it is NTs is to wake him 15 mins after he falls asleep and then immediately resettle him. Apparently this "resets the brain" and the NTs do not happen. I never actually did it though as we only got  them now and again and this seemed more disruptive to wake him every night. Handy if he is having them often though.

The other thing. That may help is to have a calming cd or white noise playing all night to maintain a constant environment.

HTH

ETA, if you suspect NTs or pain I would not use PD WIWO as he will likely need some more comfort than that.

And are you giving meds at BT? They take a while to kick in so won't help instantly for NWs cause by pain if you wait til he wake to give them.

[vreitsma]

Thank you all so much! He is typically waking at around 11pm and once he's calmed down and gone back to sleep he stays asleep until about 6:30am.
I can't complain because many people get less sleep than I do, but I just feel bad and want my little man to sleep peacefully.

I'm still getting familiar with the lingo here, what is WI/WO?
We were giving him motrin about 30-60 minutes before bedtime to make sure it was fully kicked in.
Since he was still waking though we thought it might not be helping so we didn't want to give him meds if we
didn't have to. I didn't give him any last night and he was screaming at 11pm... I tried soothing him without picking him up
but it's almost like the only way to calm him down during these night terrors (?) is to almost immobilize him with a big hug.
(Just to be clear, I'm being gentle... not causing any harm.) It seems all the flailing is keeping him from settling down.

When he does settle down he's asleep, he's never awake and settled.

Thanks again for all the help! I hope this sheds more light on the situation.

[vreitsma]

Oh also I have tried a later nap, but he seems to be over tired by noon then he only naps for about 45 min and the rest of the
day he's fussy...

[*Ali*]

wiwo is walk in walk out. Walk In/Walk Out vs. The Gradual Withdrawal Method (HOW TO CHOOSE)

If it is always the same time you could try wake to sleep an hour before.

[barbaraz78]

If it is always the same time you could try wake to sleep an hour before.

Fully agree with this.
It looks a NT to me, really.

Does he fall asleep alone or does he need you?

For the nap, I would try to move it gradually, like at 15 mins increments.

[We Three]

 My dd has had NTs, (knock wood, not for over a year now!)....OT was a contributing factor, as was OS or a big change (the start of school, for example).   Her being hot was a trigger also, so make sure his room is cool and that he isn't overdressed for bed. 

 NTs would be kind of unusual in a one-year old, (certainly not unheard of though), but the triggers can often be the same. I would absolutely try W2S to see if that works! 

 The good news is that they don't remember NTs, and as hard as they are to witness (my dd would sob and beg me to please go find her Mommy  , she also has gotten out of bed and knocked things off her dresser...awful.), the child isn't in any danger. You're supposed to stand back and do nothing, but I could never do that....I would just repeat to her "You're safe, you're ok. You're safe....".  UGH.

 They also run in families.....any sleepwalkers or NTs in you or dh's past? In our case my sister and brothers kids had them as well.