1 Yr Old Screaming at Bed Time

J.,
I have a 15 month old daughter and she did a similar thing. She has been going to bed fine ever since she was 4 months old then after a year she did the same type of thing. When They go thru milestones they have a hard time sleeping cause there brain is trying to process all the new things they can do. Also they go thru seperation Anxiety. If nothing else is wrong and she is eating and not having any other problems then it is probably just another stage she is going thru. I believe it was about a week or two and she was back to normal. Don't worry it will get better. Let me know if you have any other questions.

I would definitely check with the doctor too to make sure there's nothing going on, but if that's not the case, maybe she is over-tired? You might want to think about starting your routine even earlier. This might sound weird but I was once told that well rested kids go to sleep easier and I found it to be true with mine. I would stick firm with it though... if she screams and you give in, it's only going teach her that screaming is the answer. I would just go back in periodically for a SHORT time to sooth her and tell her gently that it's bedtime and she needs to settle down. It may take a few days, but hopefully she'll get the picture.

Oh boy did I go through this. First let me tell you, it does pass...this is just a phase. And man, it is an annoying one! heh.
My two year old did this she would bang on the door scream at the top of her lungs and slam herself into things, I couldn't leave her in there, due to the fact, she may HURT herself in there, so yeah, all you can do is try to calm her down. Maybe give her a little benadryl before bed, if that doesn't excite her, ( it is opposite in some children) and as far as reasoning goes, it is a little hard to reason with a one year old. I actually had to be present when mine fell asleep sometimes taking an hour. And then CRAWL out of the room, then she slept fine after that of course..
either way it is a phase and this too shall pass :)
Good Luck.
A..

Though my 2 daughters are both teens now, I remember the screaming when they were both about a year old. As the others said, ear infections are a possibility, ( look for tugging on the ear during the day too ) but mine never had them. So I actually turned to a book by T.Berry Brazelton. It suggested when your child screams after going to bed, go in, sooth them with words, but don't pick them up. Stay in for I think it was 5 minutes at most, then leave. If they continue screaming, let them go I believe 10 minutes, then go back in, sooth, leave. The book said within 3 nights you should see an improvement. It worked in 2 days for us. Back to sleeping through the night. The next time I had a problem was when my youngest cut her molars at 18 months. Goodness, she had some tough gums...but that too, finally remedied itself.
Just remember, it's all for the greater good. I've had so much fun with my two, & I couldn't ask for 2 better mannered teens !!!

C.

Hi J.,

It is quite a feat being a stay-at-home mom. After my son was born (he is now 2 years old), I quit my job and stayed with him for a year. I don't know about you, but I started watching soap operas (I never used to before), and time just used to fly (with the endless breast feeding, house cleaning, feeding baby,etc). We also had very few friends in the area, and I felt I very lonely, and even a little depressed. My son was also breast feeding till he was a year old, and during the days he kept feeding every 10-15 minutes. Add that to sleep deprivation, and you can see that I was a mess!

One thing I did notice were changes in sleep and eating schedules during the milestones as well.(when he turned 1 month old, 3 months, 6 months,9 months, a year,etc.)

But first check if your baby has any signs of an ear infection. Lying down will aggravate the pain, and if you lightly press on the small flap in front of his ear (they call it the tragus), she will yell if it hurts. It is also usually accompanied by high spikes of fever. I would advise calming her down when she screams (I don't believe in always just leaving a baby to calm themselves down). Maybe hold her in your arms, while rocking, singing soothing lullabies,etc. (and even lightly seeing if she rubs her ear during this time). My son also started the routine of drinking warm milk an hour or so before bed time..

Friends used to tell me to just survive till the baby becomes 2 years old, but I've realized that each stage has its own challenges( and rewards). My son (I only have one child) is now running all over, and spouting the funniest things, but I know that first year was quite a challenge.

Good luck!
Susan

I am going through the same thing now. I have a 1 year old son. He had a problem with sleeping through the night when he was about 9 months old. The doctor said he was going through a growth spurt and would start to sleep all night again. He did, but now it seems when I put him down he gets very upset and the more upset he gets the more awake he becomes. I haven't figured out what to do. He seems to be a creature of habit, so any change in his routine we have to start all over. If you get any suggestions please let me know. I would be very grateful....I could use a good night sleep again.

R.

I also think you should check for signs of an ear infection, my 9 month old was getting grumpy like that a couple of weeks ago so I took him to the doctor and he HAD an ear infection, doctor says it's from pollen. If it's out of the norm for her to be crying like that then more then likely she's not feeling well and u could save alot of aches for the both of you if u went ahead and make her an appointment with her ped. to be on the safe side.

I've delt with the same thing and I had to just put my daughter in her bed and let her scream its more or less you will power to not go to your child unless you feel somthing may be wrong, let her know how much you love her before you put her to bed and lay her down. Its really really hard to do for the first couple days because they do scream but after a while it becomes less and less, I delt with this not only with my daughter but my son as well and with both of them it worked. I do wish you the best and I hope somthing does work for you.. take care.

try some heavy(a good hard play time) activity, so she just wants to passout at the end of the day. if you can, avoid a nap in the day. this method may not work for everyday, but at least the days you can do this, you will get a good night sleep. sorry to say that this is just something that kids her age go though. she'll grow out of it. my son is 2 and he still has nights like this sometimes. you'll get used to it. remember to breath.