Children Waking in the Night Crying/not Able to Soothe

I'm definately not an expert, but it sounds like night terrors to me. My neice had this problem as well. Does your daughter have a "typical" time that she does this? My niece was a bit like clockwork as far as when she would wake and have these terrors, so they were instructed to wake her just before she would normally have one - just enough to know she is awake and put her back down. She would normally go right back to sleep and not have the night terror. I don't remember how long it took before the cycle was broken, but it did work for them. And the few minutes of being up as the parent definately beat the hour or so they were up previously.

GL.

I have no idea what you have tried but thought I would throw this out. My girlfriend had a problem like this with her sons and was told that he was too exposed to digital media, i.e. movies, cartoons, video games, etc. She cut the boys down to 1/2 hour or less per day and found pretty good success. I also have had a similar problem with my daughter and my doctor told me to let her cry it out. He said the first few nights it could take hours the first few nights but after 5 to 7 days the behavior should stop. Now the only thing that is a bummer is he said that once they are two they have typically established a certain type of sleeping pattern that cannot be reversed. So I am not sure if it would work in your situation.

My last thought would be to go to a nutritionist. Our food now days (even organic) is so contaminated and messed up with whatever that sometimes, we are messing with our children and don't even know it. They have actually linked behavior problems and sleep disorders with the food we eat. So it is worth a try.

Good luck!

My daughter did this as well. One night when we had guests in the house, I took her out to the van to let her scream it out as to not bother everybody. While we were out there I asked her what do you want (about the 300th time I asked) and she looked at me and yelled, "I want my binky!!". I was floored, she hadn't had her pacifier in about 6 months. I told her fine, lets go get one in the morning, we couldnt go right then I told her because someone was parked behind us. She looked at that and said yes, lets go in the morning. Later when she was awake, I told her what she said and she giggled. She had no idea...and she said no, she didnt want to go get one, she was a big girl. That was the last night we had the night terrors. So after all that, while your daugheter is awake, try to see if there is something underlying that is bothering her. I know they may not know, but something to keep your eyes out for. Ours only lasted for about 4 months, but felt like FOREVER :-) Good luck!!!

Sounds like it could be night terrors. One of my sons did this. He didn't even seem like he was awake except he was screaming/crying and his eyes were open. He wouldn't respond to questions and if we tried touching him, he would get angry. We would just sit in there with him - sometimes it would take 15-20 (that was a bad episode for us) before he would come out of it. Then at least he would let us rub his back or talk to him as he calmed down.

Hi K.--
I'm so sorry for what you are going through--it sounds tough. I have two boys who are both sensitive to lots of food and environmental allergies and this has caused lots of sleep and behavior issues. I found two doctors, chiropractors by degree, that also do all kinds of natural health things. Everything from NET (neuro-emotional technique), homeopathy, herbs, nutrition, allergy testing and allergy elimination treatments, and the list goes on. I swear they have saved my older son's health and all of our sanity. If you are interested in going an alternative route I would highly recommend it. Our pediatrician told me I would just have to deal with the digestive problems, the rashes, the sleep issues...these docs offered me real solutions. I'm happy to talk more in depth so you can figure out if this sounds good to you. I really believe either one or both of these doctors together could make a gigantic difference in your life. Or, I'm happy to share with you what I have learned about naturally treating anxiety, sleep issues, digestion issues, etc.
Good luck!
J.

It sounds like night terrors, with perhaps a genetic predisposition. Have you talked to your doctor about a referral to a sleep clinic? Not that your kids need a sleep study, but this is a specialized area where if you could visit with a physician trained in this field you would probably receive the best help. Good luck!
A.