# Help please 24 month old suddenly waking at night crying



## Strong Mama (Feb 7, 2006)

Hi, I am new to these boards and need some help please or advice. My 2 year old son(well he will be 2 next week) has always slept through the night since 2 months old. I have never had to even think of CIO, nor have I ever had to do anything to get him to sleep, he just lays down and goes to sleep. He would only ever wake when sick or teething(both things rare, as teething never has really seemed to bother him, maybe one or two night wakings and he is rarely sick). He used to be the perfect sleeper. He has been in his own crib since 3 months as he hates the family bed,it makes him hyper and he likes his space. My problem with him has been going on for one month now. He is waking at either 1am or 4am crying out for maybe 30 secs. I hold my breath, the crying stops and I doze back off. I think it is just a cry out in the sleep as they do sometimes . Just as I doze, he does it again, the same type of cry. It is hard to decipher what the cry means, as to be honest my son has hardly ever cried. This is what is getting at me. Something has to be wrong for him to do this. These crying episodes will last anywhere from 30 mins to 2 hours on off crying. Me going in and checking, cuddling, covering. I have tried to bring him into my bed, doesnt work. I am so tired, but thats not what is bothering me. I want to know what is wrong. I thought it was his nap..he normally naps 3-4 hours a day, so I cut the nap to 2 hours yesterday. He slept through last night so I thought the problem was solved. But tonight he has been up for 2 hours so far with the crying episodes. He only napped 1 1/2 hours today. He woke at 6am napped from 2-3 30 and went to bed at his normal time of 7. Nothing has changed in his life, there are no problems, except for he is talking more and more these days. He could be teething, but I wouldnt know. He is fine in the day and naps fine in the day. There are no temper problems. I dont know what is wrong with him. Anyone have any ideas.?? It is not night terrors, btw. Which he has had before in the past.


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## merpk (Dec 19, 2001)

Totally out of left field, but it was an issue for us years ago with DS#1 ... does he see TV at all? Sometimes even if you don't think they're watching anything scary, it's overwhelming for them, and they have bad dreams from it. Even the most benign kids shows can disturb their sleep.

We turned it off, it stopped. Abruptly.

Something to try ...


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## Strong Mama (Feb 7, 2006)

You know, I was thinking that last night!!!! He doesnt really *watch* TV at all. He likes to watch VHI







(yeah i know weird) but because he loves music, but the TV is on quite a lot and has been on a LOT more lately these past 5 days as daddy has been home off work for a little break and he is a tv addict. Its hard to get away from the tv because we live in a small apartment, in the winter, in england, with no yard. During the day I am always out and about if poss with ds so the tv is not really an issue. But that really could be the problem, I just didnt know if bad dreams could occur at this age. Great idea, thanks so much!!!!


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## mamajama (Oct 12, 2002)

This is an age when their little imaginations begin to expand and along with their greater desire for independence, comes a little bit more fear as well. They begin to become more aware of the greater world outside themselves and develope an incling that perhaps that world may possibly not revolve around them afterall. A scary thought for all of us when we're reminded of that







.
You mentioned that his vocabulary is expanding as well. Often kids go through periods of restlessness when they're scaling a milestone. It's probably a combination of these factors.

Does he pee in the night? I'm thinking that perhaps he's starting to hold the pee in maybe? (I'm brainstorming here, bear with me







)

In any case, it sounds like you're very in tune with your child and you're doing an excellent job in the way you're responding to his needs.
Welcome to MDC by the way!


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## awnja (Sep 1, 2004)

pee's a new issue here... but dd has never slept well anyway..

sigh.


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## Strong Mama (Feb 7, 2006)

hmm it could be pee...we have started a first *step* toward potty training over the last few weeks. Though I havent started the actual take your diaper off put big boy pants on yet, (was waiting for this nightime issue to resolve first) I have been taking him with me to the potty every time and showing him about pee pee, etc and he has been sitting on the potty once before bathtime(though not peeing in it i might add lol). He has never really had an issue with it before(peeing in the night) but that could be it. He has woken again right on 4am this morning and it is now 5am. I do not know if I should contact the doctor about it or what. Poor baby.







Thanks for all the replies!!


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## neveryoumindthere (Mar 21, 2003)

yup...was just coming here to post it may be he needs to pee..right around thetime dd potty learned she was getting up at night sobbing (LOUD)
i had rememberd a friend telling me her ds did the same thing when he needed to pee....so one night when she 'got up' (doesnt fully awake) i took her to her potty, sat her on it and she peed and i just took her back to bed. she stayed asleep the whole time

try it. if that's not it, check out other possibilities

HTH


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## awnja (Sep 1, 2004)

Dd also did that when she was getting her first two molars and when she got her first and only ear infection. If he's clingy or grumpy during the day I'd check with doc, otherwise I wouldn't suspect a medical issue. Everyone with a toddler, that I know, has had the 4am screaming at some point. It COULD just go away all by itself.

If its the potty thing, how cool for you to have a boy that is sensitive to that-- I know its stereotyping, but it seems that many boys just don't care what they're sitting in!








If he's not far along in potty learning, you may want to just back off a little and only discuss the toilet in the morning. I almost had dd toilet trained by 17 mos, but it was too tough on both of us, and I was dreading an upcoming road trip. So I decided to get her comfortable with diapers again, backing way off and just telling her that its good to go pee and poop in either the diaper or the toilet -- that's what they are both for. Now she's almost 22 mos and its going so much better! When she wakes up crying she shouts, "side!" (request to roll to other breast) and flips around a bunch, wants to go downstairs (I refuse because that got into a bad habit for a while) and I finally say, do you want to go to the toilet? And she sobs, "YEAH!" and signs it. So we go, her diaper is bone dry and she pees a bunch. I get mixed feelings about this because its a great accomplishment for her, but yet ANOTHER reason to be awake in the middle of the night.


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## Strong Mama (Feb 7, 2006)

Hi thanks everyone. Its molars. We went to the docs today and she felt the gums and its the top molars. HOpefully he will get through it soon! Thanks!


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