@stu80 I swear it was a night terror too! My son was 15 months at the time and it happened twice. Our pediatrician said that it’s rare but we are still not completely sure about babies’ dreams and when they start dreaming/nightmares. But around 15-18 months they can definitely have nightmares/terrors and finally have a reaction to it like this. My son has a lot of medical providers already in his life so the pediatrician did ask if he had a recent MRI with his neurologist and it was normal. But if it kept happening we would look more into it. Only happened 1 other time since November but my god did it scare me.
When my son was younger (around 4 months), if he ever woke up alone he would scream and cry bloody murder. If he was teething he would also wake up crying/screaming. It would start with eyes closed like he was still sleeping but a lot of times once I started rocking or soothing him he’d fully wake up and keep crying for a bit.
@deeerek07 My son has only had this happen when he’s laying in bed with me, but he’s asleep and I’m still up watching tv or doing whatever on my phone. He has his 4 month visit with his dr next week so I’m curious what she will say/recommend. I was able to record one of the times.
When he’s awake he is totally fine, and usually when he’s asleep he’s fine, so to have these episodes pop up it’s sooooo weird and I just hope his brain is ok and it’s just a bad dream. Idk what he could be dreaming about but surely they are able to somewhat dream this young, you think?
@deeerek07 We had that happen a few times. It’s so scary and took so long to get him awake and calmed. It took turning on classic Thomas if I remember correctly.
Doctor said he didn’t think it was night terrors because what could they be dreaming of. But my son was a NICU baby for a few days and I was given ketamine that put me in a horrible k hole during my c section and recovery. I know the ketamine repressed his breathing but I don’t know if he hallucinated like I did and if he did… I cannot imagine.
@sold4christ25 what a hideous thing to do to a child. I hate that there are babies out there dealing with such parents.
Do I like waking up at 2am to soothe a tired, wailing baby? No. Of course not. But there is a lovely part of me that thinks, 'Every time I do this, my baby learns that she is not alone in the dark. I will always be there for her.' And that gets me through the tired nights.
@neobondjames To me it's not even about long term consequences to be honest. (The evidence is thin and contradictive on whether exctintion-based sleep training works and whether it has long term consequences) but... for Heaven's sake this is a tiny human scared and cying for the people who literally keep her alive. She's biologically programmed to be TERRIFIED if she's alone crying and no one comes. You don't deliberately leave someone alone, screaming in terror so much that they throw up, to "teach them" something - no matter how young they are. To do this to the one vulnerable helpless person who is entirely depedent on you... that's just cold. A baby has a right to be cared for 24/7. Yes fussing happens (but fussing is not frantic crying.) Yes my child will cry if I can't attend to her immediately, but it's never deliberate.
@neobondjames The lovely part for me is when my baby cries out, then sits and waits because he knows someone is about to come and get him. Then he sinks into your arms because it’s a familiar, loving routine his come to rely on
@andee One cry and he sits in his bed and waits for me to come or his dad or brother. Other days he crawls out of the bed and comes looking. He is 22 months and has a floor bed.
If he cries more it’s usually because he is still very sleepy and wants to nurse back to sleep.
@sold4christ25 Mom to a 6 1/2 month old. I feel the same way!! I have done so much reading on baby sleep because I had no idea before having kids that it could be a struggle. It is a wild ride for sure. But after a ton of talks with my husband we have decided that we are going to treat it like all the other skills that he is developing and not push him. He will get there when he is ready. One study suggests that babies don’t learn to sleep through the night alone until they are 2 1/2, hopefully it’s before then! But if not, it is what it is, I’m here to comfort him as long as he needs me to!
@cangei2012 I wish I was told this when my first was born… the part about not pushing kiddo before he’s ready. Would have enjoyed our first years as parents much more and stressed way less.
@sold4christ25 If my 8 month old learns that mom (or anyone who cares for her) will be there for her in an instant no matter the time of day, thats more than okay with me. I think having that knowledge will give her way more confidence when exploring and trying new things. If a baby is left to figure everything out on their own, they’ll be too scared to take any risks that could ultimately help them learn and grow.
@sold4christ25 Don’t have kids if you’re not going to parent! We don’t get to “clock out” at any time of the day/night.
And I hate when they pretend it’s for the good of the baby, not them. They’re like “oh but baby will sleep so much better when they learn!”
My baby sleeps well even when she wakes 3 times. She wakes because she needs comfort, food, or a cleaning.
Not even I sleep through the night! Even last night, I felt thirsty at 3am so I got up to get a drink.
I didn’t have to cry and beg for a drink because I got it myself. My baby can’t get her own milk so I provide it, as her mom it’s my job.
To let her lay there and cry would be lazy and neglectful.
@sold4christ25 Before I had my son I was an idiot. But a friend had a baby and when I asked how she was feeling (because she had told me baby wasn’t sleeping well and she was having a tough time with it) she said this same thing to me- “I don’t even sleep through the night”. My god did that make a world of difference for me when I had my son a year later.
I wake up and need a drink. I wake up and want cuddles. Why can’t my son do that too? Especially as a small child who is learning the world.
@horsefeathers8899 And it’s not regulated at all, it could mean leaving them for 10 minutes or entire nights alone and crying. We have no threshold or boundary of what is okay.
@sold4christ25 CIO was literally invented by a group of old Victorian men who had never had to look after children, and had the ‘children should be seen and not heard’ mentality. There is ZERO scientific backing for it, in fact, healthy adults come from homes which teach them they can rely on support from care givers when they need it as children. Children are incapable of emotionally regulating themselves and rely on their parents to do it for them. I can’t even imagine letting my child cry for so long they emotionally dissociate and form an unhealthy attachment with me. Shocking people still think CIO is appropriate in this day and age!!!
@sold4christ25 My son is nearly 3 and a half and he still wakes up upset and needs me most nights. The other night he woke up at 11.30pm crying "mummy I need you" and he just wanted a cuddle. So I gave him a cuddle and he went back to sleep. My child is still allowed to need me even though he's not a baby and I will always always comfort him.
