2.5 Year Old Wakes up at Night Screaming and Wanting to Get Out of His Crib...

He's probably having nightmares... my daughter has been the same way the past few months... she's almost 2... and i was reading this book called "the secret lives of toddlers" and it made a lot of sense... aned helped a lot... what might help is a little nightlight... (we leave the bathrook light on now in my daughter's room) or if he has too many toys in his room try taking it out... because sometimes when the wake up at night.. they think they're real and get freaked out... (this worked for my cousin's daughter as well)... and the only other thing is to wait it out... because it could also have to do with separation anxiety as well (which is what her doctor told me...)

It could be night terrors or separation anxiety.

You've made progress with your son demonstrating his ability to sleep on his own...I cannot advocate co-sleeping at this stage, but I do have a suggestion! My hunch is that his active little 2 1/2 year-old imagination is taking him to scary places...why not try a night light? If he's fond of the moon, the "Moon in My Room" is a great gadget. If you start letting him sleep with you, you'll have a whole new set of problems several months from now when he won't go back to his bed....that said, my 2 year old recently went through this sudden awakening during the night. I acknowledged him by entering his room with a small cup of water, which is usually what he wanted, hugs and kisses without taking him out of his crib, soft but firm whispers of encouragement to go back to sleep - minimal talking/stimulation. Worked nearly every time, lasted about a month, now we're over it. Good luck! (There is usually a way to compromise without ignoring your child's needs or letting them control you....it's a little give and take!)

H.,

Check the temperature in the room. The night terrors could be from getting too hot. My husband of 47 still has them when he's overheated and my son is the same way.

Our 2 year old has never been a good sleeper so I feel your pain.

M.

We are having the same issue with one our almost 2.5 year old twins. She is currently getting her 2 year molars and I think that is what's causing our trouble. I have been giving her teething tablets or Tylenol if it seems really bad.

Hi H.,
My daughter is 18 months and we haven't had the trouble you are describing. However, I have two thoughts on the matter. First, I'm wondering if at age 2.5 your son should still be sleeping in a crib versus a toddler bed? I don't know what the research says on the topic. I was told to try at 18 months so we did and my daughter does fine in her toddler bed. Maybe your son wakes up scared and feels trapped in the crib?
My second thought is that my neighbors have a 3 year old and at around age 2.5, he started waking up with "night terrors" once or twice a week and would be through the same behaviors your described...afraid to go back to bed, wanting to be with mommy and daddy, etc. They said there was really no way to "cure" them, he just outgrew it. Lasted about 6 months.
M.

Hi H.. I have a 2.5 year old also and I am a holistic nutrition, practicing nutritional medicine or naturopathic medicine... The body has a circadian rhythym, so each hour at which they awake means something. If your child awakes between 3-4 am it is usually a liver issue. Liver and adrenals work together, so the adrenals is the awaking panicked. Likely your child's body is fighting off a toxin or bacteria or something like that (scary but little kids get parasites, just like adults and this often is a digestive, liver and kidney issue!) So, if your child awakes at the same time, you need to get him balanced again or you will deal with this for a long time to come. If you treat it, herbally and nutritionally (all non-invasive things that have the side effects of more energy, better sleep, happier and overall much healthier) then this can improve in just a day, and can completely be reversed in as little as a month...If you do not work on this holistically, you will likely get no medical answers, or at some point get counseling, which often does not help either. They might give you medication, like ADD or other types, so further aggravating the true problem.

We see many kids, moms, families, etc at our facility. The results are phenomenal and fast...because we use QRA, non-inivasive highly accurate techniques to precisely prescribe the nutrients for balancing and clearing any toxicity or infection. You can check on our website or read our brochure (also on our website). If you go to March 20 beach reporter, there's a coupon for 15% off sessions in March.

At 2.5, I have already treated my son for 2 parasites! He had some sleep issues too, because he hit his head hard twice as a 1 year old, and that jolted his meridian for the gall bladder which thoroughly affects falling asleep and deep sleep. He's totally cleared, via the nutritional remedies at Creative Nutrition & Wellness, he's an amazing sleeper and everyone comments on how well behaved he is and intelligent. Remember, you are what you eat, so if you take nutrients which are from food (and we use the highest purity supplements available) then true healing can occur.

Good luck whatever you do.

Namaste,
J. Eltman, MPH, RD
Preventive & Therapeutic Holistic Health
www.CreativeNutrition.com
1.877.5.EATWELL
Author: The NO DIET Diet: Healthy Meals in 5 Minutes

I would take your child to a good Naturopath or Chiropractor and get him checked. Children always have a good reason for waking up like this and it is not just to torture their parents! They just can't communicate their needs. I can think of many reasons for this--spine out of place, food allergy causing indigestion, ear issues. According to Chinese medicine, digestion takes place at night,and organs are busy doing their work, so sleep issues are often a sign of digestive difficulty. For a good practitioner check at www.StandardProcess.com I have treated this issue in many children, so I am confident it just needs a sort out.

Dr. A. Dunev

Hi H.,

I have a 4 1/2 yr old who does the same thing (wakes up in the middle of the night crying, no, SCREAMING blood-curdling cries! I feel so bad for him because I'm sure they are just bad dreams but he can't even be awoken out of them. I try to rub his back or hug him firmly so he knows he O.K. but really he just cries himself out of it. And, unlike your son, he does sleep with me so your son's problem is just because he's alone. I know this isn't really advice, but at least you know you are not alone... if that's any consolation. :( Good luck.

hi H.,
i have read, and was told by our pediatrician, that sometimes night wakings can be food allergy related. so, when it happens to us for more than a night or two, i look to whats new in my sons diet. for a while we found out is was wheat (he did eventually grow out of that one thank goodness!).
otherwise, other mothers have told me that this happens and can be just a part of where they are at developmentally.
also, i was told to try a nightlight.

H.,

I have a 2005 November baby as well. He JUST went/is going through this same thing, as well as other sleep issues, including skipping his nap (3 week strike!), or when he does take a nap, not going to bed until midnight. I am reading The Baby Whisperer Solves All Your Problems, by Tracy Hogg, and the FIRST time I tried her techniques, he was asleep for his nap within 15 minutes. AMAZING! I suggest reading on child sleep issues and see if you can't find a solution from the many authors out there.

I do believe this age is a phase of emotional development. My son seems to recognize emotions now, and feels them more intensely. For example, today he saw Lion King, and when Mufasa died, he recognized and talked about it. He got a really sad face and said, "Daddy hurt. Feeling sad." An hour or so after Lion King, he sat at the table with the same sad face, and I could tell he was thinking about it again. I asked him about it, and sure enough, he was said over Mufasa. This is just an example; all of his emotions are more extreme and he recognizes them as sad, happy, etc.
All of this leads me to believe he is just feeling his regular emotions more intensely; i.e. if he wakes up and is scared of the dark, he is intensely scared, or if he misses his mom (also developmentally normal right now), he misses you very intensely.

What worked for me: I do the normal bedtime routine (bath & book), then ask him to go to his bed or lay him down, then I lay down next to him on the floor to let him know I am right there with him. Sometimes he wants me to hold his hand. Within 10-15 minutes, he is asleep. After I know he is asleep, I leave the room. After a few nights, all I had to do was ask him to go to his bed. Maybe the fact that I was right there with him when he went to sleep comforts him enough to get him through the night. A bit of info: My son is in a toddler bed, so he knows he can come and get us if he needs to. We bought him a night light and that helped tremendously as well.

Each child is different, but just try to be as compassionate as you can and show love, even when you are frustrated and at your wits' end. You have received a lot of interesting answers; good luck!!

I think it's probably normal. Our almost 2.5 year old also wakes up like clockwork at 4:30am, wide awake, telling us "I don't wanna go bed". She actually tends to wake up one or two other times, but is more sleepy and just seems to be calling us. We do manage to get her back to sleep very quickly by A) giving her more milk (we actually prepare a bottle in advance and just have it on her nightstand, ready) and B) actually crawling into bed with her for a few moments (she sleeps in a double bed). Sometimes it's just that her covers fell off. With this type of comforting, she's back in dreamland within seconds.

Have you had other issues in your home, like funny noises, etc. Perhaps you should have a medium come to your home to check out the energy in your home. Perhaps he's having nightmares or is encountering an energy.

I know we don't like to believe in such, but it's worth a shot.

YES!! I had the same problem with my daughter at exactly the same age only much worse. It started after a trip we took. It was like she was having massive anxiety. Obviously it's age related. She refused to sleep in her crib, went into hysterics and started jumping out of her crib so we had to put her in a toddler bed. Then, she wouldn't stay in it. I had to sleep on her floor or let her sleep with us for a couple of months. we also had a newborn at the time.

All I can say is, it will pass. Try to be as comforting as you can while maintaining consistency. I reminded my daughter constantly that she was safe, that it was important for everyone to get sleep and in our house, to sleep in their own bed. I eventually got her to be satisfied with me leaving her alone but "peeking" on her often. She would just fall asleep while waiting for me to peek and eventually went back tio her old sleep pattern.

I hope this helps. At least know that you're not alone and this too shall pass.

Have you had him checked for an ear infection? Our oldest son showed no signs of an ear infection except for waking crying. He also was a good sleeper, and the waking up came out of the blue. It might also be teething. Is he getting his molars? Perhaps next time it happens you can give him some Tylenol. If he goes right to sleep then you know it's pain related. I would have him checked for an ear infection just in case.

HTH!
B.

You might ask your pediatrician about night terrors. Doesn't sound like that is what it is, but probably would be good to get an expert's opinion. Good luck.

Have you considered co-sleeping ? Dr Sears has written about it in books and on his web-site.

My 3 year old sometimes has these same problems. I find she responds better when my husband goes in to her--less whining and crying. Also, she is scared of the dark. So when she wakes up we turn a small lamp on and put on her comforting music. This seems to help her fall back to sleep. This is the age where children really start developing more of an imagination and they start to have lots of fears. Maybe he is having vivid dreams that scare him. Try to cut back on tv during the day. That really helps!