ds wakes up screaming hysterically!

amother

Fri, Sep 03 2010, 10:08 am

DS always used to wake up so peacefully from his naps. We'd hear him start talking or singing to himself and then playing nicely before he called for us.

He just turned two, and a couple of weeks ago started waking up from his naps SCREAMING! Hysterical screaming. Even after being picked up, rocked, etc., when it seemed that he had calmed down, he would randomly start SCREAMING while playing. For no reason.

He's happy all morning until his nap. Once that nap comes, the whole afternoon is shot. Since he started preschool (about a week after this all started), the afternoon is the only time I get with him. Yesterday I tried waking him up early from his nap to see if that would help. He woke up, looked at me with this spaced out look, and just spaced for several minutes. Then suddenly he lifted his head, looked and me, and started the hysterical screaming again!

I've tried asking him about it (he's very verbal). Nothing. Just "I don't know." Does anything hurt? Did you have a dream (he knows what those are)? No.

Anyone had this? Did it ever stop? It's horrible!

zipporah

Fri, Sep 03 2010, 10:12 am

amother wrote:

Sounds like night terrors. I don't know if they can occur during nap time. 2 out 4 of my kids have them. They started at 18 months and are almost over in my 4 year old. Scary, but harmless.

amother

Fri, Sep 03 2010, 11:59 am

zipporah wrote:

amother wrote:

Sounds like night terrors. I don't know if they can occur during nap time. 2 out 4 of my kids have them. They started at 18 months and are almost over in my 4 year old. Scary, but harmless.

OP here.

So what do you do? And do they really last for that long after they wake up? It's not like he screams for a minute or two and then goes on with his day. He's in a horrible mood almost all day afterwards. And he'll often start randomly screaming even half an hour after he's gotten out of his crib.

Is that really normal?

yOungM0mmy

Fri, Sep 03 2010, 12:50 pm

My 2 year old had this as well. I finally realised that he needs more time to wake up by himself. When I would hear him start to cry, I'd go in and get him straight away, and then would have to spend the next half hour at least holding him, and he'd be completely irrational, not know what he wants, wouldn't let me put him down...
So I started waiting with him in his room for a bit, hugging him while he was still standing in his bed, and then ask him if he's ready to come out yet, or wants to wait a little bit more (he's also very verbal). Now he gets out of bed by himself, but giving him that extra time to wake up by himself seemed to help.