Toddler screaming all night

[Anonymous]

Another vote for cosleeping, if you feel like that’s an option.

[Anonymous]

This is OP- thanks for all the replies, I genuinely appreciate it. To answer some questions:

1. The 7 PM bedtime is because she wakes up from 5-6 AM no matter what time she falls asleep. 9 PM? 5AM. 7 PM? 5 AM. So we try to do as early as possible to make sure she gets a decent stretch.

2. I don't think she's hungry or thirsty, she has a sippy cup full of water and doesn't ask for food or eat a massive breakfast when she wakes up. But tonight we are going to try to give her Greek yogurt and a banana before bed.

3. The issue isn't that we don't ~want~ to go in and soothe her, it's that it doesn't seem to help. If we stay in there she doesn't go back to sleep, if we leave she still screams. It's like a no win situation

I'm going to call some pediatric sleep specialists today and try to get in somewhere. Will also try to tank her up full of food tonight and give her some Advil.

Thanks for everyone's advice. We are just so sleep deprived. I. Any believe she's two and we're still up all night.

[Anonymous]

She sounds miserably overtired. How is her nap, OP? I’m so sorry!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:She sounds miserably overtired. How is her nap, OP? I’m so sorry!

She naps from 12:30-2:30, maybe once a week she refuses. Nights that she does sleep through (2 a week maybe) she sleeps from 7-5/6

[Anonymous]

You have all my sympathy.

My situation was not nearly as bad, but the thing that finally got my girl to put herself back to sleep without waking me up was a modified version of this bedtime ticket technique: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/become-your-childs-sleep-coach/201908/try-bedtime-tickets-easier-bedtime-your-child

I gave her a ticket when I left the room at bedtime. If she still had the ticket in the morning, she got a couple animal crackers. If she wanted to wake me up at night, she had to give me the ticket. It took about a month, and lots of tears shed over strictly enforced ticket rules, but she finally got the hang of it. Who knows, maybe it can help you. Good luck.

[Anonymous]

My now almost 3 year old goes through episodes like this frequently. The issue for him is one of disrupted sleep cycles. If he gets too much sleep or too little sleep or gets over tired from skipping a nap, his night sleep is effed and he is wide awake from 3 to 6 and then falls back into a deep sleep (if we try to get him up, he will fall asleep on the floor at some point in the morning). He doesn't scream but he does laugh and play loudly for hours regardless of intervention or lack there of. Cosleeping does nothing to help him fall asleep or stay asleep. It's frustrating and has made sleep management a full time job for us.

We've tried everything over the past year and the only thing that gets consistent sleep for more than a day or two is a rigid schedule that maximizes physical activity, a nap pretty much exactly an hour and a half, and a firmly set bed and wake up time (7:30 pm and 6:30 am).

My oldest was a terrible napper but a champion night sleeper so this has been a struggle. Good luck. I truly hope it is just a phase for your daughter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She sounds miserably overtired. How is her nap, OP? I’m so sorry!

She naps from 12:30-2:30, maybe once a week she refuses. Nights that she does sleep through (2 a week maybe) she sleeps from 7-5/6

So that’s 12-13 hours of sleep. Plenty for a 2 year old. Does she tend to sleep better at night after a good nap day or worse?

[Anonymous]

As a former sleep deprived parent for the first four years of my DD‘s life, I completely understand how you’re feeling. It’s so frustrating. Our pediatrician finally told us to do whatever necessary to make sure as many people in the household were sleeping more, even if that meant cosleeping. For our DD, that worked like a charm. Not that this is likely to happen for you, but later even our her daughter was sleeping on her own she had other issues like a night terrors and sleepwalking. For some kids it’s more than just needing a “routine”, incentives or tough love.

[Anonymous]

Night terrors?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Night terrors?

https://www.hopkinsallchildrens.org/Patients-Families/Health-Library/HealthDocNew/Night-Terrors

[Anonymous]

I’m
Not OP but my 2 year old does the same.

Honestly none of these suggestions seem that helpful, which makes me think that this is actually a semi-impossible problem to solve.

In my case, I’ve already tried night light/white noise/Tylenol (for molars)/melatonin/etc.

I’m totally open to co sleeping but my child never goes to sleep, he just wants to keep interacting/playing and will literally jump on the bed all night and never go back to sleep.

The sleep ticket or sticker chart would never work on my 2 year old. He’s only recently turned 2 and doesn’t understand consequences or rewards beyond the immediate moment.

So if we go to a doctor, what will they offer us? I’d be surprised if they have any magic we didn’t try yet.

[Anonymous]

Have you been to the doctor and ruled out ear infection or GERD?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is OP- thanks for all the replies, I genuinely appreciate it. To answer some questions:

1. The 7 PM bedtime is because she wakes up from 5-6 AM no matter what time she falls asleep. 9 PM? 5AM. 7 PM? 5 AM. So we try to do as early as possible to make sure she gets a decent stretch.

2. I don't think she's hungry or thirsty, she has a sippy cup full of water and doesn't ask for food or eat a massive breakfast when she wakes up. But tonight we are going to try to give her Greek yogurt and a banana before bed.

3. The issue isn't that we don't ~want~ to go in and soothe her, it's that it doesn't seem to help. If we stay in there she doesn't go back to sleep, if we leave she still screams. It's like a no win situation

I'm going to call some pediatric sleep specialists today and try to get in somewhere. Will also try to tank her up full of food tonight and give her some Advil.

Thanks for everyone's advice. We are just so sleep deprived. I. Any believe she's two and we're still up all night.

Just a thought (and my sympathies). At that age, 6:30 was the magic bedtime for us. If the kid was in the bed at 6:30, he slept until 6:30. If we missed it, getting to sleep was a nightmare and he woke much, much earlier in the morning. It may seem counterintuitive, but the earlier he went to bed, the longer and better he slept.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Night terrors?

https://www.hopkinsallchildrens.org/Patients-Families/Health-Library/HealthDocNew/Night-Terrors

This doesn't sound like night terrors. I'm the pp with the almost three year old with sleep cycle issues. My other child has occasional night terrors but that doesn't result in extended waking like op describes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m
Not OP but my 2 year old does the same.

Honestly none of these suggestions seem that helpful, which makes me think that this is actually a semi-impossible problem to solve.

In my case, I’ve already tried night light/white noise/Tylenol (for molars)/melatonin/etc.

I’m totally open to co sleeping but my child never goes to sleep, he just wants to keep interacting/playing and will literally jump on the bed all night and never go back to sleep.

The sleep ticket or sticker chart would never work on my 2 year old. He’s only recently turned 2 and doesn’t understand consequences or rewards beyond the immediate moment.

So if we go to a doctor, what will they offer us? I’d be surprised if they have any magic we didn’t try yet.

OP here- we have the same kid. It's not that she needs us to sleep, it's that she won't sleep. The screaming is because she wants someone to come in and hang out with her. Just incredibly low sleep drive.

Last night was better! We have her a bigger cup of milk at bedtime (before teeth brushing) and she ate a banana with dinner. Who knows though. I just tell myself someday she'll be 15 and won't get out of bed till 11.