Im not sure if its just teething pain or a growth spurt but for a good 2 weeks my 19 month old was waking up screaming at night and wanted to get up...so i brought him downstairs and he would eventually calm down and sit on my lap until he fell asleep...but I wasnt allowed to lay him down even in my arms until he was dead asleep. He also would start to doze off and then wake up suddenly and start crying again. Hes been better now but still has the occasional random night, but Im still not sure what the issue was...I researched night terrors, nightmares etc and best I can tell it might be something called night confusion....or it could just be teeth...who knows. Point is, while it was happening I was begining to think he would never sleep normally and it was exhausing...so I just wanted to say IT DOES GET BETTER, just incase anyone else is having the same issue!

It can definitely be frustrating when your kid can't sleep!  My 2 year old has had difficulties sleeping through the night off and on since he was a baby.  We recently went through a rough patch, but he's sleeping great now.  We've started rewarding good sleeping at night by giving him a sticker in the morning and making a big deal about what a great job he did sleeping and how good he must feel.  It might just be a coincidence, but his sleeping really did seem to vastly improve when we started the positive reinforcement.  Anyways, it's an idea to try if your kid is having trouble sleeping and is old enough to understand that the reward is something to look forward to if he sleeps all through the night.  (Of course, if your kid is having night terrors or nightmares, that's a totally different situation...)

Jay Getfield wrote:

Kimberly O'Malley wrote:Im not sure if its just teething pain or a growth spurt but for a good 2 weeks my 19 month old was waking up screaming at night and wanted to get up...so i brought him downstairs and he would eventually calm down and sit on my lap until he fell asleep...but I wasnt allowed to lay him down even in my arms until he was dead asleep. He also would start to doze off and then wake up suddenly and start crying again. Hes been better now but still has the occasional random night, but Im still not sure what the issue was...I researched night terrors, nightmares etc and best I can tell it might be something called night confusion....or it could just be teeth...who knows. Point is, while it was happening I was begining to think he would never sleep normally and it was exhausing...so I just wanted to say IT DOES GET BETTER, just incase anyone else is having the same issue!

 

My twin toddlers (22 months) both get up during the wee hours of the morning but not at the same time. Of course. They cry for short periods, usually less than 15 seconds, but  continually throughout their entire sleep at night they moan, and toss and turn. One gets up between 2 and 4 while the other gets up between 4:30 and 6:30. Interestingly the crying and the moaning doesn't wake the other child up but of course they both wake me up ...with every whimper, moan and cry. More times than not, they continue to sleep but on the odd occasion, the moaning or whimpering or short cry turns into loud wailing at which time I reluctantly get out of bed and go get him to calm him down. Placing him in my bed usually calms them down. But for my own sanity and safety, I can only handle one of them at a time in my bed. Their nudging and kicking  doesn't seem to be conducive to peaceful sleep since I am often trying to protect my ribs, or head, or stomach.

All jokes aside: Ear infections, throat infections or congestion due to the onset of a cold are also reasons for tossing, short bursts of crying since they are often in pain or some degree of discomfort. Always check for rising temperature and watch for them patting their ears vigorously.

OUCH!!! I think it would almost be better for you if they both woke up at the same time...atleast then you wouldnt be up all night!