15 Month Old Screaming in Middle of Night

He could have an ear infection and you would not know. My son got them all the time, and never showed symptoms like fever, etc. except that he use to wake up much earlier, and then a few days later start eating less. So I would take him to the pedi and sure enough, ear infection. Also, I think it could be to young for night terrors, but never know. When putting him to sleep for the night try to remind him of the fun things he did that day, so that those memories will be the last thing he's thinking about when he falls to sleep. Also, try not to have the news on, or anything violent during the day that he can see. Those visuals can come back in their dreams.

Good Luck!!

Hi C.,

My eldest son has nightmares that would awaken him due to foods he could not tolerate. When we discovered his food problems and eliminated them, he was able to get peaceful sleep. Could it be nightmares?

Another respondent's suggestion about the possibility of constipation is another possible cause.

Good luck. Hope you all get some peaceful sleep!
: ) Maureen

Is he going through a growth spurt? ... He may be just hungry.
Belly ache? ... Distended belly might indicate gas or constipation. Does broccoli, food in that family, or beans/legumes affect him? Maybe something is disagreeing with his belly.
Teething? ... Our son usually was fussy during the day, tugging at his ears, and pronounced diaper rash when he was teething.
Nightmares or night terrors? ... He might be too young for those, but you never know.

My gut says hungry from a growth spurt, but what do I know? : P

Good luck! I agree with Kelly that it's not likely he's trying to manipulate you at that time of night, especially if he doesn't normally do this.

Why not just let him sleep in your bed? Try the Dr. Sears Sleep book. He also may be hungry.

Do you think he may be teething? When my daughter is teething she cannot sleep and will cry and cry. She just went through that with her molars coming in. We use Hyland Teething tablets and our pediatrician also recommended infant tylenol to help. It made a difference. Good luck!

C., its so hard to deal with exhaustion as a mom. Maybe teething, maybe constipation; does his tummy feel hard at all? My son had a similar incident after several days of eating kidney beans as part of his lunch(I know, weird, but he loves them) so we cut them out for awhile. In my opinion,I don't think kids at this age are being controlling at that time of night. He probably enjoys the comfort and warmth of sleeping between mom and dad so if its an option, he'll take it! Best! K. =)

This sounds like my son he is 23 months old he was up all night screaming it turns out he has a sinus infection that was causing this. If he's been sick you probably should go to the ped to rule out an ear infection or sinus infection they don't always run fevers w/ these.

I don't have an answer for you but wanted to say my 17 month old son has done the same thing off and on for a couple of months now. He just did it again last night. For him I think it is teeth, or a nightmare. I have also considered separation anxiety. He always sleeps 7-7 with out making a sound and if he does happen to wake up he gets himself back down by turning his music on. Last night at 3 am he woke up crying and after 10 minutes was just getting more upset, which is so not like him. We broke down and brought him into bed with us- and then none of us sleep well. Not sure what is going on. But I thought you might appreciate knowing it seems normal and you are not alone. It will be nice when they can tell us...my belly hurts, my teeth hurt etc. Until then we just have to guess...
Good luck!
L.

He doesn't have an ear infection does he? (Kids with ear infections don't always have a fever)If he's had a cold in the last 2 weeks you might want to consider a visit to the dr's. Have them rule out the ears and sinus infection deal.I don't think that your son is trying to take atvantage it sounds like he is hurting.
good luck
Mom to 4 between 7yrs and 14yrs