Good sleeper becomes night time nightmare

[Polly D]

My son will be 2 in February and has recently become a nightmare at night time. Sure/hope it's just his age and a phase, and maybe molars though I can't feel anything. Anyone else going through a similar stage?

He's got really clingy in the daytime and wants a 'carry' everywhere. He had a nasty cough and cold before Xmas which is still lingering a bit, lots of infections: eye, ear, throat etc and then the antibiotics left him with an inflammed willy (sorry if too much info). So I daresay he's just feeling fed up and run down - aren't we all?! But he's always been a good sleeper, even when ill, and now he's waking up screaming in the night and starting the day screaming in the morning, when in the past he would wake happily and chat to his bedmates - cow, bunny etc!

When we dp go to him in the night he's fine, I mean once he's been reassured. He's usually able to tell me when something is wrong during the day, as in he can communicate quite well, but at night when I ask him he just says 'cuddle'. My husband and I are having those stressy hushed irritated 2am conversations: 'don't go to him', 'shall we just leave him', 'what's wrong?!' agggggh!

Apologies for the waffle.

[number 2]

i think my son went through exactly the same thing this summer when he would've been about the same age. very clingy when we had to change childminder and basically waking up every night for the whole of the 6 weeks summer holiday. i think, in retrospect, it was his canine teeth coming through. they must have been bothering him for weeks and weeks. i would say it's just a stage. he'll get over it. but in the meantime do whatever you need to get by and good luck!

[new mother]

Poor little one. Assume you have tried painkillers, teething powder etc even though there is no sign of teeth bothering him?

[Keef]

My daughter has had a bad run of it with illness since early November, and up until a couple of days ago, had become totally clingy, and wanted to be held all the time. Then she suddenly seemed to come through it, and is back to her happier self. So hopefully he's just feeling grotty and will be over it soon...

[Polly D]

Thanks guys. Yep - he's been having a dose of calpol at night, most nights, yet is still waking screaming a few hours after going to bed at 7.30pm. Has been going on for over a week now. Last night he got so worked up he coughed and coughed and was sick in his bed. My husband thinks he's after attention but I don't see why he would suddenly feel the need for that in the middle of the night (and he's much more cheerful in the day now but still quite clingy). Sometimes he tells me has an itchy ear which could be an indication of the teeth but apart from that, no obvious teething signs: spotty bum/dodgy nappies etc. Does this change the older the child gets?

[Ole]

Hi, have you asked his GP to check his ears for infection? My eldest nephew had something similar, he was 4 and would be fine during the day, smiley, happy and chatty etc etc, but once in bed he would cry and scream for hours until my sister in law took him to the GP and they discovered an ear infection of biblical proportions!!! Lying down would make the pain of an ear infection much worse, so maybe that is why it is only at night, and once the Calpol wears off.

[Polly D]

Hi Ole

I do suspect, from previous experiences, that it could be an ear infection but he had one at Xmas and had a course of anti-biotics for it. Maybe it hasn't cleared up.

Oh dear.

P