Hi Mamas. My 17.5m old son has, over the last few weeks, woken up early on three morning between 4-6am just screaming. I’m talking balls-out screaming, tears, snot, the whole works. As soon as I pick him up he calms down but won’t let me put him back in his crib.

The first time I was alone and getting ready for work so I let him cry but felt like the most horrid of mothers. The second time we brought him into bed with us (he’s never co-slept) and after over and hour he fell asleep. This morning was the third time, we brought him into bed with us, he would not sleep, so we put him back in his crib and did eventually fall back asleep after a few more tears.

He’s usually a really good sleeper so this is very unusual for him. He doesn’t show any signs of being sick, and he is teething but never had this behavior while teething before. It really does seem to me like nightmares or night terrors - but everything I see online makes it seem like he’s too young for them.

I’m hoping someone who maybe went through this with their Little can provide some opinions and/or suggestions how we get through this. I’d like for him to self-soothe his way through these occurrences especially because it’s often just us in the early morning and I have to get ready for work (my husband goes into work in the very early morning). His 18m pediatrician appointment is in two weeks and I do plan on asking about this, but don’t feel that it quite warrants a call just yet.

Many thanks!