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Child Behavior (Expert Forum)
Extreme bedtime anxiety/freak-out
Answered by
Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D. - Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy, Family Therapy, Crisis Intervention
Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates
This forum is for questions and support regarding child behavior issues such: Child Discipline (behavior management), Normal Child Development, Parent-Child Communications, Social Development
Extreme bedtime anxiety/freak-out
by chubbs77, Jun 21, 2009 10:03PM
Our 2 year old son, has started to dread bedtime. Gets worked up about it from supper-time on. I'm not just talking about a bit of crying, I mean full-on screaming at the top of his lungs as if he's in extreme pain, shaking, sweating, crying, shouting mommy/daddy, banging his legs/feet in his crib, extreme freak-out that lasts from 10 minutes to well over an hour. It is so bad that we don't even think of EVER bringing him overnight ANYWHERE. This has been going on every single night for over 2 months. We've had him to doctors/emergency rooms--they say he's OK.
We've tried everything we can think of and had suggested to us. We tried re-assurance at regular intervals during his tantrums, we've tried to "just let him cry it out"--that one was over a 2 hour episode! We tried a different room, a big-boy bed instead of his crib, we've discussed the hysterics with our child and re-assured him every single day. We have also put him to bed without discussing bedtime, with discussing bedtime, explaining we all need sleep.
Our home is very loving, we are close as a couple, and do not argue. Our son has had no traumatic event occur in his life, things are stable and mostly well routined. He got a new baby brother 5 months ago, but has been in night-time hysterics for about 2 months now. Our pediatrician suggested anti-anxiety drugs. Is this right?
PLEASE HELP US!!! We are at our wits-end and cannot listen to our child scream-out like this anymore- we need to help him stop this extreme condition.
We've tried everything we can think of and had suggested to us. We tried re-assurance at regular intervals during his tantrums, we've tried to "just let him cry it out"--that one was over a 2 hour episode! We tried a different room, a big-boy bed instead of his crib, we've discussed the hysterics with our child and re-assured him every single day. We have also put him to bed without discussing bedtime, with discussing bedtime, explaining we all need sleep.
Our home is very loving, we are close as a couple, and do not argue. Our son has had no traumatic event occur in his life, things are stable and mostly well routined. He got a new baby brother 5 months ago, but has been in night-time hysterics for about 2 months now. Our pediatrician suggested anti-anxiety drugs. Is this right?
PLEASE HELP US!!! We are at our wits-end and cannot listen to our child scream-out like this anymore- we need to help him stop this extreme condition.
Doctor's Answer
by Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D., Jun 22, 2009 05:10AM
, Jun 22, 2009 05:10AM
There is no need to use medication with a two-year-old, and please do not place him in a bed. His crib is the right place to be. Folow the guidance in Richard Ferber's book Solve Your Child's Sleep Problem and you will be on solid footing. While it might seem to you like this will go on forever, it will not. It is not an unusual problem for a child this age, though your son stands out re: the intensity of the response.
