waking up from nap in hysterics...what is this?

[tzs]

dd is 16 months and wakes up from her afternoon nap crying. this has happened regularly, although on and off, since maybe 6 months or so when she started taking a longer afternoon nap. as an baby when she woke up crying i knew she just wasn't ready yet to wake up and could usually get her back to sleep for another cycle and she'd wake up happy and babbling.

lately though she just wakes up crying no matter how long the nap and it's not like she's going back to sleep (in this case she just cries out briefly and puts herself back to sleep.)

sometimes i can walk her around and look out the window and say hi to the dog and everything is ok. 

other times it's worse but i can give her a bottle for comfort and lie down with her or sit with her and cuddle and we're a-ok.

days like today she's inconsolible. screaming and squirming around. doesn't want to be held, fights me all the way, but doesn't want to be put back down either. doesn't want a bottle, throws her lovey on the floor....nothing.

honestly today i just had to put her back in her crib and sit next to her while she cried like i haven;t heard since she was an infant....real deal cries. i think just because she had been put down for a little bit made it so that she was even more miserable so that when i picked her back up again she felt a little better and then we were able to work through it. 

sometimes i wonder if she's hungry (she eats a ton) and that's why the bottle or a snack soon after usually helps. 

sometimes i think it's just because it sucks waking up from a nap...i know i hate the feeling, i personally usually wake up feeling worse than before instead of rested.

but i don;t know what else to think....she wakes up in the am 100% happy and chatting away and being completely silly so i don't think it has anything to do with teeth or ears (she's never had a problem) or whatnot.

wise mamas....any ideas?????

[gracemamma]

I have had this issue sometimes too. Often when she is stressed about other things. It happened several times when DH was traveling and gone for 10 days.  What helped us was going outside. It seemed she needed a complete change of environment and getting her outside with the fresh air and new stimulation turned her from heart rending screaming to just looking around the world with curiosity.  Going outside was the only thing I found that worked for my DD with this issue and then with us it went away again. I think it may be a combo of stress, waking up in funky sleep cycles, with us we have food sesitivities too so this can be part of it.  This is one of those reasons that I believe parenting is sooooo not for the faint of heart. when your child is screaming in apparent pain and you can't figure out what is going on, it is enough to make you nuts.  I send big hugs and hopes that going outside or something else that completely changes the moment or environment might help for your LO too. Good luck!

[Cheshire]

My son went through a spell like that - especially if he napped later than his usual nap time.  He would wake up screaming, crying, kicking.  No consoling would help.  We just had to let him get it out of his system, sometimes it took a couple of minutes, sometimes up to half an hour for him to regulate back to himself.  I would just remind him I was there if he needed me but if I tried to do more than that it would set him off again.

It lasted off and on for about six months to a year.  I was so glad when it passed because it is so hard to watch.  I hope others have better suggestions.  Hugs!