My baby is 11 months old and started sleeping through the night quite early. However recently he would cry for no reason in the middle of the night randomly (though it happens most often from 4am) and at times he would sit up to cry. It would take me a while to put him to bed and calm him down..... Any advice on what is happening and how to solve it? I tried CIO one night and I really feel it is not for me nor him - so any advice other than CIO is much appreciated. We are very tired and want our sleep back. Thank you.....

Your baby may be having night terrors. These are different from nightmares. Nightmares usually start when children who are 3 to 4 years old, and children wake up from them feeling scared (and could remember the nightmare). But with a night terror, it usually happens during deep sleep when the baby is not dreaming. The baby’s sleep suddenly gets disrupted and he/she may suddenly start crying or screaming in distress. The baby is not aware that he/she is crying, and is not likely to remember this the next morning. Fortunately, night terror is not found to have any harmful effects on babies and will outgrow them. To help, simply make sure that your baby is safe, comfort him/she (if needed) and your baby will eventually quiet down.