Help me with 22 month olds sleep pattern. plz!

[Harriet220909]

My toddler has never been a great sleeper, has never slept through the night unless in my bed.
Never settled to sleep, he will still be held like a baby given a bottle to sleep.
My huge issue is with what time he falls asleep most nights it's 10-11pm.
If he naps in the day it's late at night. If he doesn't nap it's 7pm, but he is very unsettled and wakes several times. He can't manage the whole day without a sleep by 5pm he's cranky, tearful, won't eat dinner etc....
He won't go in he's bed he screams and screams, and he won't calm down.
Help me I don't know how to sort this and I want my evenings (and my bed back)

[Harriet220909]

must add, once he is in a deep sleep I can carry him to hes cot but then he will wake and scream instantly till I go get him and put him in hes bed

[FATEdestiny]

You've left it very late to teach your son the skills he needs to be able to sleep independently.

Given that he is now nearly 2, there is no getting away from the fact that it will be very, very hard for him to learn new ways to sleep and so will be very distressing for both him and you.

So the key thing to consider is just how much you want to do this? There is no magic wand. He will grow out of this in the end, probably around school age. But if you want to train him out of this it will either take a very long time with tiny gradual changes (No Cry Sleep Solution) or it will involve him screaming and screaming (and then some!).

[Harriet220909]

It's not so much the having to hold him to go sleep that I can deal with.
It's more the timing of sleep and getting naps right, he can't cope without a nap all day but won't go to sleep till late till he does I don't know how to sort it out
He will be falling asleep practically standing up by 5 if he doesn't nap but if he does won't sleep till 10!

[NickyEds]

When, where and how does he nap?

[Sunbeam18]

Sorry you are having a rough time. I did very similar to you until I got a sleep trainer when DS was 19 months. What time does he currently wake in the morning, and when does he eat and nap? He should probably be getting up no later than 7am, having lunch around 11.45/12 and napping for an hour or more from about 1230. He should then be tired but not overtired for a 730 bedtime. That's what we were told. We did gradual retreat to get him to self settle in cot. Like you, I had previously held him as he fell asleep. It took a couple of really bad nights, but within a couple of weeks he was sleeping all night in his cot x

[Harriet220909]

He gets hysterical if I leave him to the point of being sick! I don't mind holding him till he sleeps, I also don't mind him waking to come into my bed, it snuggles straight in and is asleep within seconds.
It's the timings, he has to do something really high energy in order to nap at that time even the park won't do it
If he naps at all its a 10pm bedtime
This would work if I didn't have my older child almost screaming for attention the poor sod.
Just can't seem to do it right if he naps he won't sleep till 10 and if he doesn't he's an emotional wreck by 5pm and it becomes all about trying to keep him awake till 7, where he then has a restless night
My other child was a bundle of energy but my baby is something else it amazes me how long he can go for

[Harriet220909]

I say it there I meant he silly autocorrect

[Sunbeam18]

What time does he get up in the morning?

[Harriet220909]

Between 6 and 7:30