18 month regression

[DappledThings]

Well this is fun! I think it must be the 18th month regression. 9 nights ago we had a wake up from around 10-1.15. Hoped it was a one-off. Now been awake since 10 again and showing little sign of going back to sleep yet.

He had a bad time of the 4 month one but once we were past that has been really good bar the odd night of teething etc.

Because he goes to sleep (night and naps) so well usually I have no tricks up my sleeve to help when it does go wrong. Tonight I've tried leaving him till he got more upset, a cuddle till he seemed sleepier and now hovering outside his room going back in when I can hear he's sitting up again and telling him calmly but firmly to lie down.

Is this the best way to handle this? There have been so many times over the last three hours when he's sounded on the verge of conking out and then he's pinged awake again.

It was all going so well! He'd even just started adjusting his morning wakeup from 6 to 6.30.

[DappledThings]

Now we have singing and lion roars interspersed with him saying "Mama stuck" as he chooses yet again to stick his feet through the bars

[SandmanSlim]

Oh thank goodness it's not just me!!! DS seems to be going through some kind of separation anxiety sleep regression. Normally we just plonked him in his cot after the bed time routine and he'd go to sleep. But no this week its taken hours of us ignoring him but staying in his line of sight while he fights sleep. And then he's waking up early. As in he slept 9-4 last night. We started bedtime at 6. The night before it was 11-5. If we dare to leave or when he wakes up and we aren't there he just screams blue murder and climbs out to find us. He's never climbed anything before! Soooo determined. Naps are also not really happening. He's exhausted.

I have no advice, I'm similarly at sea - I hope you got some sleep last night.

[DappledThings]

Am reminding myself that "this too shall pass"......

He went out at 1. Just 5 minutes after I swapped with DH. Typical!

Good luck to you too and hope for better nights on the way

[FATEdestiny]

I have a travel cot shoved in the corner of my bedroom. On occassional nights such as these, the travel cot gets put up and pushed next to my bed, toddler in there for the night.

Given mine is normally a great sleeper, like yoyes, I know there's something wrong if she's up in the night. Given that it's very unusual. So I don't expect to have an easy night of it when shes in the travel cot, I figure it's easier than going up and down and back and forth between two rooms.

As an aside, possibly something in the water. My DD was in the travel cot last night (and I'm knackered today). She went on a day trip yesterday which messed with her established nap time. Over tired by bed time so poor nights sleep. It happens. We are having a quiet day today and hopefully catching up on some sleep.

[DappledThings]

Travel cot is a good idea. He is also just doing the 2 to 1 nap transition which must be related.

[SandmanSlim]

How did last night go Dappled?

DS took 2.5hours to get to sleep and woke at 4 but he had a proper nap so I wasn't so stressed by it.

[Dancinginthemidnight]

If its any consolation my Dd has just started sleeping through again after the 18 month sleep regression. She's almost 2 so umm it didn't take too long. Sorry that's probably not helpful but yours might pass quicker than mine.

[DappledThings]

Hi Sandman, sorry I didn't see your update question. Things seem to be better again after that one bad night. Last night and tonight he's taken a good half hour to fall asleep but then gone through so maybe we're getting lucky. Obviously said with everything crossed!

Naps are definitely going out of all pattern as he experiments with dropping one. Yesterday he was shattered and really grumpy early so I put him down at 8.30, he chuntered for 10 mins then I woke him at 9.30. Put him down again at 12.50 and woke him at 3.35! Today tried to push on through but conked out in buggy 10.45-11.20, transferred to cot and carried on till 12.10. Had a second one for 40 minutes at 3.30 back in buggy after a good bit of walking but I wanted to make sure he was going to get through. Pretty sure he's not ready to go to one nap yet though.

[SandmanSlim]

Glad it's getting better, hopefully you've turned the corner.
DSs sleep seems to be getting a bit better but his clingy/separation anxiety isn't so maybe it's just we're getting better at dealing with it. He slept in our room the first half of the night and our bed the second. But that was much better than me sleeping on the floor of his room the night before.

[DappledThings]

When I've had to do he sleeping on the floor I've had the added fear that we've seen evidence of mice upstairs and I can't relax for fear one will run on my head!!