18 month sleep regression...

[fruityb]

My Ds has slept for 12-13 hours for about the last 9 months and has always settled on his own at bedtime. Has the same routine and he’s happy - always goes to bed awake and is asleep in five minutes. More often than not I have to wake him up in the mornings when I go to work!
Until the last two weeks...

Ds is 17 months old and has started waking up at 6-6:30 of his own accord. He has woken in the night twice (weirdly at the same time a week apart) and the first time I resettled him after 20 minutes. The second time I ended up downstairs with him when he refused to settle after about half an hour of cuddles, shushes, laid in the cot with my hand through the bars, laid next to the cot... we slept on the sofa in the end - top and tail but it meant he slept.

He’s always been a crap napper - always. Today he had a serious meltdown resulting in screaming at the top of his lungs face down on the floor in the living room and thrashing around when we tried to change him or put his pyjamas on. He eventually calmed down and went to bed like normal. This was because he didn’t nap this afternoon. He was at home with DH today as he was doing toxic shits yesterday but is all right today.

How long does this last?? According to wonder weeks he’s coming to the end of his final leap but it’s stressing me out. I am a little obsessive about his sleep as I can’t function well without mine! He’s always been so good and aside from the 16 week regression for a fortnight he’s usually such a good night time sleeper. In the day time he sleeps on the School run with Cm or on the go with us at weekends. He doesn’t nap in his cot but will in the car or his pushchair so have worked around that quite happily. I just can’t calm down over this night time thing. Every time I woke in the night it was a relief it wasn’t him that woke me! And he’s only woken twice but I can’t stop worrying.

How can he go from being such a good sleeper to waking up earlier and leaving me worried about whether he’s going to wake in the night?! Will I ever get my awesome sleeper back?

Any advice gratefully received!

[fruityb]

Last night awake standing up screaming at half 12, went in and laid him down, hand on chest and back to sleep after 15 thank goodness. Awake at 6. I think I’m going to cry....

[jb1305uk]

Sorry, not what you want to hear but waking at 6/6.30am is normal for a lot of babies. As are night wakings. I don’t want to sound harsh but what you are describing as a bad night is a good night for a lot of people.
I’d try not to stress so much and just ride it out.

[fruityb]

It’s a shock to my system and as I suffer with anxiety anyway this is driving me round the bend.

Ride it out I will.

[Waitingonasmile]

Waking sometimes once in the night and then up for day at 6.30/6 sounds brilliant. Maybe you'll be lucky and it is just a phase but if not he still sounds like a good sleeper. The only thing I can suggest is to accept you'll get broken sleep and go to bed earlier.

[Itsjustaphase84]

I remember the 18m sleep regression lasted about 4 to 6 weeks with my dc. Then all of a sudden it stopped. What i noticed with sleep regressions is that they were always before a physical or cognitive development. I remember dc would wake at 4am for a while but it does pass. I also think your dc current sleep pattern could be a lot worse.

It will pass.

[fruityb]

Ok sorry if I’m moaning about what would be bliss to some people. I’m just not used to it as he’s slept through since he was about 10 weeks old consistently. It’s a shock to the system. But if this is normal I’ll stick with it and get used to the broken sleep more.

[thenewaveragebear1983]

Our 3rd dc hit every single sleep regression whereas the others didn’t really. The 18month one coincided with : refusing to sleep in a cot or travel cot and hurling himself over the side onto the floor, which resulted in being moved into a bed; being on holiday so having more disordered sleep anyway; entirely dropping all naps. It lasted for 3 Months and resulted in some fairly strict sleep training around going to bed and staying in bed, but to get to that point was a long slog of hard work and exhausting evenings.

He’s now 2y 3 m and still wakes every single night (although this is nothing to do with sleep regression, he has always done this) although he does go to bed really well and self settles easily. No daytime naps though.

[thenewaveragebear1983]

Oh and the wakefulness at night and early starts seem characteristic of the 18 month SR and seem to be the area many parents I know have forged the ‘bad habits’ that they then really struggle to break - such as milk in the night (us), coming into parents bed (lots of our friends), demanding water, tv, books, etc or even toys to play with in the night while exhausted parent Sleeps on toddlers floor (one friend I know) - so my advice would be to stay strong and don’t give in. Just keep doing what you want your end result to be.

[fruityb]

I went in last night and just laid him down - I will not pick him out unless it’s obvious he just won’t settle. It would be so easy to put him in our bed but I just don’t want bad habits to form. He doesn’t want milk so I’m not going with that one. He just wakes up and wails and then seems to give up again. It’s just stressful not knowing how long he’ll sleep when I go to bed at the moment!

This too shall pass.... he is a terrible napper and always has been. He sleeps on us, or in the car or in his buggy but it can be difficult as he’s not predictable as to which one he’ll choose! He won’t always snuggle as he wants to play for example.

The four month SR was hideous but it passed after three weeks so I’m just going to strap in and hope!