to consider cancelling a holiday due to toddler's awful sleeping

[splendide]

During a period of amazing good sleeping from my previously appalling sleeping DS (now nearly 2), I booked a week away to a self catering cottage.

Progress on sleep has completely reversed and we're back to spending hours sitting by his cot before he does to sleep.

I feel like cancelling the whole thing to be honest. It's just going to be a massive stress plus an extra 3 days of nap stress as at least in a normal week he spends 3 days in childcare.

I guess it's more of a WWYD - is there any point in going?

CC did work for me but DD was younger. I cried a lot but so far, a year on, she's slept through unless poorly or in pain. She's 20 months now so I'm sure things will change again particularly if she has bad dreams. Perhaps that has happened to your little one? x

I would cancel and put him into nursery his usual days. Three child free days would be bliss. Go back to bed, go out for lunch, read a book. It would beat a holiday for me.

I remember a holiday with DSs, 2 and a half and 6 months. It was AWFUL, neither of them were sleeping. On the third day I had a car accident and we had to go home - I was SO relieved.

We went away with our 20 month old in July to a cottage in Wales and her sleeping was awful - she wouldn't go to bed until late, then was waking up in the night for hours or waking up really early. It was not pleasant, every day one of us would say it would have been better to stay at home. However, we went away in May but stayed in a caravan near a beach and she slept badly then but we enjoyed it much more and stayed a few extra days. I think it was a combination of beach nearby, other kids to play with, good weather and a bar on site with a play area that made the sleep deprivation easier! At the moment I would choose child free days at home, that would be bliss.

Yeah that's my dilemma! I work full time and to be honest a few days of nothing to do would be amazing. We won't get any money back whatever happens so I guess we'll decide next week.

Can't you go on holiday then drive the dc back to their nursery sessions

To be fair, my daughter came out in a bad case of eczema while we were in Wales (reaction to suncream I think) so that didn't help with her sleeping but I definitely find it easier to deal with bad sleep when I have my home comforts, and I'm someone who usually likes to go away. We were going to go away in October but I think we may leave it for a while. My sister takes her son's cot with her when they go away, that seems to help them!
Hope you get to have a good break whatever you decide to do.

It's tricky isn't it? We went away last year when he was about 8 months and it was okish but I had to sleep with DS for anyone to get any sleep at all. This time I really wouldn't want to do that in case we couldn't get him back in his cot when we got home.

We don't have to stay all week of course.

If you're on holiday I wouldn't try to put him to bed. You will just be stressed and waste hours you could be enjoying!

I would get him in his jamies, brush his teeth, read him a couple of stories in the living room then ignore him! He will fall asleep pretty quick then you can carry him to bed and you don't loose your evening!

Last night worse than ever!

Why has he chosen the week before our holiday to basically regress to newborn sleep.

New alternative to holiday cancelling is to just shoot myself.

I know, it's absolute hell! Is it hot where you are? I think the heat and humidity, plus a cold, has been causing my daughter to wake up virtually every hour for the past few nights. It was a bit cooler last night and she slept a bit better, probably also because she was absolutely shattered

Yeah the heat is definitely not helping, he was quite damp this morning poor sweaty muffin. Last night we had heat, teething, overtiredness and he hasn't done a poo since Wednesday. ARGH!

Yep the heat at night is getting to my 3 year old at the moment and for some reason she keeps waking up at 5 am every morning too. Go on holiday, tire your son out and you will be fine.

Yep the heat at night is getting to my 3 year old at the moment and for some reason she keeps waking up at 5 am every morning too. Go on holiday, tire your son out and you will be fine.

That's quite a combination. Can you get him to drink much, fluids are meant to help with constipation. My daughter is existing on ice lollies and fruit at the moment.

Our 2 year old did this, we had cracked bed time and sleeping through for several months, and then at 2 it all went to pot and he completely regressed. It lasted a couple of months and then went back to normal, so don't worry too much, there is a well known sleep regression around that age.

He's at my mum's today and she's on the lollies and oranges, hopefully we'll have a slightly better night tonight.

Is it just you and him? I'd go on the holiday, a change of scene might do you both some good.

I do sympathise, my dd who's a few months older than your ds is the same. Things are much better now she sleeps in bed with us but she has never slept through the night. I think some children are just terrible sleepers!

No, DH is coming too.

I think we'll go and just come home early if we want to.

If its that bad then letting him sleep with you for a few nights wont make it any worse ;)

I always found different places different routines didnt seem to impact routines when back home so maybe try and relax when you are away and go to bed with him - at least you will get some sleep and feel better for it when you get home ?

I think that's my plan Snow, you're right it's different anyway so why not.

Anyway maybe I'll just need to sleep with him at home too. Fuck it. I can't survive on this little sleep long term anyway.

also just a thought maybe worth a try if he is nearly 2 would i be worth trying him in a bed of his own instead of the cot.

we put a stair gate across the door for safety reasons and it meant i could at least get in beside my ds at bedtime which was more comfy than lying beside the cot. Iwould sneak out once he was asleep and then eventually did the gradual retreat thing.

He is 8 now and he loves it that now sometimes i fall asleep before him after and sometimes during a bedtime chat

I'm giving it some thought Snow, certainly. It's a cot bed so it would just be taking the sides off - maybe he would get on better.

Thank you.

I know it's pathetic to be so upset by it, it's just really taking me back to the very unhappy time I had with a newborn. I don't know why I can't handle this part of parenting but I seem to be incapable.

Splendide I recognise your name from post natal boards. I have a shit sleeper too and it does take me back to newborn days too. Go anyway, you are self catering so you won't be disturbing anyone, a change of scenery is always good and you can alternate getting up/have daytime naps. We went away in Feb but shared a cottage with friends, I didn't realise they could hear DS in the night/5am starts and he had molars coming through - I thought we'd kept him quiet but they were knackered by the end! We have Butlins booked too and will just take lots of coffee!