Dependent baby or something wrong?

[erja]

DS(almost 2) has always pretty much slept through since he was about 7 weeks old.
It's always been usual for him to have a whinge at around 3-4am and get in the bed for cuddles for the rest of the night - I've always been fine with that.
A few months ago, same time as he was starting nursery, he started waking at around 2 hours after bedtime distressed and nothing would settle him. Saw GP, was told it was normal and put it down to night terrors.
DS's sleep pattern overnight has got gradually worse since then and he's been a little bit unsettled all night, every night.
And then for the past week or so, DP and I are running on low energy - DS is screaming at about 10pm to be put in our bed but still waking up screaming and ridiculously unsettled at half an hour intervals. For the past few days, about 3 times a night, he just keeps getting up and hysterically trying to get into the living room, if we let him in there, he is incredibly hyper and playful for about 20-30 minutes and then asks to get back into bed!
DP thinks is arguing that he's dependent but surely with all the above things and the fact he's not just crying to get in the bed, I'm not unreasonable to worry that somethings wrong?
Any help would be great, from two very tired parents

Is he having nightmares?

@Balaboosteh not sure - I'm not sure how we'd be able to tell?

Anyone else?

We've just had this! DD is 22 months. She had a hellish 6 weeks where she'd wake up screaming and just scream for the best part of an hour. Then she'd go down, then wake up again, and repeat.

I don't know if it was nightmares or what - and she's never been a very good sleeper, so I didn't think much of it - but it was horrible. She'd be very hyper, bouncing all over the bed, too.

If it's any consolation she came out of it just before Christmas and we thanked all possible deities with great heartiness.

@SarahAndQuack oh goodness, it's nice to hear someone with the same age toddler has gone through it and come out of it. Feel like I'm not seeing the light at the end of the tunnel with no sleep!

Could he be cutting his final molars? They are absolutely horrendous when they come through! I'm dreading my DS cutting his!

Op my ds also went through this around the same age. Walking up screaming uncontrollably and only settle after a while. It eventually stopped.

Mine is 26 months.... Took two years to get him to sleep through (I'm a bit soft: he was in my bed for the first year) then from Christmas Eve we had two entire blissfull weeks of him sleeping through with no change to routine. Fast forward to now and it's all gone to pot. The first rule of Toddler Sleep Club is.... There. Is. No. Sleep

erja, it's horrible, isn't it? It's only now she's stopped that I realise how bloody horrible it was. It's quite different from normal 'not sleeping through' and I couldn't figure out what was going on. Tried all sorts of things, but I think in the end it's just time that works.

Could be night terrors. I think the advice is to gently wake and resettle them just before they normally wake up in distress to break the cycle.

I think there is a sleep regression at around 2 to 2 and a half. Sounds quite normal for sleep to get worse for babies that have slept well before. They are growing up and are more aware of things and can need more comfort. My daughter got worse at about 2.5 but she was never a brilliant sleeper. She would have tantrums in the middle of the night and was awful at times. She got past it eventually.