Sleep problems - won't resettle - Cranial Osteopathy in older kids?

[TZS]

Dear Mumsnetters

My DS2 is 18months and has had a bit of a rough run since January with consecutive bugs and colds, MMR and most recently Chicken Pox and teething but he is waking at 2am and not resettling.

He used to wake once in the night at about 4am and we'd give him a bottle (please don't judge! If we didn't give him a bottle he'd scream and wake DS1...) however, it escallated to needing me or DH to stroke his head until he fell asleep again. Now even that is not working. I give 5ml of calpol to relieve the teething pain.

Co-sleeping does not work (first tried when he had Chicken Pox - he just wants to chat and play!) Controlled crying does not seem to work with him either - he will cry for hours (stubborn little guy!) but maybe we are going to have to get tough and try that again.

The bottle in the middle of the night seemed like a boring but manageable solution but its almost as if getting sick for the last 5 months DS2 has progressed with other development milestones but forgotten how to settle himself at all. Does that sound like a possibility?

I am so scared that we are making a rod for our own backs but I don't know what else to do - being exhausted makes the decision making even harder too.

Anyway, has anyone tried cranial osteopathy for sleep problems in slightly older children? Otherwise maybe a night nanny to deal with the controlled crying and send DS1 to my in-laws so he does not wake... Not sure what to do about the poor neighbours!

Any advice gratefully received.

We've been having the exact same issue. DS was pretty ill (he's 19 months). I put it down to development spurt and separation anxiety. In the end what works is putting him down and placing my hands on his back (he's a front sleeper) and telling him it's sleep time and mummy's here. Sometimes he cries so I pick up after a minute and cuddle then lay down again and keep hands in him stroking him. I've been doing this the last few nights and last night he resettled formthe first time in a couple of weeks!

I also feed in the night - these things come and go, and I suspect he'll stop night feeds once he eats properly again (he lost his appetite and lost weight too)

He resettled himself I meant!

Dear Iggly

Thanks for your reply - my computer died (literally) and I have been so focussed on fixing it I did not get back onto Mumsnet - still on its last legs.... Please don't think I was ignoring responses!

Both of mine were/are tummy sleepers, my 3.5 year old has outgrown it but I also stroke DS2's back and head to settle him and it sometimes works but not when the teething pain is acute - even the calpol doesn't seem to ease that enough. I hope that once his teeth are all through he'll get back into some good sleeping habits but until then we'll do anything that works! Including feeding him in the middle of the night (don't tell Gina Ford!)

You mention a developmental milestone, DS2 has just started walking so maybe that is also keeping him up at night as he processes the changes...? Thanks for reminding me.

Good luck and thanks again
Best
TZS