Toddler being hyper at night

[sunshinyday]

Our 17mo ds has never been a fantastic sleeper but lately the nights have become a battle. He doesn't want to go to sleep but when we eventually succeed he'll sleep for about 30 mins and then wake like it's the morning. He's clearly physically shattered but it's like he can't shut his brain off. Apart from last night when he slept for 7 hours he's been waking 5 - 8 times a night ... and that's when he's FINALLY crashed completely at about midnight. He's had odd phases before, when he's been on the cusp of doing something new, and at the moment he's learning words at a rapid rate. Currently 75 words to his vocab and counting. Maybe he's frustrated at not being able to talk properly? Has anybody had something similar with their toddler? Our doctor only advised giving him calpol or similar to knock him out a bit. Any advice or suggestions greatly appreciated!

Does he have a bedtime routine? Does he have stimulation after tea eg TV, running around etc? I found all of these were a HUGE faxtor in getting my 18 mn ds to bed.

He has tea at 5pm, after that tv is OFF and dont let him get too excited. I usually put a relaxing cd on (lionel richie most days!!) then let him play quietly or with him and read books etc. Goes up for bath between 6 - 6.30 latest, into bath again dont let him get too excited in bath. Get him dressed as happily as poss, straight into his room with lamp on and read to him for 5-10 mins and say night night see you in the morning.

He is a very hyper and quick developer too so i feel your pain.

my ds was like this we found it benificial to have quiet time before bed snuggling on sofa looking at books or watching ceebeebies

it does help s they then unwind and there minds relax allowing them to feel tired also before bed we started to givea slice of toast with milk as it seemed to help him settle longer

we took him to bed read a short story all calm no play time at all for last hr and now he loves his routine he knows quiet time and its bliss

i found bath before bed did not work for my ds

he would have dinner then bath then quiet time as i found bath helped him get tired for bed

found bath before bed made him too over tired and then couldnt go off

this sounds like my son to a tee ... when hes OVER TIRED... alot of people ( my mum being one of them) that when a kid is racing around at night.. that they are not tired.. its actually that they are totally over tired & need somthing or someone to pull their plug out! its just finding what calms your son down.?? I know its not the norm or really the right thing to do ( but if it works then its worth a try)... but i found quiet TV in our room on the bed for about 15 minutes calmed mine..
its a hard cycle to break.. but what your son needs is more sleep to break the cycle... an over tired child resits going to sleep & dosent sleep soundly...if my son misses his day nap or has too much going on in the day.. we have an awful night... night terros .. the lot.. its like his poor little brain has overloaded & cannot switch off

Does he still nap in the day?? how long for?I found if he had a longer sleep in the day... he actually slept better... maybe plan to stay home for a couple of days & make him have good naps.. i think you will soon see the crazed wired child at night settle down...?? let me know if u have any luck

(p.s- my son also acts like this when teeth are coming) xx

Thanks all. We're had a good routine going for the last 9 months really and it's been working until this last fortnight. The usual tea, quiet play, bath, warm milk and a low lit room and a read of a book or two. He naps for about an hour and half in total during day - sometimes in one nap, usually two. Yesterday he slept for 3 hours (as an experiment I let him!), and the night was one of our worst! AAArrgh! Last night he fought off sleep every time he closed his eyes by working his way through the words he knows. He'd had a relaxing, calm run up to bed and was nice and quiet and showing all signs of just going to sleep (like the good ol' days) when it was like a switch flicked and it all became a battle. He has all his teeth too (bar the very final molars which I believe don't arrive for some time yet ... unless he's being early with those).

I agree with the overtired thing. My ds (20 months) is the same when he hasn't had a good daytime nap (1.5-2 hours) and/or has stayed up late or had an unusually exciting afternoon. Christmas was hell here, but things have got back on track now we've gone back to normal everyday life.

Is he still having a decent daytime nap?

Some quiet (boring) time for an hour or so before dinner seems to help here too - no TV, quiet play, some stories etc.

Could he be sickening for something?

Any changes in his diet?

I know you said after his 3 hour nap yest he was worse.. but i find it takes 3-4days of good naps to get a result... honestly.. this sounds 100% like me son... the fact he slept 3 hours shows he was tired.. but its going to take a few days of this to take effect xx

I agree that he has been tired in the day, but I guess that's what happens when you barely scrape 8 hours a night as an active (very!) toddler. He had opportunity to sleep longer today when we had a couple of car journeys but only slept a total of an hour all day, despite being tired. But then he's never been a natural sleeper and even as a newborn would only sleep 10/12 hours out of 24. Even after a quiet calm run up to bed tonight he's been naming everything around him in the bath (window, door, water, duck etc). He may sit quietly for half an hour some days but his brain chatters away!

I've had him checked at the doctors this afternoon just to rule out anything lurking in the background and she gave him a very clean bill of health and just said he seemed a very bright little man ... and to dose him up before bed! No new diet either.

As i said my ds very 'advanced' have you tried encouraging it? I have recently stared letting my ds do things aimed at older kids like i take him to art class once a week (messy play) and he will be very quiet and content! the teacher couldnt believe he was only 18 months!

What are your days like? I found if i stay in even ONE day a week he'll be a nightmare and sleep badly that day and night. So i have to make sure we do something every day (he doesnt get over stimulated or anything as i have found a happy balance)

Agree with overtired. Try moving bedtime 30 mins earlier, if not a bit more and see if that helps.

We have a full week of clubs and classes including a messy art class, swimming and toddler yoga, and yes I agree, if we get stuck in the house for a whole day it IS a nightmare! We'll perhaps try adjusting the bedtime and see if anything changes. He's actually crashed out tonight and apart from one wake up 30 mins later he's stayed asleep. Maybe he's realised that he really needs the sleep himself?! Thanks everybody. It's really good to know that you're not on your own sometimes!

Yes,overtired is the thing.My dd still gets totally hyper (just three )if she is too late off to bed,she looks like a toddler on coke! terrible.Only things that help-no sugary stuff too late in the day,a decent supper and then wind down bath,and bed early.homoeopathy possibly?lots of outdoor play seems to help.We went to the childrens osteopathy centre (London) and she had cranial osteopathy which helped. She was a very early talker (started at 6m) and couldn't switch off,I guess this sort of temperment needs help to learn to unwind and let go.