Sleep Anxiety

[Brewster]

My 20 month old little man has always beem a great sleeper but in teh last week or so he seems so anxious when we go to put him in his cot.
We have a good bedtime routine that hasnt changed but after story and milk we get up to cuddle and put him in and he gets all upset and seem very distressed.

We have jsut acrrie don doing what we normally do but I am worried this will continue...

has anyone else xperienced this and what happened?

jsut a phase or something more?

Hmmm, no expert or anything, but this seems to be a classic time that sleep issues can arise - certainly has been for mine and my friends kids - both going to bed and also waking up screaming at night and taking a long time to resettle. My thoughts, for what they are worth.... could be one of:

1. starting to realise he can control bedtime a bit, playing up for more attention etc. DD1 is 2.9 now, and believe me it just gets worse (in fact tonight she was shouting 'NO mummy, COME BACK, not enough games yet'. So at least she's honest about it!). Keep it consistent and don't give in... (much) The Toddler Taming book is good for these kinds of things.

1. starting to realise the wider world is a bit of a scary place and not wanting to be left - commonly start to get scared of, e.g. big dogs or noisy lorries around now - a bit like separation anxiety. I think this was a problem with DD1 and a very dim nightlight helped, we called it her sleepy light, and she puts it on before bedtime, seemed to help her settle more easily (although could have just distracted her from making a fuss!).

1. Teething - back molars coming through? Even DD1, who was rarely bothered by teeth, had a good few bad nights and troubled bedtimes around each back molar, spaced over a few weeks. Calpol!

Hope that helps...

Thank you that is reasurring..knowing we arent the only ones and that most likley a phase.

he is trying to be so independant but needs us still so much.

much more demandsing these days and has a bit of a strop whenit is tim eto leave or do something new but as soon as doing the new thing happy but again wont leave it....eg bath time, doesnt want to get in but doenst want to leave.
in the mornings dosent want to get out of the cot...you get the picture..
but he also wants more cuddles!! all day long saying' cuddle cuddle'

also he has been ill lately. few weeks ago had gastroenteritis and one onight threw up loads all over himself in bed and looked very shocked and bit scared when we went in to get him.

poor lad been through so much lately

Yes, you most definitely aren't the only ones!

Sounds like he's not keen on change (a phase, again, I think/hope....) - maybe if you can find ways to make the change more gradual it might help reduce the strops, e.g. I give (when I remember) a 5 minute/3 minute/1 minute warning of when we're going to do something. Or give a choice (e.g. to go from playing up to bathtime - 'do you want to have your bath now or brush your teeth first?'). I remember that when I started doing this, DH didn't cotton for a few weeks (as he spends less time with her), and would still just pick her up and carry her off, cue major tantrum. Starting to give her some sort of control/power over what was happening definitely helped (a bit).

Funny you should say he doesn't want to get up either in the morning - DD1 is the same. Some mornings I feel like I'm parenting a stroppy teenager rather than a toddler!

Thanks.

I have done the count down in the past but never continued with it.
Did it at bathtime and bedtime tonight...bedtime went smoother.....who knows if it was cos he was so tired or what.

Thanks for your help
xx

where do you live if you dont mind my asking?

Deepest darkest Surrey. Don't mind you asking, but why - are you outing me?!

hahah - just wondered as need some more mates with kids..

,,

Think there's a local meet up section on here somewhere...

Where are you?

Live in Sunbury In surrey