Tantrums, teething, sleep regression, separation anxiety, milestones etc

[Happydaze247]

Anyone for a toddler support thread?

Please come and join me. Have a moan, share tips, even have a boast if you want to (it doesn't have to just be tales of woe)

I'll start the ball rolling on this one then - with a moan! My 14 mo DS has never been the best sleeper in the world and most nights wakes at least once, but last night was hell! After going to sleep at 8.15pm, he then woke up at 9.15pm, 10.30pm, 11.30pm, 1am and 2am. At this point, having fed him each time, I decided that there was nothing wrong with him and the only way I could sleep was to let him cry it out. I reckon it took an hour for him to completely go to sleep - he would cry for about 2 minutes, give up, chatter for a while, probably fall asleep for a bit, wake up, chatter for a bit more, cry for a couple of minutes and repeat! So I got about 4 hours of sleep before I had to get up for work this morning :-(

Apart from the sleeping he is generally a very happy little boy and a little charmer when he wants to be (as well as being a cheeky monkey!). He's into everything and is very insistent about where he wants to go and what he wants to do - which can be anything from sitting in the bottom of the shower whilst I have one in the morning to posting random things through the catflap into the garden!

If anyone has any sleep related tips that would be good, or at least reassure me he's not the only one! The internet seems to suggest that he should be sleeping through every night by now - he's obviously not read the internet!

Hi malteser. Hope tonight is a better night for you.

DD is 18 months old and has major separation anxiety going on atm. I can't leave the room or go to the loo, no chance of shower! Bedtime tonight was a scream-fest. I ended up having to stay in the room until she fell asleep. Trouble is she's such a light sleeper that creeping out the room is no mean feat.

Tantrums have been around for at least 6 months and are getting more intense. I sometimes wonder whether the fun of going to the park is really worth the stress incurred when we have to leave.

On the plus side - she's a bright little spark. Loves her books, knows her alphabet and is learning to talk. Ah, it's not all tears and tantrums.

Will I be kicked from the thread for saying that my daughter has never given us a single problem? Instead of worrying or getting annoyed with her behaviour I find it funny. Is that wrong? I watch my 2.2 year old daughter crawl on her knees to get the special attention that her 1.2 year old cousin gets and find it cute. When she has a tantrum in a shop I find it funny and cute. When her sleep patterns change I just change my own life to fit around it. When she tests me, flinging food around or poking at things she's not allowed to touch, I just take it as a normal part of growing up. She's awesome.

Malteser, stop feeding him at night. When he wakes you can see him but only to tuck him back in, kiss him goodnight and put the mobile back on. When he realises there's no food coming his wake periods will shorten.

Does he have a cuddly bear? Introduce one and act like it's your own best toy and you're allowing him to guard it. Whenever you're gone his mind will hopefully be taken up with guarding your toy.

Miaow those molars seem to take forever don't they? Like your dd2 my dd is also at various stages with her first four, with canines and a very late lower lateral incisor coming through too. Her poorly gums are a mess of red and white lumps.

Boomerwang we do try! Most of her little 'traits' we manage to find endearing but there comes a point when it pushes your buttons a little. I just remind myself that she's not doing it on purpose, she's too young to be naughty and she's probably in pain/hungry/tired or something else I haven't though of

Hi all,

Last night was better in that he woke up for his top-up feed at 10.30pm and then went through until 4.30am when he had another feed and then went back down until a far more respectable 7.30am :-)

Boomerwang Thanks for the advice on night times. He's a bit too old for a mobile unfortunately as he can just stand up in his cot and grab anything like that. He's never been one for cuddly toys - he has a couple in his cot but ignores then mostly and I'm not certain he's old enough to understand the concept of looking after a toy for me although I will try. I think my only concern is if I stop feeding him, go in, reassure him and put him back down, do I then have to let him cry it out, as he will undoubtedly start screaming if I walk out without feeding him.

Happydaze I agree totally that most of the time their traits are endearing but there are times when my DS just seems to wind me up more than usual. I think it's when I know he's being cheeky and ignoring the word "No" e.g. when he's trying to turn the TV off for the millionth time when I'm watching something. I know in that case that he completely understands what he's been told but chooses to ignore it. However, he does have such a cheeky grin on him at the same time that it's difficult to remain mad at him for long! And to be honest, he's only broken one thing in the house ever so he's not too destructive - he just likes being mischievous!