Terrible sleep really getting to me now

[Springsnow22]

Looking back at the year as a whole I’ve realised how poor sleep has been.

I went back to work in September when my DS was 9 months, and about six weeks later his sleep went from not-brilliant but manageable to awful. He’d go down around 8 and then wake two hours later and just refuse to go back in his cot. I read so many books and tried to follow gentle sleep advice and it got us nowhere.

Then in early January it abruptly stopped as soon as it started. He was still waking but only once/twice and - most important, went straight back to sleep.

However, in the last six weeks he’s reverted back, and I am so very drained and tired. He’s nearly 18 months and it feels a little as if it will never end. I feel semi resigned to it but also feel so fed up!

I'm speaking from experience when I say - fuck gentle sleep training.

I'm sure it works well if you've got a pliant child who's already sleeping pretty well so you've got patience and resilience and stamina, but if you've got a stubborn kid and you're severely sleep deprived, it's just destined to fail.

If I were you I'd rip the bandaid off, take a week of holiday (but keep DS in nursery) and do controlled crying. DO NOT GIVE IN. You've got this OP.

Is that going in and out? That seems to wind him up more to be honest. I seriously think the only thing that might work is full blown CIO, but I am not sure that I have the stomach for it.

Ds has always been an awful sleeper. I can sit with him in his room and he can take 2hrs easily to go to sleep still. He isn’t crying, but can enter himself for 1-2hrs just doing nothing it would seem

anyway, after many nights of 8pm bed, 10pm finally asleep, 1am wake, resettle for 45mins, repeat until morning. I have semi given in. He still takes ages to go to sleep, but now when he wakes in the night, if he doesn’t settle himself within a minute or so he just comes straight into our bed and actually then sleeps until morning. And we all get more sleep.

I had to remove cot sides around 18 months as he just climbed out them every 2 mins anyway. So he just gets up and comes into our room when wakes.

cio would never have worked here. More than 2 mins upset and he holds his breathe, turns blue and vomits.

I’ve been having DS in bed with me but I’m still undecided which is worse! He kicks and wants to sleep ON me. I also find literally having no space from him hard, can’t cough or move around or similar.

10 months and 18months are peak times for sleep regressions, often linked to huge developmental stages. So it may settle down again in a few weeks. Can you co-sleep? I found the sleep at 18months hellish- lots of split nights. Check day naps aren’t too long and otherwise do whatever you need to do to get though.

I feel your pain! No real advice but I am in the same boat. 18 month old DS wakes at least once maybe twice a night. Very early riser too often 5am (if not before!). Last night it took me 1hr 30mins to get him back to sleep at 3am. I often go to work having 2 hrs sleep followed by settling DS and then another 2 hrs sleep. It is exhausting. My DS won't cosleep either. We have a blow up air bed on the floor so at least when I'm in there I can lie down! I have AGED in these past 18 months (love him to bits though) but it is HARD!!!! I am sorry to hear of your troubles but I do take comfort in that im not alone @Springsnow22