20 months old, hysterical. Won’t go near cot anymore!

[Tiredmummy101]

Please someone help!

I have posted previously about how my son has always been an awful sleeper, but this past month has been horrendous. He wakes for hours and hours and night screaming hysterical, I have tried everything to settle him but he won’t let you hold, won’t co-sleep, won’t take a teddy, chucks a bottle away. He goes mad! Now he has taken to screaming and kicking / punching if you put him anywhere near his cot. This is madness because he won’t sleep in the bed with us either.

I am also pregnant and work full time so this is really killing me 🙈

what do I do folks, please help! Has anyone else had this. I didn’t get much response on my last post so starting to worry my boy is the only one like this 🙈

Could be night terrors?

things to try:
play music and sing to him (takes a while, but calming eventually)
sit in silence with him
carry him around (or ask dp to as you’re pregnant) being held releases oxytocin and calms

Is the cot bed or anything else a recent change? Sometimes change upsets kids. It could be your pregnancy and he’s feeling displaced. Show empathy and keep bedtime routine solid. He’ll grow out of it. Sending hugs as I know it’s hard x

Is he teething? The pain can be much worse at night. Our daughter did something similar when her molars were coming through. Otherwise just huge sympathy. Stick with your routine and keep persevering with trying to get him back in the cot. If it isn't teething it will just be a phase - albeit a very tough one.

Have you tried a floor bed? It's less compulsory, if you see what I mean.

Make the room safe, have a made up floor bed. You sleep in it as well if you need to. If he doesn't sleep, it's fine. He gets to choose when to fall asleep, basically. He can potter about and doze off when he's ready.

Don't get me wrong, traditional bed time routines are great. Some kids get themselves so worked up about it, you just need to break the cycle of bedtime stress.

You want it to be a natural end to a busy day, not feel like a punishment/separation/compulsory imprisonment!

Also, he's frazzled, overstimulated and overtired. Try a really quiet few days with lots of fresh air and activity but not much socialising. Playing in the mud, sand, water, pottering, stacking plant pots, chasing a ball, banging pots...

Stay close to home so there's no need for good behaviour and fewer risks to have to distract him from. Let him chill out for a few days.