2 year old sleep

[Needtofixmyageingskin]

My son turned 2 in June. He's always been a bit on and off with sleep but overall has been fairly good. Generally able to get himself to sleep and sleeps through. He seems to be affected by every regression going and goes through phases of bad sleep but then goes back to normal again after a couple of weeks.

He's been terrible for the last 2 weeks. All of a sudden he's taking 1.5 to 2 hours to get to sleep and some nights is waking up during the night. He will scream if we leave the room so we're having to be in there with him / normally cuddling him until he decides he's ready to fall asleep. So fed up of it already. We both have v full on jobs often having to work at night so him taking ages to sleep means I can't get started on work until late so I'm absolutely shattered.

Please tell me this will just pass?!

We sleep trained him gently at about 7 months and a couple of times since but that seems so much harder now that he's older and talking well.

Any tips?

What time is he going to bed and what time/how long is his nap in the day?

It sounds like he's not ready to go to sleep whenever you're putting him down.

That's what I was thinking (re not being ready to sleep) but it came all of a sudden.

Two weeks ago when things were fine his routine was:

Wake at 7am
Nap approx 1pm to 2.30pm
Bed at 8pm

Naps can drop suddenly and also aren't necessarily linear. My son dropped naps for a while after 2 years old and then they came back. They come and go still at nearly 3 and it's just linked to whatever is going on for them developmentally at this age. A lot changes between 2 and 3, there's a massive amount of development.

I've got to a point now where I'm just good at reading him and knowing when he needs a nap and when it's best to push on to bedtime without.

He may even be over tired. At just turned 2 why don't you try keeping the nap but putting him to bed earlier? If my son woke at 2:30 from a nap he'd be in bed no later than 7. At nearly 3 his routine is:

Wake 6:30/7am
Nap 12-1 (some days, maybe half the week or less)
Bed: 6pm

I may try the earlier bedtime thank you.

It's frustrating as it's come out of the blue a bit.

My older son wasn't like this at all. Self settled and slept through from 3 months of age and has never looked back and is now 5.

Something comforting might help like a yoto player with gentle stories or a star projector.

Put the projector on and watch the stars together for a little while. Then say, "mummy needs to go to the toilet I'll be back in a minute" then come back after one minute. Leave again for something and take a little longer. Keep doing this and take longer each time. He should drift off knowing that you do keep coming back to check on him.

@Needtofixmyageingskin how are things now? Did anything help at all? We're in the same boat with my 2.5yo and any tips would be great!