Hi all - desperate and desperately hopeful someone can provide some advice or experience on this. My almost 5 year old moved into his own room about a month ago - he'd been sleeping on a mattress in our room for over a year after a new baby and failed transition to a bed. He wanted to move into his room though and after a rough couple of nights at first, the first couple of weeks went quite well.
However, in the last two weeks it's descended to a point where both parents are on our knees with tiredness as he's up and down like a yo-yo all night. We've tried a couple of different methods; calmly returning him back to his room every time he comes in (he literally just follows you back out over and over again all night); lying on the landing until he falls back to sleep (he goes back to sleep quickly this way but wakes up again within the hour, rinse and repeat).
We still have to lie on the landing for him to fall asleep at bedtime and part of me wonders if this is feeding into the problem? He says he just doesn't want to be alone, is scared etc. but I genuinely don't believe it's fear I'm afraid - I know how he acts when he's scared and feel this is more about boundary pushing.
Please please does anyone have any advice - I don't put much stock in sleep consultants but would that be the right move here and if so can you recommend one? We don't want to go back to room sharing as we feel it sends the wrong message (especially as we feel there's a real boundary pushing element here) and it isn't sustainable longer term. Any helpful advice or experience very much welcomed. Thanks