My 12 month old has slept through the night consistently since 9 weeks old. He naps well during the day and always self settles, at night and daytime naps. Apart from the odd night with teething/illness, I have not had any problems until last week.
He woke up at 3am one night and wouldn't settle back down. He wasn't ill, didn't appear to be in pain but I gave him some teething remedy just in case. It took until 5.30am for him to go back to sleep and I tried various things during that time, but in the end it was in bed with me that solved it.
The next night he woke up again, this time I rubbed his back and he fell back asleep. Then he kept waking up anywhere between 15minutes and half an hour later and I'd do the same thing. This went on for 2.5 hours.
Following night, same again, except settled much quicker each time and only lasted two hours.
Then the following night he wouldn't actually go to bed on his own and it took an hour to settle him.
Last night he woke up just once and I rubbed his back to sleep again. But today he's resisting his naps too, took half an hour to get him down at lunchtime. Lots of screaming and crying and in the end I just stayed in the room but didn't rub his back.
I know this is a sleep regression. He's just about to walk, is starting to talk and just generally finding it hard to switch off. There's also a bit of separation anxiety and he cries when I leave the room and I appreciate he's feeling scared, frustrated and sad during the night. But... have I done the right thing in rubbing him back to sleep during the night, because now he seems to want that all the time?
How should I handle this from now on? I don't agree with CIO/Ferber. Have successfully used the Baby Whisperer up until now but it's all a bit vague on the toddler front.
I want him to be comforted but I don't want him to learn to be rubbed to sleep every time. He needs to learn to self settle once again.
Sorry it's a bit long, any advice/experience/recommendations very gratefully received.