Between ds2 (5 mth) and ds1(3) I haven't slept for more than an hour and a half a night for weeks, I am wrecked and I need some help.
Ds2 was sleeping pretty well but a cold put paid to that and now he will only sleep on me or when being moved (in car/pram/sling) - I'm pretty much sitting on sofa all night with him on me, taking shifts with dh. I coukd just about cope with this if, IF ds1 would sleep.
Ds1 is probably the most stubborn, tricky child I've ever come across (I work with kids) so he was never going tosleep easily but I can't take much more. He had a dummy until 2 months ago, when we did the whole dummmy fairy thing, since that day he hasn't slep a decent night. So tonight as an example, bath, milk, teeth, stories, cuddles bed, he jumps out of bed before I'm even out of the door, I say nothuing, calmy put him back in, say good night and this goes on and on and on. For hours, every night, getting no better. I've put a stairgate on his bedroom because he was screaming and shouting on the landing waking up ds2 (ha, in the old days when ds2 actually slept).
I have tried to leave ignore it, but he stands at the stairgate screaming and screaming, kicking the door, etc etc - again waking ds2 if he so happens to be asleep. I have left this going for over a week, going up every few mins but it never got any better.
He will eventually fall asleep, after maybe 2 hours of screaming (have tried all sorts to stop this, giving each method a good week-10 days but nothing works - cuddles, lying with him, various reward charts, later bedtimes, completely ignoring, going in every few mins etc etc). Have also tried giving him a snack before bed, light on, light off, lighter duvet, thicker pjs, a specia teddy, room is blacked out - irellevant now anyway.
He waks up a few hours later and the cycle contiues.
He dropped his afternoon nap a while back although he will fall alseep in the car in the afternoon usually for 20 mins, I've tried to get him back to napping, even justa short nap in case that will help but the same saga happens so it's not worth it, we go outside to play eveyyday whatever the weather to burn off energy, he eats decent, fresh food
This week has been utter hell as dh away. I can't even think about trying to work on ds2's sleep habits while ds1 is like this and just feel completely at a loss of what to do next, I'm beyond exhasuted, am angry, fed up and spend most nights quietly sobbing to myself. Am starting to worry that there's something 'wrong' with ds1, not sure what but his behaviour is a real issue, I know toddlers are hard work, have tantrums, etc but ds just seems so much more extreme than all the other kids I see at work or socially. His tantrums can and do sometimes last an entire day. Friends family now comment on it too. The other side of the coin is that he is a lovely, loving, caring polite, bright litte boy with boundless energy and I love him to bits, I'm just not such a big fan of the demonic flipside
Sorry if this is a bit all over the place, tired, on phone, balnacing baby.
Thoughts, suggestions, offers of babysitting all welcome