About 5 weeks ago we night weaned DS who was about 13.5 mo at the time, in an attempt to get him to sleep better. He was bf to sleep and woke every 1.5.2hrs all night long, and pretty much had done since birth, and DP and I were close to collapse.
I stopped BF between 11pm and 5am, and started putting him down awake in his cot at bedtime, and not picking him up when he woke in the night, just offering cuddles, water, music etc from the side of the cot.
After about 1 week/10 days the transformation was AMAZING!! He was dropping off on his own happily at bedtime after BF, while DP or I sat quietly by the door of his room. He would regularly sleep 730pm - 5am without a peep, BF at 5am ish, back to sleep for at least an hour or so. DP and I went from 4/5 hrs interrupted sleep to 6/7hrs of uninterrupted sleep.
We were just starting to feel human again when...
Sunday night, DS cried for 1.5hr at bedtime, woke twice in the night, cried for ages before eventually going back to sleep, and woke for the day at 5am. He's done that the last 3 nights or so.
He no longer seems happy when I put him in his cot and he'll stand there sobbing, sometimes putting his arms out, sometimes batting me away. He does still put himself to sleep but whereas he was happy with a quick pat on the matterass and his covers straightened when he woke at night, now I have to hover by his cot again and pat him or stroke him while he drops off, and that's after a lot of tears.
Last night at bedtime he was calmer but he still needed a bit more help from me to drop off, rather that what he had been doing which was just skooch around his cot a bit babbling happily for 10/15 mins before drifting off.
I've read so many threads on here about sleep starting to go well and then teething, colds, illness, the weather.. ?!? hits and it all goes back to square one. He does have a bit of a cold (but he had it when he was sleeping better too) and he may well be teething, but can that REALLY have set him back so much??
I thought we were very close to just putting him down awake, kissing goodnight, and then leaving his room at bed time, but I'm back sitting by his cot again. I don't mind really, there will be ups and downs and if he is going through a bout of clinginess/seperation anxiety then I don't want to make it worse, but can anyone tell me if it gets better again??
Any other 14 mo out there doing this??