12 months old sleeping nightmare

[eveylikesv]

Can somebody please tell me if this is yet another 'faze' and is going to pass soon...Ds was never a great sleeper and over the past 12 months we went through periods of very quick and easy sleep times to fighting with him for hours but l can't handle him at the moment at all! For the past few days he is refusing sleep point blank (even though he is very sleepy) or will go down very quickly just to wake up 30 min later and refusing to go back to sleep till 11 or later. He also started to skip his morning nap and have a longer one (or not) in the afternoon instead. However, even if he has 2 naps he is still a nightmare at bedtime. He is very intense during a day and l really need few hours at evening to myself. I am sick and tired of being locked in the dark bedroom with him waiting for hours for him to fall asleep. He is walking for the past few weeks and l know he is teething but l doubt it's his teeth keeping him awake. He also got very clingy lately, literally holding on to me whole day long. Any advice/reassurance highly appreciated...

Poor you. I have an 11 month old and after being a great sleeper she has recently started to wake up wanting milk in the night. Make sure he has had enough food/milk in the daytime so he is not waking up due to hunger. Do you take him to baby groups? Maybe if he used up a lot of energy at softplay/seeing other babies he would be more tired at night. This has worked with my 11 month old, she is easier at night when she has been active during the day and not stuck in the pram. Not sure what to say about the clinginess - try to let him see other adults and be picked up by them so may become less intense with you. Hope this helps a bit. Hopefully this phase will pass - my DD1 who is 2.8 was a wonderful sleeper as a baby but now refuses to go to bed and wants to play forever.....Good luck

Have you tried controlled crying? You decide what your put down routine will be (bath, book, cuddle etc-no particular order there!) and once you've settled him and he's drowsy, lie him in the cot. If he cries, give him a cuddle, leave the room. Make sure you actually time this, but wait a full minute before going back in to cuddle and reassure, before leaving again. Repeat but go in after 2 mins this time. Then every 5 mins until sleeeeep. It might take a couple of nights but you'll see results after that! I think it's a confidence thing, and he's just learning that you're there and will come if he needs you, but that he CAN sleep by himself. I'm sure someone else will explain it better than me!