First time poster, would love to get some advice! I have one DS, 2 years 4 months. He had reflux as a baby and has always been a poor sleeper - lots and lots of waking, and never happy when he wakes, always grizzling even in the morning. Well, the sleep is still atrocious! He does occasionally sleep through the night so I know he can do it, but more often than not we get multiple wake ups (he never self settles voluntarily). He does go to sleep by himself, we spent two years doing the world's slowest gradual retreat and I can now leave the room and he'll go off by himself.
But then the wake ups start. He'll ask for something - drinky water (we put a cup in his cot but he still screams for it until you go in and watch him drink), cover up (pulling his duvet over him and tucking it in, will NOT do it himself), tummy ache (I'm 90% sure that's just a ruse!). It's heart breaking to listen to him scream but he can go for absolutely aaaaages. I can be every five minutes for an hour or more, or it can be every two hours, or every four hours, or completely irregular. It's completely unpredictable.
I should say we had a professional sleep trainer out at immense cost and it was useless - he behaved quite well for her then the second I took over it was a disaster again. I'm quite sure I'm doing things wrong and I'd love some advice!
(Grandma says we should let him cry it out but by golly the boy lasts a long time and we tend to break first when we try it. Controlled crying just seems to wind him up more).