Our 2 yo DS is currently very challenging at night. We recently removed the sides of his cotbed because he climbed out one night. Since then, he has been very unsettled going to bed (was previously happy to go to bed) and during the night (was never great tbh).
He cries and shouts at bedtime. We have tried the tactic of silently putting him back in bed multiple times but it doesn't work and he ends up only going to sleep when he's worn himself out crying. We find this really upsetting and stressful - nothing we do comforts him.
An even bigger problem is that he wakes multiple times during the night and stands at his door and cries and screams, waking his baby brother who has only recently started to sleep through! He doesn't try and come in to our bed and it's not clear what he wants - whether it's to get up/company/be read stories. We feel that he might be afraid of the dark and have a nightlight in his room and we let him sleep with his door open.
We have talked to him about this, firmly and gently. We have introduced more filling foods to his diet (not a great eater). We have a gro clock and explain to him over and over that he can't get up until it's yellow, but we don't think he understands the concept as he's only just 2.
Does anyone have any ideas?