18 Month Sleep Regression

[octoberfarm]

Hi all, just wondering if anyone can offer any advice - LO is 18 months and seems to have hit the 18 month sleep regression (of doom) right on time. Hard to tell if this is actually a thing as when I google any age sleep regression, there seems to be something, but I'm exhausted and not sure what to do.

LO has gone from not being a great sleeper (usually not a fan of bedtime, early riser) to having hours-long meltdowns at bedtime, and waking up one or two (often more) times in the middle of the night. Ive been up since 3 with him this morning, my husband and I both work full time in high-pressure jobs, and I'm exhausted.

Does anyone have any survival tips? Everything says don't make long term bad habits for a short term issue, but I've no idea what I'm doing and I'm really struggling at work

LO has gone from not being a great sleeper...

I think that once into the toddler years, sleep issues like this just get worse. I'm sorry, that's probably not what jojoba wanted you hear.

But if you started from a position of motor great sleep, then the only way to solve it really will be sleep training. Poor sleep us just going to get worse, maybe with times being no so bad and times being woeful, but overall just being different degrees of poor sleeping.

If you can't face sleep training, then the best option is to decide to cosleep ancient comfort toddler in bed with you until old enough to no longer need that comforting.

My 17 month old is going through this I think atm. DD is a great sleeper usually (all night and one large nap in day).

Currently she is refusing to go to sleep, she goes down in her cot but then wants to play with her soft cuddly teddy for ages. She usually protests for a while but then goes down. It’s taking her 2 hours compared to 15 minutes she use to take. Is there anything we can do?

So sorry to hear you're going through the same thing, @Shutupanddance1. We actually have had a bit of a breakthrough on our end - we've started laying him down as usual after a strong bedtime routine and then sitting in the corner of his room in an armchair. For us I think he was getting hit with separation anxiety as he'd calm down as soon as we came back into the room, so now we just sit there in silence until he drifts off. Now he isn't panicking that we're going to keep leaving, it only takes 5 minutes max for him to drop off and if it goes much longer but he's mostly settled, I can walk out and he self-settles. When we're in there, if he tries to engage/play/chat, we don't go to him but just say quietly "it's bedtime now love, lie down. Night night" and he realizes we're not there to play, purely to sit there. He gets bored and he's out like a light. Even if he wakes in the night now he self soothes back to sleep, I think because he's overall less anxious about us leaving.

Don't know if this will help you if she's just busy around bedtime, but hope it does. Is moving teddy somewhere close to (but not in) the crib an option? Good luck, I know how much it sucks 

Her teddy is her comforter usually so I’m not 100% about taking it off her completely.
We may try staying with her in her room if she continues like this tomorrow night.

It’s frustrating as we will be traveling as well in a weeks time so I know her schedule will be all over the place

Ugh, traveling always throws us off too. Maybe just repeating that it's time to lie down/bedtime might make help her get the hint that it's time to sleep! Good luck!