21 month old - how normal is DS's regression?

[pikapoo]

He used to sleep through from 8-6/7am, bar the occasionally wake up.

Until about 2 months ago... Since then he's been waking up 1 or two times a night. Usually resettled with patting...

Then about 2 weeks ago he started refusing to go to bed. Like literally, he would try everything to not lie down, run out of the room (if not in cot) etc when previously he let us put him in cot when drowsy. So bed times are now getting later. Worse still, in the past week he's been waking up around 4am wanting to run out of the room to walk around/ play/have milk. It's high drama and hysterical crying when he doesn't get his way. DH and I are shattered.

Can anyone tell me if this is just a phase? Can we do something about it? Do we just sit with him in the living room at 4am? Today he was awake from 4am till 12:15pm, even though he didn't fall asleep till 9:30pm last night.

At nursery he normally has a 1.5-2 hour nap.

Any advice or reassurance would be greatly appreciated....

Bump... Anyone? Happened again today, he went to bed at 7:45 and woke up at 3:30am, took easily 1.5 hours to fall asleep again. Is it time for him to drop the only remaining nap? (Noooooo!)

www.babysleepsite.com/baby-sleep-patterns/sleep-regressions/

This site is good regarding sleep regressions and explaining what happens.

My instinct says it’s a phase, I think he may just be testing boundaries, I would keep him in his room so he knows that’s where he stays as it still sleep time. I know It’s rubbish but I would say it’s possibly a phase - someone may have a few more ideas tho xx

I’m on day 5 of 19 month DS refusing bed and then getting up in the night. He’s only just gone over in his cot after 4 (yes FOUR) hours of being downstairs, then in my bed and then finally left to cry for 15 mins in bed. I have no idea what the problem is. If it’s teeth he’s had meds, I know he’s not hungry or cold and he doesnt want cuddles, he keeps pushing me away. I think he’s overtired but at this age I don’t think sleeping a lot during the day to top up is going to help?!

I keep reminding myself of all the phases that have gone before. Your 2 month long phase seems very long though. I’m sorry, I’m no help. This is just a bit of solidarity really

Ds1 had a bit of a phase of this but I put it down to several things. He had a baby brother. His molars were coming through. He'd started pre school. Been poorly. Me and his dad were separating. Etc.

I'd use gradual retreat when he was younger disorders I just went back to that. He wasn't speaking at the time either but understood me when I explained things to him. I ws pretty firm as in if it was bedtime he went in his cot at the right time after me explaining, " it's bedtime , time for slept "etc ido often say "tomorrow we are doing xyz" and that would distract him from complaining about it. Then I'd stay with him a bit, til settled, then pop in and out of his room telling him what I was doing.

The night wakings I went in and gave him a cuddle but didn't take him out of the cot. Cudder over the bars if he wanted one. Patted on the bum. He would lay there having a bit of a paddy, wailing and kicking. A few nights it took up to an hour to get him back to sleep .

I didn't want to start taking him out of the cot as felt that would reinforce any bad habits and with ano there baby to consider I was keen for him to stay in the cot!

Thanks everyone for your support. It's getting a bit better. Fingers crossed just a phase. One thing we have decided to do though is take the cot bed rails down tomorrow. We figure that we'd rather come and find us if he wakes up, than start wailing to be let out...