18 month sleep regression is the pits

[sar302]

Just that really. My beautiful sleeper has turned into a monster! For 3 weeks now he's been waking before 5am and barely napping during the day. For 2 of those weeks my husband was ill and in and out of hospital, so I've been doing all the waking pretty much by myself.

He's not hot, cold or hungry. His room is blacked out. He just does not want to sleep in the mornings any more.

Everything online says it goes back to normal after 4-6 weeks. I bloody hope that's true. I know we've been lucky up until now, but Christ I'm done with it!!

Anyone else in the same boat?

Have you checked that DS isnt ill....ear infections can sometimes have very few symptoms but play havoc with sleeping

I hadn't considered ears - although have thought about pain generally ie teeth. He doesn't seem in pain during the day at all. Is it something that could feel worse / more irritating at night?

Yes, very much so. There is something about lying horizontal that makes ear infections really painful

My son is nearly 14 months and has just (fingers crossed) come out of a sleep regression. It lasted about 5 weeks. Then just when I thought he would never sleep properly again, he started sleeping through the night! But it was pretty hard on all of us for a while there.

So we ended up at the GP today, as his ear looked like it had exploded when we got him up! It's been checked and there's no ear drum perforation or infection present, but a huge blockage of wax which might have been causing pressure :(

So, well called @SeaToSki! Hopefully if that was the cause, we might get a lie in til 6 tomorrow morning... otherwise @HarryHarry we will just keep plodding in to the end. This too shall pass and all that!

What was the issue OP?

Just the above really. 18 month old, previously excellent sleeper, waking before 5am everyday for the last 3-4 weeks. Thought it might be illness briefly, it have since mostly ruled that out. Stuck in a bit of a negative cycle of no sleep, so overtired, so no sleep, and not sure how to break it!

I've read it can last around 6 weeks and after that you need to consider it being an "actual" issue.

What are her naps?

My DD is going through it but it all varies per day!

So it's also happened at the same time that we finished phasing out two nap days, for one nap a day. He was sleeping 7pm-6.15 and napping 12.00-2.30 regularly, and then one day, didn't!

I actually put him to bed at 6pm last night, and he slept though til 5.30, so 11.5 hrs, which he hasn't done for weeks. But then hes only had a hour nap, and is still clearly exhausted. I'm hoping a few more decent nights may lead to better naps and then back into a positive cycle. Although he's staying with grandparents for the weekend, so it might all go to pot a bit in a different environment anyway.

6 weeks you say? I could handle another 2 if I knew it was all going to go back afterwards...!