Help! Toddler has started being unable to sleep without someone there!

[RainbowMummy876]

My two year old was an amazing sleeper (10 min bedtime, slept through the night) until a couple of weeks ago when he started crying about 30 mins after we put him down and was hysterical for about 10 minutes before I managed to get him interested in listening to me reading a book. Then he lay there sobbing every now and again whilst I read for about 45 minutes before he finally went to sleep.
Ever since then, every nap time and bed time, he's wanted book after book after book and cries when we try and stop. It's gone from taking 10 mins to get him down to over an hour, just reading and singing whilst he fights sleep.
Crying it out doesn't work because he just stands up in his cot so he'll never settle that way.
Can anyone give any suggestions??? I'm at my wit's end!!!

Had something changed at home OP that might have caused this? I’m wondering how much of an impact the lockdown might be having - we’re finding DS’d behaviour has really taken a downturn this week. Is he able to verbalise what’s upsetting him? It sounds like wanting books is a way to delay you leaving him, which is what’s making me wonder about anxiety. Would you consider sleeping with him for a while until this settles? Might be completely out of the question, but its what we tend to do if DS is unsettled, and it’s usually a phase that just passes on it’s own.

Only thing could be he's not going to nursery anymore but he only went once a week so not sure how much of an impact that would have? Plus his dad and I are not leaving him to go to work.
I've tried asking him what's wrong but he doesn't seem able to verbalise, no. I've asked him if he's scared by himself and he says no but who knows if he's understood what I asked 🤷 I do think it must be an anxiety thing but I have no idea what's caused it.

Around the age of two the imagination develops and they start to have proper nightmares and be scared of the dark. Maybe he had a really bad dream and is now scared to go to sleep on his own? Does he have a night light?

I'd try a nightlight and maybe an audiobook or CBeebies radio to listen to. My 5 year old has regressed at bedtime too, I think it's a combination of lockdown plus the death of his beloved Grandpa. I sit with him til he falls asleep but with audiobook on so I don't have to keep reading endless stories.

Honestly I'd just go with the flow.
Do you have somewhere you need to be at these times?

If not I'd take a phone. Download a game or a book and just chill with them. Both my older two grew out of it eventually.

Have you tried antihistamine syrup?

Kidding! Though it’s tempting. I’m sitting in 5 year old DS’s bedroom waiting for him to go to sleep because he reckons he’s afraid of the dark, and a calpoltini is increasingly enticing.

My just turned 2 year old is the same - up until a few weeks ago you could put her to bed at 7pm wide awake and she'd just roll over and go to sleep, and you could guarantee you wouldn't see her again until about 7am.
Now I have to sit with her for up to an hour while she rolls around and messes about, if I leave the room she cries for me. She won't entertain DH putting her to bed at all. Some nights she's coming into our room at 3am and then I get no sleep while she throws herself around the bed. I'm struggling with sleep anyway as I'm 31 weeks pregnant and it's really starting to affect me mentally!
I think it's a combination of lockdown so she's with me 24/7, and the lighter evenings. Doesn't help that DH seems incapable of getting her to nap before 3PM so she just isn't tired!
No advice really but plenty of solidarity and hoping they'll just grow out of it!