Toddler waking in night for reassurance

[Lgyblm]

I’ve never posted on one of these groups before but we are totally out of ideas and in desperate need of some consistent sleep!

My 20 month old has a good routine and is generally a very happy toddler. He goes to sleep on his own for his nap and at bedtime but then wakes 1-4 times a night. When he wakes we go in, tuck him back in again and then leave the room and he goes back to sleep.

We have done sleep training with him before to teach him to go to sleep independently which he now does, but we can’t seem to get him out of the habit of waking and can’t really use sleep training for it as we only have to go in once and then we don’t hear from him for a few hours at least.

Has anyone else experienced something similar and got any tips? We are expecting baby number 2 in a few months and not sure how we will cope if we are up with both kids in the night!

I’d make sure he gets loads of one to one attention from you during the day and just before bedtime. Love bomb the socks off of him so he doesn’t feel the need to have extra reassurance in the night.

I think it's normal to need reassurance at that age and to carry on as you have been.

What happens when he actually wakes? Does he cry or just chat a bit? I am wondering if you could just try leaving him a bit, and not go in? Assuming he isn't getting really upset, he might just get fed up and go back to sleep?

Thanks all, when he wakes up he cries, we have tried waiting a bit before we go in to give him a chance to settle himself but he just carries on crying and then is harder to settle as he’s got himself a bit worked up

He seems to be the same regardless of the day we have had, whether he has been at nursery or whether we have spent the whole day just me and him doing lots of fun things and having lots of cuddles and one on one time

Can't you take him into your bed when he wakes up?

Yes we could do, however this isn’t really a habit I want to get into. No judgement to anyone that does do this, it is totally personal preference but not something we are looking to start. Plus I’m heavily pregnant and he is a wriggler so I would worry quite a bit about him kicking me in the stomach!

My son was 2 in July. I’ve actually just written a post for some advice. He does the same. He has been sleeping through since just before he was 2. Except when he’s been teething. All of a sudden he’s started waking at night crying. I go in and he’ll stop crying lie back down and go to sleep again or try to but within the next 20 minutes he can be up again doing the same. I will go in and he’ll lie back down and try to sleep.

I’m stumped and tired. Also it’s not every night. Is your son doing waking every night?

Apologies no advice but you’re not alone. Fingers crossed everyone gets some sleep soon