2.5 year old - sleep gone to pot!

[Storysaurusandcrochet]

Hello,

I'm at my wit's end with DS2's sleep. He's 2 and a half and has always taken a time to settle and woken up early, but slept through which was what kept me going.

We moved house 7 weeks ago (I know this is the route of the problem) first in with grandparents then into our house.

He's taking up to an hour to go to sleep, waking throughout the night for 2 hour stretches and is up for the day before 6. He naps well, but has a good awake period before and after. His eating is a bit all over the place too - again, all the change I suspect.

I'd like to get him settling more quickly, say half an hour and sleeping through. He's still in his cot (which is probably all that's keeping me going as at least he can't get out) although if he set his mind to it he could climb out.

Bedtime and routine are consistent - teeth, hands, milk, story, cuddles in the rocking chair with a sleep story or quiet music.

Help? Please help! My eldest breaks up from school next week and I'm only coping by stopping when DS2 naps which I can't do when they're both home.

He might be ready to shorten or drop his nap, DS doesn't nap every day anymore. Also HV suggested disturbing his sleep cycle which has been a godsend, so resettle when we go up to bed one of us goes in, tucks him back in kisses him on the head, enough to make him stir/roll over and it's stopped the middle of the night waking. I was a bit sceptical but ready to try anything and it's worked.

@Storysaurusandcrochet what is actually happening while he goes to sleep?

So - bathroom, milk, story, cuddles in the rocking chair with a sleep story or quiet music.... Then what?

Does he go into the cot after the story? What then happens for the next hour or two? Or are you getting him to sleep on the rocking chair and putting him in the cot asleep?

Also, and related, when he wakes in the night- what happens then?

Forgot - does he have a comforter? Dummy for example

I wondered about the nap but on the rare occasion he misses it he has a horrific afternoon so I'm reluctant to change that, but could try. My eldest dropped his nap when he started nursery at 3 but we had a few months before where he clearly didn't want to nap and I just brought bedtime earlier.

I haven't heard of disturbing the sleep cycle, I guess it's a bit like a dream feed when they're teeny?

@FATEdestiny we cuddle till he's just asleep then pop him in his cot. He tends to sleep solidly until around midnight then will be up and down until we give up between 5 and 6. Same at night. No comforters or dummy, he just never took to one.

Thanks both for replying

He's getting too old to be put in the cot already asleep, he will need to go from awake to asleep in the cot. Preferably with as little intervention as possible.

What would happen if you tried for a whole night to get him to go to sleep in the cot not on your lap?

He has done it occasionally, just not routinely. Especially with moving twice (Once into the in-laws) I've just focussed on getting him to/ back to sleep as quickly as possible and that's been the path of least resistance - until now, when it's not and I'm exhausted.

I wonder if it's a bit like night weaning and DH has to do it? I'm well aware that's chickening out!

Night weaning is significantly easier when DH takes over. But sleep training when already weaned, not so much (sorry!). That's not to say DH couldn't do the sleep training, of course he could. It's just it will be no easier or harder than you doing it this time.