Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Sleep

Join our Sleep forum for tips on creating a sleep routine for your baby or toddler. Need more advice on your childs development? Sign up to our Ages and Stages newsletter here.

Original poster

2 year sleep regression?

150 replies

Anne8888 · 30/11/2022 20:56

HELP!

My toddler who is 23 months has suddenly started refusing to sleep. He’s always been an amazing sleeper and would self settle no problem until 3 days go..

Every time I put him in his cot he is screaming for mummy/daddy.. last night it took him 2 hours to go to sleep but he woke up at 02:30am this morning screaming for us and we just ended up putting him in our bed because we were so tired 😴

Tonight he was screaming again and after about 40 mins my partner rocked him to sleep because we just don’t know what to do for the best… will probably get a wake up call early hours again 😫 he is also refusing to nap.

Any advice? Is the 2 year sleep regression actually a thing? How long does it last?

OP posts:
Happycroc · 06/12/2022 14:47

@Anne8888 oh bloody hell, that’s no fun, it’s so exhausting isn’t it! A well deserved Costa!

I don’t think so, no other signs of teething but who knows! I think she’s just hit terrible twos and realised she’s soon to be a middle child so she’s starting to get some practice in!!

BabyBuddy · 10/12/2022 09:22

My 22-almost 23 month old is doing this. It’s been going on since 20th October so 3 weeks today. In August-September, we had 6 weeks of the 18month regression. I’m half mad by now.

Original poster
Anne8888 · 10/12/2022 17:34

@BabyBuddy does your child usually self settle? Mine did but I’ve just started putting him in bed whilst he’s asleep now as I’m just drained from it all 😩 last night he woke up at 1am crying so put him in our bed, need to break the habit but it’s so tiring in the middle of the night.. literally feel like it’s never going to end!

@Happycroc how is it going for you?

OP posts:
Happycroc · 10/12/2022 19:52

Still in regression hell @Anne8888 !!

DH has stepped up though since I was laid up in bed with the sickness bug on Tuesday and then I hit a really low point on Thursday night when after 2 hours of fighting with me I told him he’d have to take over before I completely lost my sh1t! I then lay in bed and cried for half an hour because I just feel completely at a loss on how to “fix” the situation.

DD was up once in the night and then she decided that the night was over at 4.15am this morning. Bloody ridiculous! She’s so grumpy and irrational and she needs a good 12 hour sleep, but how do we make that happen?!!

Lottie917 · 10/12/2022 20:41

Literally could of written this post and so glad DH and I aren't alone in this.

Bedtimes are becoming a nightmare. DS has always been a fantastic sleeper but feel like we're paying for it now 😅🤦🏼‍♀️been going on for about 2 weeks now, if we don't put him down asleep he cries as soon as we leave him to settle in his cot whereas he's always been able to self settle before this.

We've also given in quite a bit with him waking in the small hours of the morning screaming, and brought him into bed with us which probably hasn't helped matters but we get much more sleep this way. And we said we'd never co-sleep 😂🤦🏼‍♀️

Hoping it passes soon 🤞

Original poster
Anne8888 · 10/12/2022 22:14

@Lottie917 no your not alone! My ds has been the best sleeper up until 2 weeks ago, I just don’t understand what’s happened 😐 how old is your ds?

OP posts:
Lottie917 · 10/12/2022 22:49

@Anne8888 Same! 🤦🏼‍♀️ He's 23 months so we're a bit early on the 2 year regression but he's gone through all his sleep regressions about a month early. This is the worst one by far 😂

Original poster
Anne8888 · 10/12/2022 23:16

@Lottie917 mine is 23 months too! We’ve never really had a sleep regression before, only had the odd couple of nights where he’s struggled to settle but wow this is something else 😫

OP posts:
Original poster
Anne8888 · 11/12/2022 00:04

@Happycroc oh bloody hell it’s so hard isn’t it, sleep deprivation is real! I can relate I’ve been in tears for the past couple of weeks wondering when on earth this is going to end and if I will ever get some sleep again 😩 I decided to turn DS bed into a toddler bed (not sure if I’ve made the right decision or not) 🙈 tonight he actually lay in the bed whilst I stroked his face and went to sleep whereas last night I couldn’t get him in the bed until he had fallen asleep in my arms… will probs be up in a few hours and back in our bed 😩

OP posts:
Happycroc · 11/12/2022 09:00

Anything for a bit of sleep @Anne8888

DD was up at about 11.15 and in with me in the spare room. She settled fairly quickly but awoke again at about 3am, I think it was a nightmare because she went from fast asleep to screaming. Then at 3.45 my DS came storming in to announce he’d had a bad dream which woke her and she thought it was time to get up for the day! After about an hour and a half I went and placed her in bed with daddy because I was done in! When will this get easier?!?

iloveyankeecandle · 11/12/2022 12:15

I'm going through this with my 21 month old. Early two year sleep regression? Used to go down in cot fine. But three nights ago started crying hysterically. I lay with him and he went to bed fine. But there's bee. Constant night wakings and screaming again. He's very upset. I've been cuddling him back to sleep which has been fine. Naps have been fine. But we have really early wakings. This morning it was 4;45. I just don't know what to do? Ride it out for a few weeks or what. I don't want him to become dependant on me to fall asleep but nothing else will work and I left him to cry but he was still going strong after 15 mins!!

Original poster
Anne8888 · 14/12/2022 00:22

@Happycroc hows things? Hope you’re feeling better! DS has just woke up screaming tonight of all nights when I have an interview tomorrow 😫

OP posts:
Original poster
Anne8888 · 14/12/2022 00:24

@iloveyankeecandle it really is draining isn’t it 😩 it’s been going on for over 2 weeks for us now, is it getting any better for you?

OP posts:
iloveyankeecandle · 14/12/2022 06:25

@Anne8888 nooooo 😩 it's been a week and a half. I'm constantly googling it to see if anyone has a miracle cure. But nothing! Had toddler in with me last night. It stopped the crying but I didn't sleep! I've put the time it should last as six weeks. Then if it's going on for longer I'm going to need to get tough and get some help!!

AnyLightAtTheEnd · 14/12/2022 08:16

I've just given in and let DD in with me. I put a pillow down the bed in-between us and this stops her kicking me, she is still waking 3 - 4 times crying but settles a lot quicker.

I didn't Really want her in with me as people tend to judge, bit the whole family is now getting more sleep

AnyLightAtTheEnd · 14/12/2022 08:21

I don't think the wintr helps either. They go to sleep in the dark and wake up in the dark so I think it confesses them when they wake up as they don't know if it's morning or not.

In the summer they Go to bed in the light and wake up in the light, so if they wake in the night and it's dark then they know it's sleep time still.

iloveyankeecandle · 14/12/2022 13:33

@AnyLightAtTheEnd yeah I know what you mean. To be honest he slept better with us and didn't cry when he woke up. Wondering if it's separation anxiety?

Original poster
Anne8888 · 14/12/2022 19:33

@iloveyankeecandle it’s 100% separation anxiety with us, ds has become so clingy recently but I do remember him going through a phase like this when he turned 1 which lasted around a month

OP posts:
iloveyankeecandle · 14/12/2022 19:55

@Anne8888 what's strange is, he's fine going to nursery and being left with people. As soon as it's bedtime all hell breaks loose!

Happycroc · 14/12/2022 20:48

@iloveyankeecandle DD’s started as separation anxiety, I’m pretty sure, but then it just evolved into terrible sleep! Ours has been going 2 months now…

@AnyLightAtTheEnd DD ended up sharing the bed with one of us most nights but it’s a choice between that and some sleep or making her stick it out and getting none!!

@Anne8888 I’m all better thank you! Our nights are very hit and miss. We’ve put a heater outside her room because it was just getting so cold at night, I’d like to say it’s helped but who knows!

BabyBuddy · 15/12/2022 03:59

@Anne8888 mine used to self settle but we co sleep. He sleeps between us mum and dad and falls asleep. Has been doing this since birth. But since 20th October he just does not fall asleep and starts crying as obviously it’s frustrating for him to lie in bed and not falling asleep. So I had started rocking him but that made him wake up multiple times every single night.
For past 4 nights, he didn’t wake up. But he woke up at 3am now and sitting here in the dark downstairs as he started crying to take him down. 😭.

BabyBuddy · 15/12/2022 04:18

Are we done after this regression? Is there any 3 year regression for me to look forward to? 😭

AnyLightAtTheEnd · 15/12/2022 06:12

I'm sorry you are all going through it, but it's so nice to know I'm not alone.

Everyone I know in RL has babies or toddlers that sleep, so nobody seems to understand how bad it can get.

Original poster
Anne8888 · 18/12/2022 17:48

@Happycroc @BabyBuddy @Lottie917 @iloveyankeecandle @AnyLightAtTheEnd how are you all doing? Any improvements? 😩🙈 x

OP posts:
Lottie917 · 18/12/2022 18:08

@Anne8888 Small improvements being made here! I've started cutting him down to half an hour naps in the day and whilst that means he's grumpy for the late afternoon / evening it means he's tired enough for bed around 8-9pm and goes down with little fight again.

He's also started self settling again for now... We have a theory that it might actually have been his cotbed sheet. I bought two new ones from Primark which have the faces of mickey, Donald, goofy, etc on it and we were able to pinpoint that it was the sheet in the dark that he possibly didn't like. Since I've stopped using them and bought plain white he's self settling and the night time screaming has also stopped for now 🤷🏼‍♀️ so makes me wonder if it was just that, or sleep regression or what 🤷🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️

He still is waking earlier than usual and screams as soon as he wakes up to be taken out of his cot, but it's at like 5am, so not terrible and no more night time waking for the last few days and no co sleeping either.

How are you getting on? Xx