2 year sleep regression?

[Anne8888]

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?

Also just read that back 😂 it's so rambley! You can tell I'm tired 😂

@CupidStunt24 thats amazing!!! Hope everything is still going well for you? We had a really good week last week after one of his teeth had finally cut through. Sleeping through 19:00-07:30 but now he’s cutting the last one which has just pierced his gum so sleeps gone a bit west again but he did sleep through last night and woke up with a mild temp which I am hoping is just the teething and not an infection 😩I’m really paranoid as he hasn’t had a temp since he had a febrile convulsion last July but hopefully it’s gone by tomorrow!

@Wfhandbored i did try controlled crying but it was traumatising for the both of us and it use to stress me out so much 😩 what technique have you been using? Has it improved?

@Anne8888 we gave up and one of us ends up in her bed every night as it's the only way we all get some sleep 😅 made the biggest rod for our backs here but atm it's a case of picking our battles

@Wfhandbored we have all been there! Sleep deprivation is the worst and there is times we will do anything to get some sleep

I haven't read the thread so forgive me if this has all been suggested but what about

Lavender room spray
Lavender bath soak - Johnson's do one and many other brands

If you don't have a dimmer on your main lights get a lamp and gradually dim the light over a 30 minutes period

Later bedtime - controversial I know

Blackout curtains or night light

Moving your toddlers room around sounds crazy but sometimes a change helps sometimes it doesn't

Check for drafts

Clean toddlers room top to bottom

A humidifier

Every kind of white noise/ pink noise/ brown noise / womb sounds / hoover sounds

Toddler massage

Sounds crazy but some toddler don't like to have their feet covers so if your toddler is in a baby grown get a footless one or footless Pajamas

Some like sleeping bags some like a blanket so whatever your use try switching

Same goes for a pillow of your toddler has one try without or visa versa

Glow stars on the ceiling

@quietnightmare appreciate this so much but we've done literally everything on the list 😂 aside from the ceiling stars actyally haha!

Hey, just been reading this thread and wanted to get involved! My sons sleep has been the same for about 3-4 weeks, he’s just turned 2. He’s never been a good sleeper and has been through every developmental leap / sleep regression badly - so this isn’t new for us.
I just wanted to say that if I’ve learned anything through 2 years of going through many bad sleep phases, that there isn’t really much that can be done, it’s just a matter of riding the wave and doing whatever you can to get through it. I know some of you may not want to hear that and I wish I could offer a solution but your child will come out the other side eventually. I started training to be a sleep coach and in all honesty, I realised it’s not for me. Through these phases your child needs you more than ever, they are learning so many new skills and all their developing happens when they are asleep. The best thing to do is whatever gets you the most sleep, whether that be bringing your child into the bed with you, sleeping with them in their bed etc. Also just a few tips with naps, I know you may not be able to if you’re working but naps either in the car or the pram are best as the motion helps them fall asleep. We have even resorted to driving my son around at bedtime as I’d rather be driving than laying down next to him for hours on end! This phase doesn’t mean they are ready to drop the nap, it’s just a temporary thing while they go through the regression but they will need to hang on to the nap closer to the age of 3 or sometimes longer for some children so please don’t give up on it altogether. Hope you all get through it soon 🙏🏼

I'm so glad I found this thread! Currently going through this regressive which isn't helped by the fact she can get out of her sleeping bag and cot. She woke up at 4:17 fml

We're in the thick of it again. Waking up hourly asking for milk and being absolutely inconsolable if we don't give it to her. Needing someone in her bed basically all night. 9pm to sleep, 5am up for the day. We've dropped the nap too so no idea what else we can do 😭🫠

I know this thread began in 2022 but hoping some of you may still be around to offer some advice. My 2 year old DS is doing exactly this. Up until 2 weeks ago always self settled for naps and bedtime. Now it’s taking hours to settle him to sleep and he’s crying throughout the night. Is there light at the end of the tunnel?

I think we're going through it again. Won't be left to go to sleep. Frequent wake ups and fighting naps. We just rode it out last time and that's all I'm going to try and do this time.

@choochooallaboard how old is your LO now? How long did the phase last and did they go back to ‘normal’ afterwards? How did you get through it?

We’re currently sitting with my DS until he falls asleep but it’s taking hours, and he’s definitely tired, if anything overtired. When he wakes in the night we settle him too.

He's 2.5 now. But it started when he was about 2 and lasted maybe 3 weeks? We are a few weeks in at the moment. I just ride it out every time. But it's a shock to the system when you aren't used to early wake times etc. it does get better!!

@choochooallaboard do you offer comfort that you normally wouldn’t then? Early wakes aren’t necessarily our problem, it’s taking hours to go to sleep then waking regularly through the night crying too

Yeah I just stay with him until he's asleep as that makes him upset. Then once he's sleeping more like himself I just do a gradual retreat.

@choochooallaboard that’s what we’re doing but it’s taking over an hour. Was this the same for you? If we try and leave though before he’s asleep he cries

Hey, just wanted to say that our started in April and it’s still going on now! I’d say it’s got better recently, still takes 40mins to settle to sleep and we have to stay in the room but some nights he’s slept through. Yesterday when we skipped the nap he fell asleep within 7 minutes but then woke twice in the night, one of the wakes was for an hour. So hard to know what to do for the best, usually now one of us sets up a bed on his bedroom floor and then if there’s any night wakes we just go and lay on the floor next to his cot and hold his hand. I guess we’ve just adapted to this new routine but it’s definitely annoying!

He never really took that long. But I know during regressions they can do. It normally coincides with them learning something new. I think it can take up to six weeks.

Think we have hit another regression 😩 DS now 2.10 months refused to get in bed tonight and absolutely screamed the house down, I just lay with him in the end but I can feel another regression coming our way.. please pray for me!!!

@Anne8888 good luck. We've had a bad week of sleep. Lots of early wake ups but this morning was 630 and only one wake up. I think it's separation anxiety. I'll see how this week goes. Mines having tantrums about getting in the bath before bed and wants to get into bed but if we do that, he then asks for the bath after ten minutes. Think we need to change the routine a bit. Good luck to you though.

@chuffachuffchuff how old is your little one? These sleep regressions seem to be coming every 6 months for us 🙈 it’s such hard work when they go through sleeping really well to refusing to go to bed and waking up in the night

@Anne8888 he is 2.5. The same happens for us too. It goes really bad then settles again. Last night was better. One wake up and a 6:30 wake up. I think it's separation anxiety for him.

Hi all, potty training has triggered another bad sleep phase here. Not terrible but waking once in the night regularly again. Wanting a wee often.

Great, helpful.