DS is about to turn 2, and for weeks now has been in some kind of regression, but not too bad - waking once most nights. If I got up with him, he would usually take 1 - 2 hours to fall back to sleep, but if DH got up he would be back to sleep in 10 minutes, so that was working quite well.
It's like a switch has been flipped this week, and now he is absolutely fighting sleep even though he's exhausted, and refusing to be put in his cot. He asks to be picked up and cuddled constantly and will relax and drift off, but will start crying again when we try to put him back down. We've been doing cycles of picking him up, soothing him, then trying to soothe him in the cot, lying down next to him, singing, offering water...and repeat. It hasn't worked, even if he wakes at 1am - that's him up for the day (or screaming all night) unless we just let him sleep on us on the chair or sofa.
It's so unlike him. He's never needed contact naps as a baby, always slept in his own space, transitioned into his own room well. Bedtime has been pretty straightforward since he was about 7 - 8 months old, we would do our routine, say goodnight, leave, and he would fall asleep independently after a couple of minutes of protest.
Since he turned 1 we've had good periods of sleeping through the night; did experience disrupted sleep around 15 - 16 months which resolved when we dropped down to 1 nap. Never had this refusal to go into the cot though.
In desperation, I did try to bring him into our bed, but as we've never co-slept before I don't think he associates it as a place to sleep (just woke him up more, and he was wriggling and trying to escape).
DS seems well in himself during the day - he does have his second set of molars coming in but it looks like they're almost all through now.
I've no idea whether to try and ride this out, just give him all the cuddles/attention he needs and not sleep...or try any kind of sleep training. I can't bear listening to him cry, but I feel so broken already. We both work full-tieme (DH is on summer holidays at the moment but he'll soon be back).
He does still have a nap during the day (40 - 90 minutes) - I wondered if it's time to drop that, but the thought makes me want to cry, as he's so tiring during the day, it's the only break we get.
Any thoughts/experiences welcomed.