major disruption has led to nightwaking and wanting-to-cospleep 2yr old. any advice

[raggedtrouseredphilanthropist]

I have been going easy on him, as his dad left (this was the start, tho it was nearly a yr ago), I was sad / stressed, he has been poorly, I have been staying over at peoples, and finally I moved house.
Now, he goes down ok ish, but will wake up several times every night, and asks to come in my bed. If I leave him even 5 mins before going in, he screams and screams. He will settle if I go in and talk to him, then sit in his room for a minute, but he will wake up again later and we have to go through the whole thing again.
Last night, he woke every half hour from 12 - 2, and in the end I did just give in. I couldnt deal with it anymore. I have had no sleep for SO long now, and I am a lone parent, which is EXTREMELY difficult!!
Has anyone any advice how I can help him stay in his cot all night? I also want to move him to a bed, but not while he is doing this!!

TBH, If I were you, I would just take him in with me until things had settled down. We moved house a lot when mine were small, and I was very laid back about the sleeping arrangements - their sense of security was the most important thing to me.

They are all normal, happy individuals now.

He is only a baby and must be very confused and scared - he probably is frightened to let you out of his sight. He will settle down - give him time.

poor little lamb! Let him co-sleep, it won't be forever...and you will get more sleep too.

I would be happy to keep co-sleeping except he is the worst co-sleeper ever! He wake up regularly, plays, sings, jumps on me, and leaves me waking for the day already exhausted and having to cope with it all on my own.

I would co-sleep with him and try again in a couple of months.

and all those things at the start have been spread over a year, they werent all straight after one after another. I just let him come in with me frequently then as it was easier than wking up and doing any sleep training in the middle of the night.
But now I desperately need to get some sleep!!!!

He needs 12 - 14 hours of sleep every 24 at this age. Sometimes too little sleep makes them hyperactive and hyperstimulated. You might have to try an earlier bed time of a nap in the day to calm him down. Could you have a nap with him?

OR a nap. sorry -one finger typing atm.

he does have a daytime nap of 1 1/2 - 2 hrs, and goes to bed at 7pm, theoretically waking at 7am (tho if he is co-sleeping it will be 6am or earlier).
He DOES sometimes make it through the whole night in his cot, but wakes several times and asks to come in my bed still. I guess sometimes I am more able to settle him again in the night.

I used to make them a little nest of rolled blankets/thin pillows on one side of the bed - it kept them "hemmed in a bit" -would that help do you think?

ooh, I like the nest idea.
perhaps this thread should be me asking - how do I make co-sleeping better for me, rather than how do I stop him doing it??

Those V shaped pillows are quite good - you put one between you and them - one each side of them in a square, if you have two. They feel snuggled in, but can't wriggle and kick so much.

Mine liked the idea of being like a little bird/animal in its nest....

You could also invest in one of those relaxation music CDs - the ones used for massage/reflexology. you can usually find them cheap in charity shops. They used to calm mine down .

just to let you all know my plan, in case it works....
I have told ds that he will get a sticker for each time he stays in his cot all night, and doesnt come in mummys bed. He understands (he told his nanny about it lol), and earned his first sticker this morning. I did bribe him with one at 4am too, and stuck it inside his cot, and it seemed to work.
So, hopefully it might work tonight too.....

got his second sticker this morning
He did wake up at 6.20, but I let him off seeing as he was in his cot.