14.5 mo waking and crying for up to 2 hours a night, help!!!

[JoandMax]

After some advice on my DS, we have had a range of sleep problems since he was born but he had settled into sleeping from 7pm and going through til 5/5.30am. I was finding the early mornings a bit trying since becoming pg again and tried wake to sleep but it didn't work so just thought early bed for me!

Now he is sleeping til 7am but only because he is up for 2 hours minimum in the night! He will wake anytime between midnight and 3am and cry, I go in, offer a drink and a quick cuddle (he used to wake in the night a couple of times a week and this would always send him back in minutes) but as soon as I put him back down he cries. I hold him til he's fast asleep and put him back but within 15 minutes he's crying again. I really didn't want to do CC or CIO but tried the last 2 nights to leave him 5 minutes before going in, then 10 minutes but after an hour and a half of this last night we were both too upset and I just cuddled him for ages and eventually he slept.

During the day he is happy as anything, eating well etc so I think it's an emotional problem, maybe some seperation anxiety?? My DH is very very anti him coming into our bed so don't really want to go down that route. I also hated leaving him to cry and would rather not do that unless anyone has experienced this and it has worked quickly!

He is settling okish when he goes to bed, has a little cry which he didn't used too, but is asleep within 20 minutes or so.

He has around 1 to 1.5 hour nap during the day after lunch.

Am off out today but would love any suggestions on how to make this easier for him.

Thanks

Send your DH in to settle him in the night and then see how he feels about the quick and easy method of cuddling and all going back to sleep instead of you being up for hours.

JoandMax - sounds really similar to my ds - I really don't know what to do either now - I was bringing ds in with me over last 2 weeks which stops the screaming but doesn't seem to help the sleeping. DS also happy in the day - other than when I wake him from his nap - god he hates that - and also settles really easily at night - its just when they wake up in the middle of the night and go nuts - and its been every night now for ages bar one 2 nights ago when he miraculously went to 4.45am.

Has he got a night light? Door open at night with light on in hall? HV suggested I put a mattress in his room and slept next door to him - I haven't done that as he goes ballistic if I sit in the chair but don't go to him but you could try it.

I can only offer sympathy - no solutions - but I really do hope this stops soon for both of us.

hmm I wonder if this is developmental my 14.5month old has suddenly started waking up in the night and early again after 2 months of (relatively) good sleeping. I am just rocking him to sleep when this happens for an easy life but I am wondering if he has become afraid of the dark and have left a very dim light on occasionally which seems to have helped.

I had the same problem when my ds was about the same age. In the end it was down to his molars all coming through at once, they were really hurting him but came through slowly. It lasted about a month IIRC.

Well yesterday I tried to put him down for a nap at lunch and everytime I left he just cried his little heart out so in the end we went for a walk. It seems our attempts at CC have made him worse so no more of that (hurray, I hated it!!).

Last night he woke so I picked him up til calm then put him back and carried on stroking his back and head which really helped. He did grizzle on and off for an hour and a half but was calmed by me sitting on the floor with my hand on him. So we still didn't more sleep but at least he didn't get so upset.

Broms - I put a little nightlight in his room yesterday so hopefully it might start helping. We've also been playing in his room a lot today and in his cot to try and make him see it as somewhere nice not just the big dark scary place where mummy abandons me!

I am wondering about molars actually Meglet as I noticed 2 big lumps on his gums earlier so although he isn't showing his usual signs during the day they could be contributing to the unsettledness.

So sorry to hear this is happening to others too, it's so hard when they're upset and you don't know how to make it better! If I find anything that works I will let you know.........