Help please with 13m old sudden 'fear' of sleeping at night - long!

[katieskids]

Until this week I could go through the bedtime routine with ds, lay him in his cot and leave the room. At most he might have grizzled until I reached his door then he would settle down and sleep.....
Forward to now, he will sleep for a nap in his cot during the day but at night he has started to go stiff and reach out for my neck and cling on as I'm trying to lower him into bed. He screams himself into a frenzy and is desperate to be picked up. Last night (this morning 4.30!) I ended up sitting next to the cot and he clutched my hand and tried to go to sleep. If I moved he got straight up again crying. In desperation I put him between me & my dh and he fell asleep straight away.
The only change has been Monday night when for 8hrs we were in the car gridlocked in the snow, we never made it home and ended up bedding down at my mums at midnight. I know this would be unsettling as ds was sleeping,missed tea,awake then sleeping with me on the floor in a house he hasn't stayed in overnight before.
So, please, words of wisdom where do I go from here? Is the adventure on Monday likely to be what has caused this distress? Whilst writing all this down I realise he has also become very clingy to me during the day. I could easily take him into my bed & he would sleep 'like a baby' but I really need to know how to get back to how it used to be and gain his trust again.
Thank you for reading this!

I could have written your post a couple of years ago. We had left DD1(18 months) with my parents whilst we went to a party overnight. She had stayed there before and been fine, but this time she had a bug of some sort and was up all night. Anyway, she developed a total fear of going into her cot at night. Screamed and cried every time I put her in. I had to get into her cot with her at first, then I co-slept, then I put a mattress in her room and slept next to her. Eventually she got back to being ok, but it took about a month of reassurance and gradual steps. Perhaps you could try something similar-I was desperate so you have my sympathy.

No advice but going through the same thing at the moment. DD is 18 months and after leaving her overnight at my parents 3 weeks ago has been scared of being left alone in her room.

I've moved her into a single bed and I'm just lying beside her until she settles again. I think it may be seperation anxiety as she is definitely more clingy during the day as well, I'm hoping that being there and reassuring her will help her be happy in her room again.

Will watch thread for any helpful advise as my eyes are looking rather heavy...

well been away in an hotel. This has not helped this situation at all as ds had to sleep in the same room as us in a travel cot. Took forever to get him asleep on night 1, then on night 2 and 3 he was burning hot and needed meds every 4 hours, so needless to say he found sleep very hard. Had a long think though and def agree that seperation anxiety has a lot to do with it. Back home now and longing for routine!! Oh well let's see how bedtime goes now.