17 Mo Sudden Old Night Wakings

[Nathaniel'sMommy]

My son has just started a new routine that has him waking randomly every night  in the middle of the night. We cant figure it out. He wakes around midnight and stays awake for several hours and then goes back to sleep and then gets up again for the day around 8. And its the sort of waking up that has him crying until we come get him.  His naps are completely normal and he is not teething. Its striking me as a milestone reaction but I cant think of what it could be specifically. Normally at bedtime he would go down easily and if he stayed awake he would just play with his fishtank or read but lately he isnt going down easily at all. It almost seems like he is afraid of the dark all of a sudden (he does have a nightlight) We have done absolutely nothing different, he just out of the blue started this. Anyone else go through this? One of my friends said her ds went through stages where for a few weeks he would get up really early in the morning and then a few weeks where he would sleep in later. I wondered if maybe this was just a phase of some sort like that? Totally lost here. Help please!

[momofclaire]

Is he taking one or two naps? 
Developmental things can often cause these sorts of problems at night.
What generally settles him at night?  What have you tried?

[Nathaniel'sMommy]

We have stuck with his normal routine which is bedtime bath, a story, some rocking, warm milk. Normally he goes into his crib with no fuss and plays with the fishtank for awhile and then falls asleep. Without having done anything different he cries once he is in the crib. I noticed that he settles when we stand by him. But I rub his back and sing to him and he goes to sleep but he doesnt stay that way. Do some toddlers become wakeful when they grow? He normally sleeps a ton but thats all I can think of. We also noticed he is fairly gassy all of a sudden during the night when he wakes. It is totally striking me as a phase but I cant understand what the phase is and I want to understand so I can help him the poor lil guy

[momofclaire]

It is possible that he is needing less sleep and is ready to transition a little.  How much does he sleep during a the day and night? What time does he wake and go to bed? Can you tell me his nap times and lengths?

[Nathaniel'sMommy]

Ok its all resolved He had a stomach reaction to something that took a couple days to work its way out entirely. But the gas was causing him pain and I wasnt getting rid of enough of it to keep him comfy at night. But anyways he is back to normal now. Thanks for your reply!