20mth old waking frequently through the night

[Daniela_1]

Hi All,

Just wanting some advice.

Since last week my 20month old son has decided to wake frequently at night between 11:00-11:30, 2am and 4am. Must admit he has been a terrible sleeper since 3 months old but this week has been so exhausting almost as if his become a newborn again. When he does wake in the middle of the night previously we would either give him a sip of water or dummy and he would go straight to sleep...this week he stands up protests and screams until someone picks him up holds him eventually calming down and sleeping again. Not sure if there is such thing as a 20month regression or if its his teeth ( i can see his canines coming out)just guessing what the problem is... im exhausted and so is my husband (both of us work full time) and are not sure what to do???

Routine mon-tue
0600 wake him for childcare
0645 breakast
11:00-11-45 (when sleeping at chilcare times do vary when he does sleep but generally will only sleep 45mins there)
1300 lunch
1600 pick him up from childcare
1800 dinner
1900 bath
1930 bed

Wed-sun
6:30 awake
0700 breakfast
11:30-1430 ( he tends to sleep more at home)
1445 lunch
1800 dinner
1900 bath
1930 bed

I dont so much have a problem with his day naps as we do our nights...HELP!

[*Ali*]

I'd say he's chronically overtired.  Are you waking him at 6am or does he naturally wake? Can you do bedtime any earlier on days he only catnaps?

[Daniela_1]

Hi Ali,

Depends on the day, sometimes we have to wake him up at 6am and other times his already awake as he can hear us getting ready for work. We can get him into bed earlier when his at childcare...that’s no problem.

Just not sure what caused all of this in the last week though? As we have been doing the above routine for sometime now.

[*Ali*]

Any improvement?

[Daniela_1]

He was actually fighting his sleep crying windging etc for an hour. He eventually fell asleep at 7:30.

Not sure what else to try

[Katet]

What do you do in the last half our or so before you physically put him to bed. The difficulty to fall asleep could be separation anxiety or the need for more of a wind down at the end of the day.

[Daniela_1]

Hi Katet,

Our routine is bath, put clothes on etc, dim lights in bedroom, give him milk, bearhug and sing to him softly for a few mins. After that i say its time to go to bed. I leave about 10 dummys in the cot and his favourite blanket. I have found though the last two days i left the door open instead of closing it when leaving his room and he just babbles and eventually goes to sleep...if i close the door he starts screaming and crying..so thats one less thing now...just need to figure out why he is waking continually at night!