Please help me survive...:) or tell me to change something!

[Martini~]

Hi Ladies,
It's going to be a short story. DS is waking at night or sometimes moaning at bedtime for the last 6 weeks or so. I know that he is going through a lot:
- teething - 2nd years molars
- developmental stuff, he is 2y 2w old
- has gone though 2 really tough colds during that time
- he has a strange separation anxiety right now, as during day he screams like hell when he cannot see me and 100x per day he says "i am afraid, i am afraid" and runs to me to have a hug.

His sleep problems are erratic as he can have 4-5 good nights and than 5-8 worse. I was quite sure it's teething as he was waking in the first part of the night, sometimes crying through sleep, gel is helping a lot. But than it's a bit better but he still cries for his bunny or whatever. NWs are a extremly short. It's just me touching him or giving him the bunny back or using the gel. At BT I use WI/WO if he needs as nothing else is needed. Sometimes he moans for 5min, sometimes for 15min.

His routine is 7am-7pm day-night with 1h nap at 1pm till 2pm, he nods off within a minute. I cut it at the beginning of Jan after 1st illness as he was needing more and more time to nod off at BT. Usually when he is sleeping too much, the results are protests at BT and waking at 5:40 to the dot:) so that's why I am not sure if less sleep is needed. He is an average needs sleeper, until 18mo he has been doing 12h nights for ages (roughly as he needs time to nod off and lies quietly in his bed in the morning) and 2h nap, cut to 1.5h at 18mo and than to 1:15 around December/Jan and now it's rather 1:00h as I was thinking that maybe it will help.

The case is that I think I just need to ride it out, but I need encouragement that this is a good direction. Would you cut his day sleep more? I would wait but need some stories from you that it's just like that at that age and that I should wait or maybe rather react.

Anyone to share your experience?

[michaeljacknnugg]

I'd ride it out a bit longer, personally. You said yourself he's teething and these molars are horrible things.

For the SA, could you have him in a carrier for some of the day, so he can be close to you?

Big hugs, it's a tough phase!

[-Maya-]

Marta, big hugs. As a mum of a not-so-good sleeper, I just see all positives in your email
For us teething is a very long story, or so I guess at least. Days and days of small resettles when sleep is lighter.
Then even an incoming cold leads to a bad night, more bad when cold is not there then when it is actually is visible.

[becj86]

I'd be riding it out, too xx Hard as it is in the moment, this too shall pass and its almost never a good idea to muck around with a routine if there are teething/developmental things in the mix, esp. around birthday/half birthday leaps.

[-Maya-]

Marta, how things are going sleep-wise?

[Martini~]

Thanks for asking. After 10 days of connstant BT refusal I cut his nap to 45min which resulted in a small distaster. He still fought bedtime but he started to wake at night and was a nightmare in the evenings. So last weekend I have him 1:15 and that's what we are doing now and he is getting better. Less and less refusal, no NWs, and very rare 6am call outs for his rabbit, but I can live with that.

It's seems he needs more sleep than he needed month ago...? Amazing:).

[Lindsay27]

I was going to actually say that...

Around 2yrs my DS seemed like he was going to drop the nap and then all of a sudden he picked it back up again and started needing a good 1.5-2hr nap during the day.  I am actually wondering if he's a bit OT?

[lily_layne]

I was going to actually say that...

Me too. My DD did much the same as Lindsay's DS. We went through a silly stage where I thought we might need to drop the nap and then she started napping even longer and was happier for it.

It sounds like he may have been having night terrors. They often happen when an LO is OT. They occur in the early part of the night and the LO cries but isn't really awake. Usually a quick pat or phrase and they're back out.

[Martini~]

Yes, he definitely looked like OT so as I said we are going for a slightly longer nap right now. Hopefully it will solve itself as I hate these BT shenanigans... . I have started my own business as sleep consultant recently and I am consulting by Skype from 7pm and it really doesn't sound professional when I start and that's the moment DS start crying LOL. My clients are usually kind and nice people with much more sleep problems than I have, but goshhh... I can't get a better recommendation than DS rambling, can I:)?

Thanks for all of your advice coming and Maya, thank you for checking how it is going. I really appreciate a place where I can ramble a bit.

[-Maya-]

Marta, I hope you can rule out all issues in sleeping of your lo! F seems to be a very nice little guy! You have no idea on how much I am jealous of your 12h nights! I think I need to open  a thread for myself as I need suggestions.
Anyway ds pass through periods of more sleep and periods of less sleep. And as he is more active because of good weather or very interesting activities, he needs more sleep.

Good luck for your sleep consultant new job! How is going? Do you have many contacts? It is good to see how you are taking advantage of your experience as a mom! And you have so many energies for that, you are very brave!

[Martini~]

Open open a new theead Hun if you need an advice. You also need some support I guess that it will be better - not only the sleep, but also your low moments, iykwim?

SleepConcept is going great, too great I could imagine being honest. As posted somewhere 60h/week of work is a bit much, but I really believe it's only temporary, so I could go fully to my own business. But firstly I need my business to be big enough, you know? But the job is inspiring, so many mums need help and so many knows so little:/. 60-70% already tried CIO or cc as they didn't hear about any other methods of sleep training. But the successes are so sweet. When children finally SLEEP through, or stop wakings every 1-2h.