2 yr. old taking hours to get to sleep

[Zomeo]

Hi!  I was hoping I wouldn't have to post on here ever again but here I am....

My little guy just turned 2 last week.  He was always been an awesome independent sleeper.  We would just lay him right down and walk out he put himself to sleep easily.  His schedule would be from 8pm-8am and a nap from 1-3pm.

Well, we recently took a family trip for 2 weeks and it totally wrecked him:(  We finally have him back on our time zone but there are so many other issues going on.  He won't let us put him down in his crib.  He has to be rocked, held, or laid with in a bed to fall asleep.  Then he wakes multiple times per night calling for me so I sleep in a bed with him where he wakes constantly if he's not touching me.  It will take 1-2 hours to get him to nap and to bed EVERYDAY.  We are now going on 3 weeks of this.  I'm sensing he lost his security while traveling and became scared.  He also has been in an over tired state so was waking at 4am and 4:30pm. 
I'm wondering if he is done with his crib but I don't want to introduce too many changes too quickly.
Any ideas on how to approach this and get him back to sleeping independently and not screaming all day and night?  I thought once we were back in his home he would revert back:(
Thanks!!

[Haribo2012]

Hi there it's so confusing when they go off track isn't it!?

There is a big development/language leap at 2nd birthday so it could just be coinciding with that.

Maybe you could try with gradual withdrawal at bedtime and see if he settles knowing your there? I do remember at tricky nap phase with my first st this age, ended up doing naps out and about for a few days to try and break the cycle etc x

[Zomeo]

Is there a link that details the gradual withdrawal method?  And I should start this at bedtime first then try naps later?  Also, when he wakes up in middle of night do I pick him up?  Today he was up at 4:30am:( 

[Haribo2012]

Hi this link has a few things worth looking at including GW. Toddler Specific Sleep Training Advice

I'd start with bedtime and just be consistent with naps and NW too.

What time is he napping?  Yuk 4.30 does suck x

[Zomeo]

Great!  I will take a look at this link.  I'm also thinking that he is really ready to transition into a bed and out of mini crib.  He is bigger and moves a lot and doesn't seem to like being confined in there all of a sudden.  So I'm wondering if instead of doing two transitions (getting back into crib and then transitioning into bed soon later), if we should just go ahead and push forward to a bed.  If we did, he would be moving into a bunk bed with this older sister...yikes.  So many changes in the last few weeks.  He stopped using a sleep sack and stopped sucking his thumb!

He usually naps from about 1-3 or 1:30-3:30pm but today when he woke up at 4:30am, I got him to sleep by 11:15am.

[Haribo2012]

Sounds like a busy time coming up lol! I have no advice on sharing rooms as my 2 are well apart they'd wake each other up 

Could be time to start shaving a bit off the nap!?

[Zomeo]

We have tried the crib and me sleeping on floor.  He goes crazy and won't even let me put him in it and climbs out right away.  Then we tried crib mattress on floor with me laying next to him and he wouldn't lay down at all.  So I'm back to sleeping in a queen bed with him.  But now he rejects naps all together...could he be dropping at 2 years old??!!

Ugh.  I don't even know what to try next. 

[Haribo2012]

Will he nap with you? I used to make DS a comfy corner of the sofa, read a book then put him a boring tv programme on and he'd nod off x