Please Help! Nightwakings for 25month old

[Rebekahb]

HI, My 25month old DS has always been a great sleeper. Has been sleeping 12hours since 12weeks with only occasional night wakings. We have always had a consistent bedtime routine bath, short 30minute show, books then tuck him in bed say goodnight and shut the door. The past 4-6weeks he has been screaming when we go to shut the door so we bought a baby gate so he can't run around the house and leave his door open. This made bedtime easier for a little while but now is back to screaming at bedtim and it takes 15mins-45mins of going on and off his bed and screaming before he will go to sleep. That is my first problem.

Second, once asleep he has been waking in the night usually somewhere in between 12 and 4 for 1-3hours. I go in settle him, say goodnight and he will scream again in 20-45mins. This goes on for1-3hours at which point he will finally stay on his bed and go to sleep. Sometimes he starts screaming as soon as I walk towards the door. This past weekend we were at my moms and he was sleeping in a bed in the same room as me and he still woke but went right back to sleep when I told him I am right here good night. So, he does not need physical interaction from me just reassurance that I am around. The odd time that I have stayed in his room until he is asleep he still just wakes 20-45mins later screaming. I have tried giving Tylenol before bed and we have shortened his nap to 1hour instead od 1.5-3hours but this still continues. Occasionally he will have 2 or 3days where he sleep through and I can't think of anything dofferent I am doing those days. We did have a new child 4months ago but his sleep problems dod not start until almost 3months after he was born.

Please help, any suggestions or advice would be very appreciated. We all need sleep in my house and I am out of options.

[Katet]

My 2 boys are almost the same age apart as yours & although mine has never been a great sleeper, it has actually been not as good since #2 was born.
I had a chat earlier on (ds#2 was 2weeks old) with my Early childhood nurse about issues with #1 over #2 & what to expect. She said the impact of #2 can be felt for much longer than the early weeks (up to 6months) especially as #2 gets longer awake times & more interactive.
My thought with my ds & could be the same with yours is that he notices, when #2 crys Mummy reacts... so why can't I do that too.
He used to have you all to himself & now he doesn't, things are different & you are changing then further... like the gate.
He also may be having nighmares now & they are causing the night waking... my 26mo seems to be having them & on the odd night we have had 2-3 hour long spells where he sleeps/crys/sleeps/crys & I have been told this is not uncommon in this age group.

[Rebekahb]

Kate, Thanks for your response. I just wonder if you have any suggestions of what to do when he continually wakes and how to deal with that. Thanks, Rebekah. Our boys are almost the exact same ages so thanks for replying.

[Katet]

Rebekah, have you had him checked out by a Dr to rule out something like ear infection, if Aiden wakes lots 2 nights in a row I normally take him off to the Dr & he has on occasion had an ear infection.
What we do is either sleep on the floor with him for part of the night or in bed with himnow he is in a single bed, as to me he has a need for my comfort... I don't have the expectation that my ds's will sleep through the night every night, so I guess I just to a degree think of the nights I get unbroken sleep as a big bonus, but that is just me, so if he wakes up & needs me (bad dream teething, sickness) I comfort him the best way I can.
I don't mean to undermine you here, but if you have left him to cry (but answer your babies cry's) he is probably very confused & saying, well if I cry more & louder Mummy will help me eventually... so I think for a while you have to answer his needs & explain you are there for him too when he crys. If you keep doing it- like when you were in the same room, he should go back to "trusting" you will meet his needs.
Does that make sense

[Rebekahb]

Kate, Turns out Nathan did have an ear infection but as his sleep issues have been going on over a month I sure hope he has not had that infection so long. We finished his week of antibiotics and the past two nights he has went to bed with no crying and only woke a couple of times but went to sleep as soon as we went in his room and lied him back down.
I did not want to get in the habit of sleeping with him because I knew he could sleep very well by himself and allthough he was crying at night and bedtime I was not simply letting him CIO as I would go in lie him down say night-night and leave. I just had to do this for a long time. Hopefully the ear infection was the problem and now we will be back to restful nights. Thanks for your input, I have been trying to give him more 1 on 1 time during the day also so he is not feeling left out with Baby#2 around. Thanks for the tips