18 Month Old Having Sleeping Problems

Have you ruled out teething I know those 2yr molars can be a terrible time for many toddlers. He might be having some seperation anxiety. My son got tj bear that reads stories and loves it we cuddle up on the rocking chair and he has a story and then I tuck him in tight give him his special puppy turn the music on and the night light and he is out in only a few minutes I stay in the room until he falls asleep though because he will get upset and cry I see no harm in sitting in the room until he's asleep if its seperation anxiety he needs you to comfort him and cuddle him not leave him to cry it out so for now cuddle him and comfort him before you know it he won't want you tucking him in anymore.

have you tried taking him to bed with you?? check out the recent issue of mothering magazine(I'm sure they have the articles online)on all the benefits of co-sleeping. I personally think it is almost always the best option. Also rule out any physical problems (digestive, teething or some other pain) before just letting him cry, he is crying for a reason. Trust your instincts and listen to what he is telling you. Good Luck!

Hi, Try to be consistent no matter what, how long has this been going on? My kid had a blip in his sleeping for about 7-9 days and then it resolved itself, so hang in there? No especially helpful, if it is longer than that try to map out when his sleep is disturbed. I had a neighbor who warmed up his car with the lights on that shone into my kid's room. Annoying but it took me a few days to figure out why my son was waking up a 5:30 every am.

Good Luck, Nat

Hi! Sorry to hear of your sleep troubles. I agree with the post that said that since he's always been a good sleeper and only recently had problems, there must be something going on. My 17.5 month old went through something similar although her nap wasn't affected, just night time sleep. She would scream and fuss getting ready for bed & when I put her in the crib. I would hold her awhile and then I laid beside the crib with my hand through the bars so she could touch me. It lasted about a week and now she's back to going to sleep peacefully.I have no idea what the cause is.I would thing a toddler bed is not the solution.good luck and hang in there.

Since he never used to have problems sleeping by himself before, I think maybe something is going on with him, like teething, or maybe he is getting a cold or something. It would be a different story if was never in his lifetime ever able to fall asleep on his own. Since this is a new thing, I would think something is going on. Maybe if you bring a pillow in his room, lay down when he lays down, and tell him that you are going to take a nap too....that might help if it is separation anxiety....you might have to wait until he actually falls asleep but then later you can wean off of that. I'm not a fan of "crying it out" and this technique worked for us, now we can just put him in his crib and leave, but we started out with the laying down in his room with him and then it just got better from there.The good thing is that your son is 18 months old and he is starting to understand more so you can tell him more and he will understand what you are doing.

Good luck!

I recommend this to every mom that has trouble with their child sleeping..

http://www.target.com/Homedics-Sound-Lullaby-Relaxation-M...

This is the cheapest i could find it am they're having free shipping right now.
I LOVE this thing!! My son is 17 months and also going through this weird sleep thing. I think it's because they finally figured out that they might miss something cool/fun when they're sleeping.. It could also be molar teething and you holding him soothes him. I'm sure its just a faze we are BOTH going to have to get though. Good luck!