Sleeping Issues with 17 Month Old.

Could it be that he is getting cold at night? Maybe put him in warmer Pajamas or put socks on him. My kids want to get up and snuggle when they are cold. Just a thought.

It's getting cooler outside, could he be kicking his blankets off and then getting chilled causing him to wake up? If all he is wanting is to snuggle it sounds like he might be cold. If that's not it, is he wet when he wakes up? Do you change him or just put him back to bed? If you are changing him, maybe you should limit the liquids close to bedtime.

I had the same issue with my 17-month-old just before Thanksgiving. They have a growth spurt and go through some major developmental changes between sixteen and eighteen months. Temporary regression, lack of appetite, and sleeping issues, whether sleeping all the time or hardly at all (usually due to night terrors and/or growing pains) aren't all that uncommon. My daughter refused all but one meal and a small snack for nearly two weeks and woke up consistently around two or three in the morning for most of a week while also refusing naps. It was rough, but once she got through the spurt, things went back to normal.

Go ahead and give him the extra snuggles he needs right now. It should all blow over in another few days to a week at most.

Hi J.
My son did the same thing he would sleep from 7 to 7 and about the same age he did that we started putting him to bed 30 minutes later and every now and then he gets in the bed with My husband and I. I love it when he wants to suggle. He is now 22 months and is back to sleeping 8-7 and still take a 2 hour nap.

It could be many things. I think all children go through periods where their sleep patterns are disrupted. I have an 18 mnth old daughter who will wake up frequently during the night for a couple of weeks at a time, then she'll revert back to her 'normal' pattern of sleeping all night. Back to your son though...is he teething? Maybe his gums hurt just enough to disrupt his sleep throughout the night. Does he sleep a lot during the day? As babies get older, they just don't need as much sleep. Maybe it is time to shorten or get rid of a daytime nap. Does he experience separation anxiety? Maybe he wakes up and just wants to make sure that Mommy and Daddy are still in the house. Also, maybe he is getting ready for a developmental leap (learning new words, etc). Children tend to have erratic sleep patterns during that time just due to their little brains working overtime learning so much new stuff.

Hi J.

I have one son that is an awesome sleeper and one that isn't :)
With both of them, if I see a change in sleep habits, it is usually because they have an ear infection, or teething. With both of these my kids get very clingy but don't "act" like they feel back...just a thought for you to consider.
J.

My daughter slept with us until she was just over a year old, because she WOULDN'T sleep in her crib. That was a wasted $100. When we did decide to take our bed back, we bought her a toddler bed and put her in it. My husband grew up with a TV in his room, so we put one in her room. I was against this, but it worked. We would let her watch a little bit of cartoons till she fell asleep and then turn the TV off. If she woke up in the middle of the night she would just get up and turn her TV back on and get back into bed and fall right asleep (just like her daddy does now). Every once in a blue moon she will want to come and snuggle really early in the morning. We cherish and love these times now that we have our bed to ourselves and have for the past 3 years. Just the other night she woke up crying and saying that both of her ears were hurting her, so I gave her some medicine for her ears and let her get into bed with us. She fell asleep and (with a king size bed) we all got a good nights sleep. Especially me, cause if there is something wrong with her I can't sleep unless she is right there with me, that way I can feel her and hear her if she needs me. There is something bothering your son to make him want to climb in bed with mom and dad. You may not be aware of whatever it is that is bothering him. He may have had a bad dream and gotten scared and just needed your touch and presence to reassure him that everything was ok. It's not a bad thing. Be patient with him, it takes time.

A sudden change in sleep pattern like that could be many things, an ear inf, teething, etc. Or it maybe that he's just doing the 18 mo sleep regression a little early.

http://moxie.blogs.com/askmoxie/2006/04/qa_18month_slee.html

It's rotten, but it's temporary. Just do what you can and hang in there!

Sounds like we are in the same boat. My daughter, now 21 months, started the same thing when she was 17 to 18 months. She always slept well in her crib. I'd lay her down and wouldn't hear her until 12 hrs. later. Now the only time she'll sleep by herself is at nap time. When night comes she wants to sleep w/ me and my husband. I don't know if she's had a bad dream at night, if that's possible at this age, or if it's just a toddler phase? I did that same thing when I was little so may be hereditary? Either way I know I need to be addressing the issue and trying to break it, but I have just given in and let her co-sleep. She goes right to sleep that way and gets some good rest so whatever. If you figure out a solution PLEASE pass it along. Good Luck!!

I know this is something that you aren't going to want to hear, but it is probably just a phase. My son who is 21 mos was the same way. He just layed down to bed an off he was to sleep. Then he started to do the same thing. It went on for like 3/4 mos. He is just now going back to a good routine!
T.
www.EnhancingYourWayOfLife.com

I would get his ears checked. Often ear infections manifest themselves in odd ways for small children who are not yet talking well. Trouble sleeping is a pretty common complaint even when there are no other symptoms.
Best of luck

do you have a rocker?if you do rock him back to sleep, i would stop the cuddle time,early mornings he seems to be testing the water.
i had custody of 1 of my grandchildern she would wake up every 15 to 30 minutes altrought the night. i started to remove her from the room and we would rock and it did the trick and i was so glad gramma was getting very stressed.
she just wanted her time alone with me and she is now 2 yrs. old and she will wake up in the middle of the night and tell my husband she wants her momma/mme. so he has to leave the bed or we do. they get stressed because alot of the time we have to divide or attention. good luck