21 Month Old Won't Stay Asleep!

I can tell by your earlier request for advice (from when your son was six months younger) that you have got a seemingly stubborn little guy there with some sleep issues. Sounds to me as though six months later, he is still trying to get some extra reassurance from you. You have all the evidence in the world to see that the cry-it-out method is not working with him. Most children this age will regress back to old habits (that you'd expect they'd grown out of by now) so they can get what they needed that they didn't get when they needed it. You can take action now, or have a two year-old waking you up in the middle of the night just when his little brother or sister has finally fallen asleep. I do believe it is time to try some cosleeping so you can strengthen his feeling of security. After all, cosleeping is a wonderful way to transition a little one that age into their own 'big boy bed'...and it seems you'll be needing the crib soon anyhow, so why not give it a try? You'd probably only have to sleep like that for a month before you started him out on his own bed. Make a big deal about the big boy bed and get a reward system going that works for all of you. This link will take you to a very helpful source http://www.askdrsears.com/html/7/t071100.asp
Congratulations on your new baby!!

K.,

Is it possible that he has molars coming? Those two year molars always disrupted sleep with both my boys.

Just a thought, you could try tylenol at bedtime or nap time and see if it helps.

jessica

K.,
My guess would also be that it is molars bothering him. my 1 year old is going through he same thing right now with the first set of molars. I would just try to comfort him and if it is teeth bothering him he should be back to normal fairly quickly. If not, it may not be a bad idea to get his ears checked.
Good luck!

In your post you said naps (plural). If he is taking more than one nap, then I would drop it to one nap.

In terms of night waking, he has probably often woken up in the middle of the night but just quickly put himself back to sleep. But with the change to the big boy bed he may be waking and then feeling disoriented because everything feels different. It will take a little patience on your part but work with him to have favorite comforts he can turn to (blankie or stuffed animal or pacifier). Go to him if he cries out but keep the talking to a minimum. Rub his back a little, give him his comfort item and then say night-night. Stay in room for a bit if he seems to need that during this adjustment period but gradually lessen it as you are able.

Expect another adjustment stage when the baby arrives.

Hi, I just wanted to let you know that you are not alone, we have a 21 month old that is going through the exact same thing right now. It is very frustrating. I will be watching to see what everyone says.

First off, congrats on the upcoming arrival. Now with the almost 2 year old...we moved our son to a toddler bed when he was about 14 months old and what we did was we had toys in his room and closed the door (with a child knob thing so he couldn't open the door). We still had the monitor in his room but it gave him some freedom and actually, he would wake up from time to time in the middle of the night and play for a little while and go back to bed. Your young guy is testing his waters because right now he has learned that he is seperate from you and he has his own mind and opinions and he wants to see what he can get away from. Also, our son doesn't do the nap thing anymore at home, just at daycare. At home we put him in his room for about 2 hours (again with his toys) and explain that it is rest time and that he needs to have quiet time alone and that he can go to sleep if he wants. About 30-40 percent of hte time he will fall asleep.
Good luck, this part isn't fun!