Seperation Anxiety? - Suncook, NH

I've also had this problem with my 24-month-old. All it took was one day when he napped with me in our bed. Of course he'd rather sleep with you! ;D
My guy has been starting to prolong reading time also so I am sure to just have our selected stack of books on hand; he'd have me reading all night if I allowed it!
Since I am the one who usually gives him a bath and reads to him, my husband will come in if he's back up after being put to sleep. That seems to be more helpful.
I want to keep my little guy in the crib for as long as possible!

It sounds like separation anxiety to me....
My daughter had it until she was about ten and it started
with bed time and got to the point that she even had a
hard time when I brought her to school....

His separation anxiety could have a lot to do with the baby
coming.... he could sense the arrival....
As hard as it is you have to let him cry. I currently run
a day care and have taken care of infants that experience
separation anxiety. I would put them down for their naps
they may have cried or fell asleep for a few minutes and then would wake up. I would go in the room pick them up,
soothe them and then put them right back into the crib.
Sometimes I had to repeat this process 3 times but within
a couple of days I did not have to do it anymore.
DO NOT STAY in the room.... It will be hard, but you will
get results.... Good luck.

First of all, congratulations on your pregnancy. The best advice I got when I was pregnant with my second son was to keep my older son in the crib for as long as possible. If you don't need the crib right away for baby #2 and your son likes his crib, leave him in it. If you had to, maybe you could borrow a crib for the baby. That way, there's a little bit less of an adjustment for your son to make. As for the napping together, that may be what is causing his nighttime troubles. Can you nap in a separate room while he naps? If so, that might be the best scenario. After a week or so, hopefully he will return to his regular nighttime routine. Good luck!

I am reading your responses with interest as I am having almost exactly the same problem. Except my daughter is nearly 24 months, and I am not pregnant. Other than that, same problem - she's always been a great sleeper except for a three month period from about 11-13 months where I had to lay down beside her crib every night until she fell asleep.

In the last week or so she started wanting me to stay in her room until she falls asleep. I think I am going to check out the baby whisperer message board and see if there's any good advice there, but I'll keep watching your post to see if there's any good advice. I simply don't know what the best approach to this is - just go with it and do what she needs/wants or if I should stand my ground.

Best of luck to you - if my situation manages to resolve itself I'll post to you.

J.

I would echo much of what you've already read. Do not nap with him even if you nap at the same time - go to your own bed. He is getting used to having a nice snuggly warm body next to him, and at night, he's lonely! Don't pick him up at night but do a little back rub and some reassuring words, and then leave. Try NOT to sit there on the floor - he won't learn to soothe himself to sleep. There are some good lullaby tapes/CDs that sometimes help - a little quiet music while he drifts off. I don't think he senses anything about the pregnancy but I do think it's likely that he is sensing your tension about the changes that are coming. If you don't have to move him out of his crib, don't. If he's not sleeping and then you move him into a toddler bed, this anxiety could continue or even escalate. Perhaps you can put the new baby in a cradle or bassinet for a few months. They don't really need a big crib. Otherwise, get this sleeping thing down pat for the next 2 months, and then transition him to the bed when you have a few more months for the adjustment to it before the baby comes. Unless he's climbing out of the crib - then you may need to do something sooner. You could set up the toddler bed in his room, if you haven't already, so he gets used to seeing it there. Good luck - you need to get your own sleep now, and your child needs it too.

My 23 month old (and my youngest) went through this starting on our week of vacation at the end of June. She was always such an excellent sleeper...we would literally put her in her crib and she would put her head right down. All we did was rub her back for 10 seconds and turn the lights out! Then suddenly, one night, she started wimpering and crying after we left her room. I had to pull her out of the crib a couple of times to rock her and soothe her. She seemed to be afraid of the dark and of any little noise. The good news is that it only lasted about 3 weeks. I agree that the best thing to do is to try not to take them out of the crib. Some back-rubbing and singing might help to soothe him, just so he knows you are around -- that seemed to help for our daughter. Hopefully, this is just a short-lived phase for your son, too. I have to also agree with the previous response -- the best advice I got when I was expecting my 2nd daughter was to keep my then 19 month old in the crib. We moved her to a toddler bed when she was 33 months old. Congratulations, and good luck!