Sudden sleep issues in a 2 year old?

Kieran is 26 months old and has been a GREAT sleeper since birth. He started STTN at 3 weeks old and has literally been an amazing sleeper since, with the occasional sleep interruption when he was teething as a baby. He has always put himself to sleep with no issue. We have had the same bedtime routine since he was a couple months old. In the past couple months, he will sometimes give us minor problems with naptime, innocently stalling, but nothing crazy. He doesn't really resist too hard and I literally think it's just because he would rather hang out with us and play than nap and risk missing something lol. He's always saying "go downstairs?" in this cute little voice that he does when he's asking for something and he knows the answer will be no. But just in the past week or so, things have gotten worse. I'll tell him we are going up for a nap/to bed after xyz (eating lunch, watching Mickey, finishing this puzzle, etc.) and he'll say ok. When the time comes, we get a cup of milk and go upstairs. We pick out a few books to read, and I always tell him when we get to the last book, "This is the last one. After this, books are all done and it's time to go in your crib." He usually says it along with me because he's so used to it now. After books, we cuddle and sing the same song we've sung since he was a baby, we hug and kiss, then he goes in his crib. I put his blanket on and give him his 2 favorite animals that he sleeps with. He's 100% fine through all of this, then this past week, as soon as I turn to walk out of the room, he jumps up and starts to get panicky and his eyes well up with tears. He gets like desperate to keep me in his room- telling me "one more book" or "I need socks" or whatever he can come up with. I usually go back and hug and kiss him again, lay him down and tell him it's time for sleep. Tonight when I put him to bed this happened, and I laid him back down, put his blanket on again, and rubbed his hair while I told him that everyone was going to sleep, and proceeded to name all his friends and family members that I could possibly think of and told him they are all going to sleep. He was really calm and he said he would go to sleep too. Then I turned to walk out the door and I hear him scramble to get up again. By the time I was at the door, he was starting to cry and desperately saying "no, Mommy, no!" and he was so so sad. It was totally heartbreaking. It wasn't like a tantrum, he was truly upset. But I had to just say to him, "It's time to go to sleep. I love you and I'll see you in the morning." and I closed the door and heard him burst into tears. This is killing me. Any thoughts on this? Anyone ever go through this? I should also add that for a few months now, maybe a couple nights a week, he wakes up crying in the middle of the night. I'd been attributing it to nightmares. Checked with the ped at his 2 year visit and she said it's normal. Most times, he goes right back to sleep after a minute or two. But occasionally, he gets so hysterical that I have to go in to him, sit with him a little while, sometimes read a book, and then he goes back down. In the moment whenever I ask him why he's sad, all he says is "crib" and then he'll say "go downstairs." This I can deal with, while it is sad, he can be consoled in a matter of minutes, and he's fine. But I HATE leaving him at night or for a nap when he is desperate and crying like that. Sorry this ended up so long. Anyone have any insight?

Re: Sudden sleep issues in a 2 year old?

DS does the same exact thing. He'll be 3 next month and has been doing what you described for a few months now.
He was STTN since 3 months and loved his sleep and time alone.
Suddenly it hit him he doesn't want to go to sleep anymore and like you said, once in a while gets up screaming.

I think he doesn't always have nightmares, but he'll get up in the middle of the night and scream b/c he remembers. He suddenly doesn't like to be alone.
Lately he'll just fall asleep in our room and then we bring him to his room. If he gets up he knows he can come sleep on mommy and daddy's floor. I make a little bed for him.
DH and I both WFT and need our rest. WE also have an almost 9 month old who STTN so I don't want my toddler waking him. I want to add he's in a bed now. He loved going to sleep in it, but then hated it.
For now it works, but will have to eventually get him to sleep in his room all night

Re: Sudden sleep issues in a 2 year old?

Posted by EricaAlt

DS does the same exact thing. He'll be 3 next month and has been doing what you described for a few months now.
He was STTN since 3 months and loved his sleep and time alone.
Suddenly it hit him he doesn't want to go to sleep anymore and like you said, once in a while gets up screaming.

I think he doesn't always have nightmares, but he'll get up in the middle of the night and scream b/c he remembers. He suddenly doesn't like to be alone.
Lately he'll just fall asleep in our room and then we bring him to his room. If he gets up he knows he can come sleep on mommy and daddy's floor. I make a little bed for him.
DH and I both WFT and need our rest. WE also have an almost 9 month old who STTN so I don't want my toddler waking him. I want to add he's in a bed now. He loved going to sleep in it, but then hated it.
For now it works, but will have to eventually get him to sleep in his room all night