Does your LO ever wake up in the middle of the night and refuse to go back to sleep?

About 2 weeks ago DS started crying and giving us a lot of trouble going to sleep at night and for naps. I started asking around and was told to drop him down to 1 nap. We did that and sometimes he naps for 1 hour and sometimes for 2. There are some night where he sleeps from 8pm-7am like normal but there are a lot of night where he wakes up around 1-2 am and won't go back to sleep. He cries and when you walk in his room he is wide awake. It sometimes takes us about 2 hours to get him to go back to sleep. We've tried letting him cry, laying him back down and leaving and staying in his room and nothing works- he just lays down for a bit and then stands back up screaming. Has anyone been through this? What would make him wide awake in the middle of the night? and when you go down to 1 nap, doesn't it typically last about 2 hours?
ETA: He is 18 months old

Message edited 5/2/2014 7:11:41 PM.

Does your LO ever wake up in the middle of the night and refuse to go back to sleep?

How old is he?

Re: Does your LO ever wake up in the middle of the night and refuse to go back to sleep?

how old? could it be teething? DD did this when teething and wouldn't go back to sleep unless we gave tylenol.

Re: Does your LO ever wake up in the middle of the night and refuse to go back to sleep?

Sorry! I forgot to say he is 18 months

Re: Does your LO ever wake up in the middle of the night and refuse to go back to sleep?

Dad did this around 15 months. I think part of it was a separation anxiety thing. But at my mil's suggestion, we gave her water in her straw cup when she got up, and she started going back down right away. It may have been as simple as that she was thirsty!

Does your LO ever wake up in the middle of the night and refuse to go back to sleep?

I went through this exact thing with my dd at the same exact age!!! Its called the 18 month sleep regression, google it, its real and it sucks!!!!!!! Im sorry but it sucks! My dd would wake up in the middle of the night and stay awake for 3 hours!!! Every single day... out of nowhere...

At first I tried everything. I went in, I rocked her, I tried a bottle, I tried bringing her into bed with me, I TRIED EVERYTHING... I tried cry it out... She would not go back to bed... She wasn't hungry, she wasn't sick, she was just wide awake and ready to party... She would wake up as if it was time to wake up in the morning... Asking me for breakfast...

My dd would play with her teddy, the strings on her bumpers, talk to herself, then eventually call for me...

I resorted to sleeping on her floor during those 3 hours because I couldn't keep my eyes open, I felt like garbage everyday and if I left the room she would end up calling me after 15 minutes so I would get no sleep in that time.

So I took my pillow and a blanket and I laied on her floor. I would get longer stretches of sleep like 45 min to an hour before she would say mama... She was up the whole time I was sleeping on her floor! And then eventually she would pass out. And I would go back to my room.

And then one day it just stopped. Just like that. Just as it started out of nowhere it stopped out of nowhere.

ETA: I initially thought teething and would give her motrin since that helps her, it didn't do anything... It def wasn't teething...
Also, when my dd consolidated to 1 nap she does 2 hours, but I do very randomly get a day where she only does 1, but then she goes to bed earlier that night.

Message edited 5/4/2014 9:45:26 PM.

Re: Does your LO ever wake up in the middle of the night and refuse to go back to sleep?

no advice as far as nighttime goes... but as far as naps - dd only took 30min naps for the LONGEST time everrrrrr. INCLUDING for months after we went down to one nap. the last couple of months she is in her crib 1230-2. sometimes she sleeps the whole time, sometimes only 45min or an hour and will just relax in there the rest of the time. definitely no "rule" about them napping 2hours once you go to one nap. my dd is 18m also. hang in there, hopefully whatever is going on at night passes!

Re: Does your LO ever wake up in the middle of the night and refuse to go back to sleep?

Zero advice but I am right there with you
Ds has been getting up at 4 am ready for the day
He is teething but my twins NEVER did this
Hang in there!

Re: Does your LO ever wake up in the middle of the night and refuse to go back to sleep?

I have been dealing with this lately. My DS is 20 months. Lately around 3:15-3:30am he will wake up crying and then refuse to go back to sleep. Eventually he does after an hour or two, but its no wonder why he's cranky when I have to wake him up at 7am to get out of the house.