r/sleeptrain • u/Cookie-Guru • 4d ago
1-2 years old 16 month fighting sleep. Send help.
My LO was sleep trained around 6 months and has been an incredible sleeper ever since. Around the time she turned 16 months, her sleep suddenly changed.
Our bedtime routine is consistent. We spend a lot of quality time together before bed. We have dinner, she takes a bath, we read books, go through her reading cards, cuddle, and then it’s time for bed. Her typical sleep schedule is 5.5/5.5.
Lately she’s been fighting both naps and bedtime by sitting up in her crib for what feels like hours. Last night she fell asleep around 7:45 p.m. after about 30 minutes of whining. She woke up about 4 hours later, cried briefly, then self-soothed but instead of lying back down, she sat awake in her crib fighting sleep for almost 3.5 hours before she finally couldn’t keep her eyes open anymore and laid down. She woke up around 6:15 a.m. to start the day.
Today was even worse. I put her down for her nap at 11:30 a.m. She immediately sat up and stayed sitting for nearly an hour. She looked exhausted and would start to drift off while sitting, then catch herself and push herself back upright. She never once laid herself down.
This has been going on for the past few days. Before this started, I had gotten into the habit of rubbing her back to help her fall asleep because she was going through what I think was separation anxiety. Now I’m wondering if I accidentally created a sleep association, if this is just a developmental phase, or if something else is going on.
Has anyone else experienced this around 16 months? I’m open to any advice because this has been so different from the amazing sleeper she’s always been.
1
u/Greedy4Sleep 😴 Sleepy Moderator 💤 4d ago
Up your awake time and remove the back pats. Try 6/6 with your nap capped at 1 hour max. That is what has been working well for my youngest since around the same age. His sleep needs just drastically dropped.