Our 17 month old has gone from being a reliable sleeper (through the night) to being awake 1-2 times a night. Sometimes I will give him a few ounces of milk and he goes right back down. Other times he doesn't want milk and he just seems to scream. Maybe nightmares? Whatever it is, this is defintely a change from our reliable, 11 hrs a night sleeper.

He goes down fine at the beginning of the night. it's the middle of the night that is now suddenly a problem.

OP here. Thank you for the suggestions! This has been going on about 6 weeks. At first she seemed to "need" us because she was freaking out screaming from apparent nightmares + she always has a tough time traveling. But now it's very much seems to have moved over to the "want" category. We'll probably go with the modified cry it out, in which we comfort her every 5-10 minutes. That's how we get her down for naps or bedtime if she resists. Fingers crossed!

You’re definitely not alone. I know how exhausted you must be because your situation reminds me of our little one. Take a look at this link about toddlers restless at night -- http://bit.ly/29aMx6I. You might find the information of some help. Hang in there! It will get better, momma *Hugs*

How long has this been going on? Can you tell if your daughter just wants you, or actually needs you?

Can you comfort her in her room and not go in your bed? That might be step 1.

Then I'd probably do some sleep training, tailored to your personality. Sleep lady shuffle is an option that might work if harsher methods don't feel right to you.

There is a sleep regression around 18 months. We have twins and we didn't have any other regressions...they were pretty good sleepers, until around that age. They fussed more at bed time and one of them woke at 4-5 am regularly. I would comfort her, and sometimes give her a drink, but then put her back in her crib. She cried for a few minutes (usually less than 5). The regression lasted about 2 months for us.

It's always good to rule out teething or ear infection too.

Our 21 month old has started waking up every night around 1 a.m. and then wants to sleep in the bed with us. It started with apparent nightmares, then we are traveling, and now it's just happening every night. Any suggestions to keep her in her own bed? Do we need to start going with some tough love, aka, crying it out? We're expecting baby #2 in 6 weeks so I'm really hoping to get this under control soon. Thanks for any suggestions!