Mom Says Her Son’s Sleeping Habits Are ‘Ruining My Life.’ Now, She’s Left Feeling ‘Hopeless’ and Unable to ‘Function’

A parent is turning to Reddit for help after her toddler’s sudden sleep struggles left her feeling depleted and overwhelmed.

In a post on a toddler-focused subreddit, the mom explained that her 22-month-old son had long been easy to settle at bedtime. For most of his life, she said, he was rocked to sleep with a bottle and then moved into his crib once he nodded off. But about a month ago, everything shifted.

It started with early wake-ups. “Last month he started waking up at 5am every morning. This went on for 2 weeks, so I’m thinking ok it’s a phase it will pass,” she wrote. Soon after, those mornings turned into middle-of-the-night meltdowns.

“Then, he starts waking at 3:30am and crying hysterically not wanting to go back to sleep and only sleeping in our arms in his rocking chair,” she continued.

Within another week, bedtime itself became a struggle. The mom said it now takes multiple attempts to get him down, and he wakes repeatedly throughout the night—often refusing to sleep unless he’s being held and rocked or reassured with a parent nearby.

“Then, ever since last week, he’s been really hard to put to bed,” she wrote. “We need to attempt to transfer him three times before he stays in crib. Then he wakes up at 1am and 3am and then 5am, not wanting to sleep unless he is either in our arms rocking him, or I am lying next to him on the floor (I repeatedly have to say mommy’s here so he can settle).”

She added that her son even tried climbing out of his crib, prompting her and her husband to remove the bars—making it harder to keep him safely contained in his room.

“Now he can escape and leave his room any time, which makes it more difficult as we can no longer just let him cry or contain him in his crib,” she said. “I haven’t slept more than 4 hours in over 3 weeks. I’m at my wits end.”

The ongoing exhaustion, she wrote, is affecting every part of her life.

“His bad sleep is affecting my mood, my marriage, my work and my ability to just function. I want to cry all the time. I love him so much but I feel like this is ruining my life,” she shared.

What makes it even more confusing, she added, is that he sleeps well at daycare without needing the same soothing routines. The couple recently attempted a gentle version of sleep training—staying in the room and putting him in bed without rocking—but she said the crying quickly became unbearable.

“We tried to do a gentle version of sleep training tonight (husband was in the room and didn’t rock him, just placed him in bed) and he screamed like I’ve never heard a kid scream for 45 mins. I couldn’t take it so I went in and ruined the sleep training,” she wrote.

She ended her post asking for advice, saying she was “desperate for any info.”

Reddit Users Offer Comfort and Ideas

In the comments, many people responded with reassurance, support, and suggestions.

One commenter recommended trying cosleeping, acknowledging it can be hard to transition away from later—but arguing it could be a welcome relief compared to the family’s current sleep deprivation.

“I would cosleep. It will be hard to stop once you start but it seems preferable to the current situation,” they wrote. They explained that their own child sleeps on a floor bed, and they lie beside him after the bedtime routine until he falls asleep. If he wakes during the night—especially when sick—one parent stays with him to help him settle quickly.

Others focused less on strategy and more on easing the mom’s guilt and stress. One person reassured her that responding to her child’s distress wasn’t “ruining” anything—it was simply parenting.

“You did not ruin sleep training. You responded with love and kindness to your child in distress. You helped your baby regulate by being their calm,” they wrote. “You are a super star. a super mom. ❤️.”

Another commenter said they didn’t have a solution, but shared that they were dealing with similar sleep chaos with their nearly 2-year-old.

“Honestly, no tips, only solidarity. My boy will be 2 in a week and this has been ongoing for a couple of months. We can’t seem to nail down his schedule,” they wrote. “I know there is a regression around this time and it’s often seen as one of the most brutal, but this has been no joke. I’m wishing you luck and rest!”