20-Month-old Wakes 4-5 Times a Night.

well, do what you have to do. hate to tell ya, but some kids are releasers (need a few minutes to cry to relax and release stress or something) and some are increasers (waiting only leads to more intense "panic" and will never lead to sleep or comfort).
i have an increaser myself who just turned 4. he STILL wakes up at night and comes to bed with us because he says hes lonely.

what we did for a while (like nearly a year) is put his matress from his crib/toddler bed right on the floor of our room. we just put him to bed there, and he was more likely to sleep all night there than in his own room. cuz lets face it, kids get lonely, they dont like it, and they shouldnt have to like it! LOL

your son WILL grow up, and he WILL sleep in his own bed. he WILL grow up into a boy who doesnt want you to snuggle him or anything. so please, just do what you have to do to get sleep now, and you wont regret it later! :) this is the best time of your kid's life believe it or not, and you wont want to feel later as if you missed out on any of it! :) and parenting doesnt stop at 8 pm; its 24 hrs a day. we are ALL tired. go to bed earlier, let the chores be for a while, reduce your responsibilities in life so that you can just focus on your child and your family. you wont regret that either. ;) make it easy on yourself, and say no to other people more often. that helps a lot too. :)

anyway. good luck. this WILL end. in a month you will likely have something else to wonder about.

I disagree with the cry-out solution as I consider it cruel and unnecessary. Try let him fall aslep in your bed (maybe you can read him a story) and then take him in his own when is asleep. He may just need to feel close, why deny him that? Also I would check his ears to rule out ear-infection as the reason to wake up at night. If he's healthy and has a full belly there's no reason to wake up at night. Good luck.

I too am a co-sleeper. I get plenty of sleep and the as the children get older you can start by laying down with them in their bed and you will only see them later in the night. I totally agree with the woman who said they WILL eventually sleep in their own bed. Enjoy this time......it goes by too fast and later you will wish you could get it back. There are lots of countries that sleep with their children.....maybe out of necessity, but maybe it's because it really is best for our children and their security. I also agree that crying it out is cruel. You teach your children that you aren't there for them when they need you most. Just go cry yourself to sleep. I wouldn''t like to be treated like that, why do that to a child that doesn't understand. Listen to your instincts.....they are steering you in the direction that your heart knows is right.

He is old enough to know that now you are going to eventually give in. That's why this problem persists. Each time he gets up, just put him back in bed. Expect crying- it has worked so well for him before. However, this time just keep repeating each time he gets up. Don't say anything to him- just put him back in bed. When he realizes that you are not going to give in, he'll learn to sleep. It might be unpleasant for a couple of nights, but once he learns, you will all be much happier and well rested. I am sure he's exhausted Good luck!

Well, I'm a co-sleeper so the only solution that I can offer is to let him sleep with you. That way you both sleep better. Most here will likely disagree.