16 month old does not sleep, basically ever

1-2 years old

Title is dramatic I know but I’m at a challenging point in our sleep journey and need some advice. I don’t wish to try any CIO methods though please.

My baby has very low sleep needs and I struggle to get him to sleep, everyday, for every sleep.
At the moment he wakes at 7am, has one nap around 11:30-12 which can last from 15min to 1hr if I’m super lucky. I start attempting to get him to bed around 7pm but he usually doesn’t fall asleep until around 8 or 9pm, some night are worse, like last night he didn’t fall asleep until 2:30am!!

He wakes every 2hrs throughout the night on the dot. He wakes up screaming and I rush in as quick as I can to put him back to sleep. Not sure if it makes any difference but he is on a floor mattress in his own room, and when wakes doesn’t leave his bed, just sits up and screams for me. I bf him to sleep for both the nap during the day and nighttime sleep/wakes, which I know at this point is a super strong association, but if I don’t feed him to sleep he simply won’t sleep at all. No amount of rocking or sushing or anything will stop his screams. He would do an all-nighter if I let him. I was hoping he would simply grow out of the night wakings and although im happy to bf him to sleep im assuming that is fuelling his wakings to some degree.

I’m at a bit of a desperate point because not only is it bad for him to be getting so little sleep, I’m also starting to see the decline in my own health both mentally and physically from waking every 2hrs for the last year and a half. If he gets to bed at 8pm I’m literally up 5 times at a minimum every night.

Any advice is welcome and appreciated!

Posted Aug 12, 2026, 10:50 AM UTC · locked

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