Toddler up all night?

[Alaura5]

Hello-

My 18-month-old has always had a hard time sleeping. He is a bright kid and doesn't want to miss anything. He is also an exceptionally light sleeper and has been since birth. In September and October we had about 7 weeks were he was having trouble going to bed and night and then would wake up a few hours later, screaming, and be awake for 3+ hours in the middle of the night. I started sleeping on an air mattress in his room, and after a couple of months of misery, it got better.

Now the same thing is happening again, only this time he is sometimes unable to sleep all night. Last week one night he slept for 2 hours and then was up te rest of the night. Tonight he slept for 3.5 hours and has now been up for 5 with no sign of being able to sleep. We have tried in his crib with me holding his hand, and in my bed (he co-slept for the first 4-5 months but now mostly sleeps in his own bed and comes in with me in the morning to nurse and sometimes snooze)....

Has anyone ever experienced this? I'm starting to worry there is something wrong with him. I've taken him to a session of craniosacral therapy and we are going back tomorrow. I also took him to my acupuncturist who gave me some massage points, which seemed to help for a night or two.

Any other suggestions? I'm a single parent and am losing my mind with exhaustion. He seems like he is trying to sleep but he can't. And if I don't stay with him, he panics.

[EchoSoul]

Food allergy? sounds like my son. He would sleep for 2 hours one night, 8 the next, 3 the next, etc etc. You might want to try an elimination diet to see if that helps. Restlessness and insomnia is a major sign of a food allergy. As is irritability. My son would cry at the drop of a hat, but now that we've gotten it worked out, he deals well with being told "no" and that he can't have something.

[Alaura5]

Yes, I should have mentioned that he has extensive food allergies--he is allergic to dairy, soy, eggs, nuts, lentils, chick peas, kidney beans , sesame, sunflower seeds, garlic, avocado, figs and kiwi. These have all been eliminated from his diet for a long time (diary and eggs eliminated again recently after being reintroduced briefly)... thanks for the suggestion, though. He's in the middle of a good nap right now and I am hoping another session of craniosacral therapy today helps get him relaxed.