So I know we were really lucky with our son and his newborn to toddler sleep habits. While he didn't sleep through the night right away (what newborn does), he never had any trouble discerning day from night, and did give us his longest stretches of sleep during night hours. And when he did wake, it was to eat, then back to sleep. No midnight play sessions.
Then as he got older and outgrew his bassinet and it was time for him to sleep in his crib in is room, he made the transition pretty smoothly, until finally he was just sleeping through the night. And putting him down had always been easy too: nurse or bottle, lay him down, turn on twinkly star lights, leave the room, he goes to sleep.
Fast forward to him now at 22 months, after over a year of quick, easy bedtimes and solid sleeping nights, he must be in a phase where he is becoming consciously aware of being alone, and not really liking it. Bedtime routine has not changed, but now he needs someone to sit in the room with him in the dark until he falls asleep.
And the sleeping through the night is more infrequent than not. I am awakened once, sometimes twice, by "mommy! mommy!" coming through the monitor. First we were going in his room, all he wanted was someone to cuddle him while he fell back asleep. But we really don't want to encourage a needy habit. So now he calls out and I go to the door of his room on the outside, so he can't see me, but I respond, "Mommy is here. You're ok. Lie down and go night night." And he does. I hear a little thump and he's back down on his mattress curled up with his blankie. So, it could be worse, I know. But I'm ready for this phase to pass.
