This was my reply in a “my baby won’t sleep” thread:

Zander wouldn’t sleep through the night at all as a baby. As he got older, I tried to give him cereal at night to give him something more complex to digest, partially because of his reflux, and partly because I thought it would help him stay full longer. No dice.

With modified methods (sort of cry it out co-sleeping – yes, I did let him cry, but I was laying in the bed next to him so he didn’t feel abandoned), Zander started sleeping through the night at 10 months old. And he has been doing it ever since. He is a GREAT sleeper. When he napped and at night, once asleep, he stayed asleep. He nursed until he was 13/14 months old (I got pregnant and he weaned himself – much to my dismay).

Zevan slept through the night at 8 weeks. It was amazing. I was thrilled. Until he was about 4-5 months old. The wakings began. And now, at 2 years old, still wakes up once during the night. He won’t go down for a nap without a fight, either. He is a TERRIBLE sleeper. I didn’t use the same methods I did with Zander, mostly because they share a room, and if I let him cry like that, I felt bad for Zander not being able to sleep.

For one week, starting 10 days ago, he was going to bed so well. I put him to bed wide awake and said goodnight. He’d say, “Goodnight, mama” and actually roll onto his side and go to sleep.

It lasted a week.

I have no idea why he stopped, but now he won’t go to bed again. Naptime and bedtime are exhausting again.

So, lately, I have been letting him cry. He’s 2 now and he is definitely trying to manipulate me. I put him down, he fights, he stalls, he uses his sweet little voice, “Lay with me, mama.” “You sleep with me, mama.”

“No, sweetie, it’s time to sleep…” then I get a big tantrum In fact, the other night, he pulled one of his breathholding spells, and turned blue. Great. I hate when he does that. Scares the bejeezus out of me every time he does it. And I have been reassured that it’s okay, it won’t harm him. I won’t let him use that against me at bedtime again.