Strange behavior at bedtime

So the boys have always been great at going to bed and falling asleep on their own. They will sometimes talk and play in their cribs for up to an hour before going to sleep at bedtime so that is nothing new. However the past few nights JT will just go on and on and on. Then once Jack goes to sleep and there is no one to play with and all his toys become boring he stands in his crib whining for Mommy or Daddy.
The 1st night he did this my MIL was watching them so we could go meet cousins new baby. She called us saying he was still in there jabbering and we told her to check for poop ect and then lay him down and tell him good night again and then leave him alone. So she did and he was fine however we noticed after she left that she had left their bedroom door open...so we figured he was probably standing there waiting for her to come back. DH had to lay with him that night and finally I went in and told him good night again and then he went to sleep---4 hours later than normal!!!!!!!
DH said it was weird bc he wouldn't look or talk to him when he had him. Brings us to last night...same thing. I am really thinking by the bumps on his gums and the gnawing on hands that he is getting 2nd year molars on top of recovering from a bug about a week ago so we've been giving him Motrin. Anyways, last night same thing again. So after an hour of his ongoing playing/whining I go in to give him Motrin. Usually they are more than excited to take the sugary medicine and even moreso when we give it to them in the cup that it comes with.
Well, I go in to give it to him and he doesn't look at me or say anything (he did acknowledge me walking in) and then when I put the cup to his mouth he just stood there. I had to tip his head back and then when I think it finally slid down his throat he started gulping---kind of like when you swallow something wrong and keep swallowing to get it down, kwim?! I laid him down, told him good night again and then we heard him jabbering for about 10mins and then he fell asleep!

Anyone deal with this?? I'm almost wondering if he is asleep when he's standing there...he's so out of it!! I used to sleep walk as a kid so it wouldn't surprise me. My sister mentioned seizures but he plays/talks in there fine when we aren't in the room and we have a video monitor so we can see him as well. My DH thinks bc he is learning his colors and soooo much new stuff everyday (really its ridiculous how he morphed into a sponge one day lol) that he can't shut his brain off to go to sleep!! My other guess is teeth and recovering from the tummy bug he had! Any ideas?!?!?!?!?
We also think they may want a new bedtime but we are going to wait until I go back to work and they have to wake up super early for daycare a couple times before we go moving it. Currently they sleep 6/630p-7/730a. I think they could go to bed closer to 7 but again, they've spent all summer sleeping in that I would rather wait until I go back to work before changing it. This only happens at bedtime...naptime he goes down no problem at all!

Sorry this is so long and thanks for any and all advice!

 

I'm dealing with this right now!!! UGH. My girls have always been good sleepers. They hardly fuss and sleep a solid 12 hours a night then 2 more hours during the day. However, the past six nights Aurielle has been jabbering on and on and on -- for hours! It took her almost 4 hours to fall asleep last night. Each night it's getting longer and longer. I know I'm no help, but I think it's her teeth. They both are getting their second molars and they are just a little swollen right now so I figure it will be a few more weeks of this (I certainly hope not!) They go to bed at 7 and wake at 7. I wouldn't change their bedtime or routine. Maybe we just have to wait this one out. Sorry I couldn't be much help but just wanted to let you know that you're not alone.

 

You've mentioned several things that could really be disrupting his sleep:
1. Getting molars in will definitely do it.
2. Learning so much new stuff (we went through this with my DD and we'd hear her singing songs, saying her alphabet, colors and numbers)
3. It's possible he could be sleepwalking. If you think it's sleepwalking, I would check in with your pedi on that.

How is he when he wakes up? Is he in a good mood? I think I would keep bedtime at the same time right now until he gets his sleep back on track and he will. Hang in there!

 

Could be a sleepwalking-type thing. I am dealing with something like this with Andy. For the past couple of months, he will wake up in the middle of the night crying uncontrollably and though he seems to be perfectly awake, it's like he's not himself at all. He is hyper-aware of everything and it's like he's very scared always looking around the room and looking around where ever I go to calm him down (usually our living room). I'll sit there and hold him and talk and sing to him, but it takes him a good 20-30 minutes to calm him down if not longer. When this happens I'll try to talk to him and though he looks right at me, it's like he's not really awake either. I used to have night terrors when I was really little, and they finally faded after I was about 6 or 7 years old. I hear that things like night terrors are hereditary, so if you experienced similar night-wakings/sleepwalking as a child, your little one might be going through the same thing. Andy is also my night talker too. He'll be fast asleep, but we hear him babbling away like he's having a conversation with himself sometimes. That part is cute, but the night terrors are starting to worry us. We go back to our pedi in a few weeks, and I'll definitely be sharing this with her. I'm sure if it's hereditary, then there' probably not a lot we can do, but if she can offer advice on any better way to handle it, then that would make me feel a little better. Good luck and keep us posted...

 

Glad to know I'm not alone He wakes up whiny and always asking for whoever doesn't get them ready, mostly for me since DH gets up with them so I can sleep a little longer. But if I get up and get them ready they both whine for DH. I'm almost positive its his molars and learning so much! Unfortunately the molars are just beginning so I'm sure we have a few weeks worth of this I guess we will wait it out! Last night he was out within minutes!!