Toddler who suddenly HATES sleeping - please help!!

I am at my wits end atm...
I have always tried to use really gentle methods with Aidyn WRT to his sleeping, and will let him co-sleep with us when he wants to, and go in and comfort him whenever he needs it.
But lately I have noticed a trend happening which is just getting worse and worse and worse.
EVERY time we put him down in his cot for his nap, or his big nightime sleep he will tantrum and scream and stand at the cot waiting for us to pick him up and cuddle him.
Even if we offer him the option of coming and lying in our bed he will tantrum... all he wants is to be held (whilst we are standing - he wont even let us sit and hold him), and there is only so long we can hold him for, he is very heavy, and it doesnt seem to make any difference if we hold him for 5 minutes or 20... cause as soon as we try to lay him down again the screaming begins.
This is also happening many times a night, where he will just wake up crying and REFUSE to put down to sleep anywhere.
The other morning he woke up at 3am, and tantrumed for the next 4.5 hours because he did not want to sleep in his cot or in our bed.
This is really, really wearing me down. I cannot get anything done around here.
There have been many times where I've just had to leave him in his cot screaming, because there is nothing else I can do. And that wont work either... he just goes on screaming and crying until I come and get him out again.
He has never had sleep issues like this before, and as a general rule has always been fairly good at going to bed, whether it be with us or in his cot, it doesnt matter. I just WISH he would sleep somewhere!
And its not that he's not tired enough... if anything its a vicious cycle where he is getting more and more overtired as each day passes because of the lost sleep from the day before.
Can anyone help? Does anyone have any idea why this might be happening???

((((((((((HUGE hugs)))))))))) Sorry I cant offer any advice (sadly this is sounding too much like Maddy atm except for the standing in the cot bit!) but just wanted to tell you that I hope someone can offer you some sucessful suggestions and that it all gets better soon!

Oh Ambah, i'm sorry that you are going through this.
Nick went through the same thing at Aidyn's age, i was told it is just a phase and it will pass, and it did, after about a week.
Dp and i took it in turns to comfort him so that one of us could sleep/rest in between.

I hope it settles for you soon

Matilda is going through this atm too...except she's in a bed but she is taking hours to get to sleep & carrying on...not always screaming & crying but often chatting and then gets worked up but if we go into her she laughs.

Sorry I'm not much help, but we are going through the same thing.... it truely sucks.

Ok well the past two nights we have managed to come to a compromise of sorts... so I thought I would share what we have done, just on the off chance that it can help someone else.

When it comes time for Aidyn to go to bed at 7pm, instead of putting him straight into his cot (where he will go hysterical) DP and I bring him into our bed where he drinks his bottle, and will play with a couple of cars, and we will all have a bit of a giggle, but the whole time we keep re-enforcing the idea that its bedtime, its time to relax and lie down etc, etc. This is done with the big light off as well, so its a nice relaxing bedtime atmosphere.
Then after about half an hour in this setting we then bring him to his cot and kiss him goodnight and put him in...
Its not a miracle, because he still does cry, however he only cries for a couple of minutes and then is happy to settle and go to sleep. Whereas on the previous nights he would scream and tantrum for hours at being put in his cot.... so I guess we have made some progress... lets just hope it keeps working this way! :crossfingers:

Thats fantastic Ambah! =D> YAY for Aidyn!

Ambah - I was just thinking if he is comfy in your bed and then in his cot, maybe its time for a big boys bed? Also Matthew is begining to hate sleeping in sleeping bags, I thought it was because he was walking but maybe Aidyn is too?

Good luck!