18-month old sleep issues
I babysit for my nephew. His baby is 18 months old but this has been an on going issue since he was 11 months old and idk how else to help.
My nephew, A, is a “teen” parent. Him and his girlfriend had a baby young. They broke up when the baby, B, was 11 months old. My nephew came and stayed with us for a week. At that time we noticed B’s sleep issues. He would go to sleep at night easily but would wake up after a couple of hours and scream hysterically for several hours, resisting sleep. We would eventually get him settled back down after 3-4 hours of rocking and he would sleep the rest of the night soundly. We had him in a dark, quiet, cool bedroom with a white noise machine to sleep. I asked A if he normally did that and he said yes, so I asked what his naps looked like. That was when A said they just gave him naps whenever he looked tired. I explained to him the importance of a sleep schedule and keeping a routine. While they stayed with me I attempted to begin a sustainable schedule. I gave him 2 naps during the day each last 1-2 hours, and then began a bedtime routine to wind down. He was doing better by the end of the week, with his wake window in the middle of the night being shorter and easy to settle.
Several months went by and I assumed he was keeping the routine. I began babysitting him at 15 months. A told me his nap schedule and I kept that up at my house. But a couple weeks ago I noticed a drastic change in his behavior as well as his naps. His naps were becoming longer and he was extremely irritable. I, at first, believed it must have been a growth spurt, but after a while I became concerned. B only had the energy to play with my kids for short bursts, he would fall asleep suddenly just sitting on the couch, he wasn’t eating normally anymore, and he was harder to rouse from his naps. I found out around this same time that A was trying to work things out with B’s mother, who had been completely absent since they broke up.
I brought this up to A but he ignored me and cried to his mother, who assured him this is just a phase B is going through. I don’t think this is a phase, I have 3 children of my own, and have babysat for years, and I’ve never experienced this with any other child before.
I’m seeking any advice in this situation. I don’t want to blame anybody in this situation but I can’t help but feel this is some form of child neglect or abuse. I fear his needs are being met in some capacity and that is what I’m witnessing.