Sleep regression/ seperation anxiety

My baby boy hates to fall asleep on his own.
Our normal routine is bath, bed and with a story.
However, its not just one story and sleep. We normally read around 3 stories until he falls asleep and I leave the room.

After that he normally wakes every night around midnight and again at 3am. Each time I lay besides his cot and he will go back to sleep. If I leave before hes fully asleep he screams. So Ive always waited until hes fully snoring.

This evening though he just wanted to be out of his cot. (Crying) So I read his story as usual and then decided to leave the room. Full on tantrums exploded with him. It was awful. I just wanted to pick him up and hug him but I didn't.
I went in twice laid him back down gave him his comforters and he did finally go to sleep after crying himself to sleep.

I have complete mum guilt. I feel awful

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My boy is the same atm.
He’s worse with me.
I have to have my hand on his back or he has to be holding my hand to fall asleep. He usually wakes 3/4 times a night and when he wakes you know about it.
We’re exhausted! Have a 5yr old at school and both work full time, I just want to sleep 😩
Ours has been going on about 4weeks now. Hoping it eases soon, if you know of any tricks please pass them on but you’re not alone!! X

Oh I'm here with you...I'm hoping it is a phase. She gets very upset if I am to leave to do anything or go anywhere.. We have also just moved so it's been very intense for her

We went through this after sleeping in the same room for 3 weeks when I was at my parents house. Once we came home, separation anxiety completely kicked in and we went 10 steps back!!

What helped was me staying in the room in the dark and constantly reassuring him. I slowly left the room day by day leaving the door cracked open so he could hear my voice. One month down the line, he's happy sleeping on his own again!

Have a look into disappearing chair routine / gradual withdrawal, its a really good way of helping them self soothe!
At the moment it sounds like your little one is only soothing by you reading books and then when he wakes in the night theres no book and no mommy, so he needs you then again to be able to feel comfortable.
If you then try cry it out its almost like his worries confirmed, mommy is either visble or not here at all, causing the tantrums cause he just doesnt know how to deal with that.
Id start by something as little as reading 1 or 2 books, then quietly sitting with him, maybe holding his hand or ssh'ing him. Dissociate him from the books to fall asleep, and then work on slowly moving further away (stop holding hand, then the night after sit a tiny bit further, then a tiny bit further). Once you get to out of sight, still shh him so he knows your there. Eventually, he will get used to falling asleep/soothing in a room that mommy/daddy isn't in which will then help when wakes o/n xx

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