Any tips to keep DD lying down?

[gallicgirl]

DD is almost 9MO and has been a fabulous sleeper.

However, in recent weeks she's become difficult to settle. Firstly she had a cold then she was teething. That all seems to be past but last week she learned to stand up and is very pleased with herself. So pleased in fact that she likes to show me how well she can stand up at every opportunity; playing in the living, on my lap for a cuddle, in the bath, in her cot when she should be asleep!

I think her routine needs tweaking a bit which might help with settling but the problem is this week she has learned how to sit up from lying down so she can then stand herself up without any help.

When she used to cry, I would go in and give her a bit of a cuddle and settle her back down eventually. (it might take several goes but we'd get there). Now however when she cries, she is already standing when I go into her. Because she's crying, she's dropped her dummy on the floor ( I think this will be the next thing to go) and even if I settle her in my arms, she just stands up again after I've put her back in the cot.

So basically, have you got any tips to keep her lying down? I'm wondering if I'm going to have to try that technique Jo Frost uses on toddlers - is it rapid return? Where you put the child back into bed with no interaction for as many times as is needed until they stay asleep.

[AKMD]

DS did this at the same age, I think it's very normal.

TBH I would concentrate on getting rid of the dummy. She will stop standing up for fun in a month or so anyway so it might be better to concentrate on that.

I haven't heard of rapid return but it sounds like what we did with DS. If he stood up, we would lay him down and repeat, repeat, repeat until he stayed down. Lots of tears for the first couple of nights but he got the hang of it in the end and knew to lay down when we said to. In fact, if he cried in the night and stood aginst the cot railing, as soon as he saw us coming he would throw himself down again :o

[FeelMyWraith]

It's developmental and how they learn. They need to master standing as a major milestone and they do this by standing! It passes on its own and you can't fight it. They don't really do it consciously, you'll find they start standing up while still half asleep and wake up in the night, standing in their cots and frustrated. If you lie them down, it really does upset them because their brains are screaming 'stand stand stand'. They soon stop doing it once the skill's mastered. Then they start walking and the process starts again.

It's utterly normal. They cannot be taught otherwise (might look like they can but actually you just upset them, interfere with a behaviour that is normal, desirable and can't be helped and then it stops anyway and it looks like the method worked).

You do whatever you can. Sit with them, calm them, sing a song, cuddle etc. It passes. But it's normal. Frustrating and hard but normal.

[gallicgirl]

Thanks for the reassurance. I know the dummy needs to go. DD should be fully weaned off her reflux meds in about a week so I'll give it a go after that.

I know they learn things through repetition but I didn't think it would be quite so repetitive so soon! It looks like I might have to live with it for a bit.

Thanks again. It's just good to know I'm not alone with this.