Cry it out / gradual retreat.

[Tiredmummy84]

Hi girls, some help from experienced mummies would be great. LG (8months)has been a great sleeper then about 6 weeks ago started screaming blue murder when we me left her in her cot. After a few weeks this seems to die down but over the last week it's back and worse than ever. I used to give her a bottle kisses cuddle etc then put her into her cot where she self settled & went to sleep. Now I have to nurse her to sleep and she is up at least 5 times a night.

I have taken to sleeping on the floor beside her which seems to settle her eventually and she'll go to sleep. I start back to work on Monday!! I know I am making a rod for my own back doing this but nursing her in the middle of the night doesn't really work and it takes hours.

I half heartedly tried cio but when we leave she doesn't just cry. She wails and screams hysterically the second she goes in her cot. I just don't know what todo

[WaitingForEgg]

It sounds like separation anxiety to me. Have you considered a comforter?
Has she ever self settled? If she falls asleep nursing then when she wakes between sleep cycles she will likely get distressed to find that comfort is no longer there. Have you tried hand on chest shushing?

[Tiredmummy84]

She always self settled before. We'd just feed her give her cuddles and put her in her cot and she just chatted away then went to sleep. She has a dummy and a little rabbit but she could take or leave the rabbit. She's just started this all of sudden. At first it was only night time and her naps were fine. Now she won't nap either. So there's not sleep in our house at the minute!

[WaitingForEgg]

I'll be honest it's likely a phase. A developmental leap or something and she will get through it. My LO has had times like it but I think it's important not to instigate habits that may undo all the good work you have done up until now. When my LO has had fussy times we would leave her, if she got very upset we would go in but under no circumstances pick her up. Hand on chest and shush until she calmed. It can be hard work for a few nights but after say 3 nights things would drastically improve. It may be she is generally very overtired if her naps are also a struggle. I know it's hard i've been there, and generally when she had worse night habits her naps were also unsettled. How does she usually nap? In the cot?