DD is suddenly up 3 to 4 hours every night, please help!

[tenacityflux]

My DD has been both a good and a bad sleeper , she is 9 months, but the last 10 days has suddenly reverted to sleep Hell and I am at a loss as what to do!
We have a good bedtime routine, of tea, bath, her only bottle , BF the rest of the time, then put in bed awake and goes to sleep -sometimes instantly, mostly after 20 mins or so rolling about, singing, me patting her back, very occasionally won't settle and DH bounces her on his knees until she sleeps, then in bed always asleep by 7.30/8, in her own room. She then sleeps fine until somewhere between 12.30 and 2.30. when she wakes up. She used to feed then go back to sleep fine, but now she has a bf and then is wide awake. If I try and settle her with the usual back patting and sushing, she screams.I try bringing her to our bed for a BF but she's just awake and wants to play; I take her back to her room but the meerest hint of going in the cot and she screams. I walk her round until she's quiet, try and put her down, screams. I bounce her on my knee, she's quiet and then asleep, try and put her down in the cot, screams hysterically. I have tried leaving her to cry when I am the point of desperation but she doesn't stop, I can't bare it and at 3 am, I guess the neighbors shouldn't have to either; I am desperate not to teach her that 3 am is play time, but if I leave her for a second we have screaming, what can I do?? She's eating well, she doesn't do more then 2 40 mins naps a day and never has, no matter what I do, and that's rarely in her cot, mostly on the move or on the sofa - I am on my knees and cry all the time, my DP is trying his best but he works with very early starts and is suffering as well, he tries to settle her too but she does the same for him.Help!

[moaningminniewhingesagain]

My DD went through a stage of 3am playtime, it was grim. I found it coincided with being suddenly able to stand/cruise, she was up from 2-4 or 3-5 roughly, every night.

It did pass after a few weeks. The longest weeks of my life, but it does pass. She was a very unsettled baby since she was born and only started to sleep through at 12mo.

I used to bring her downstairs and let her roll around on the floor for a while, and I would watch episodes of CSI on the sky+, quietly then feed her and put back to bed when she seemed bored enough. Probably not the best way to deal with it but I was desperate and I felt less angry/frustrated if I could use the awake time!