19 month old suddenly terrified of going to sleep in her cot

[lu9months]

her little girl has started screaming when I put her in her cot at night, and more recently during the day. she gets really worked up, gets all clammy and hot, and screams and screams. she wont lie down, and clings on to the bars of the cot. she looks scared. if i take her out she will , after some time, calm down, but as soon as i move back towards the cot she starts again. she kept it up for one and a half hours last night and kept her brother up too. i went in repeatedly, but nothing would soothe her except getting her out and putting her on my lap, which I wouldnt normally do at night - usually she will settle with just a 'shhh' and a stroke of the head. any ideas about what might be bothering her and how to calm her? thanks

Give her cuddles, cuddles and more cuddles to reassure her and build her confidence up. She might be having separation anxiety or teething so feels a bit more clingy - could be anything. But if giving her a cuddle settles her then do it and she'll be happier again and you can try her old routine again in time.

I agree with Iggly. 18-21 months is when huge developmental changes are going on which can really unsettle children too, especially at night.