Erm, has anyone got a 21 month old who's suddenly started being a rubbish sleeper like mine?

[PuppyMonkey]

...she's driving me mad with lack of sleep. From six months, she always always slept through 7-7 no problems ever apart from when sick or something.

Last few weeks she's been a nightmare. Inconsolable crying for hours which nothing but nothing will stop.

We've tried leaving her, cuddling her, giving her a drink, calpol (anyone got any other good suggestions for good drugs to try ), singing to her, leaving her some more...... What could it be do you think? Teething? Tummy ache? Hunger?

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh

could it just be separation anxiety? does it get any better when you are there cuddling her? if not then probably teething. have you tried baby neurofen? calpol does nothing for my ds at all.

.

my 20 month old has been an ok sleeper- not brilliant but recently hasnt been great. we put it down to the chicken pox but it could be a separation anxiety thing she does call out mummy repeatedly so much it breaks your heart- sometimes before i have even left the room. tonight is the first night she as gone down without screaming for hours and hours. let's see how long it lasts. hope it gets better for you puppy

Ooh thank you, you must have posted just as I was bumping. Actually, yes it is the calprofren we give her, we find it better too.

Could be separation anxiety couldn't it? She is fine going off to sleep. I'll put her to bed at 7pm and she is happy to go, no fussing at all. But she keeps waking up at 10.30pm/11pm and then it's when she is a nightmare.

What do you do with separation anxiety, other than take her to bed with you (we tried that too but she carried on crying for ages)...?

Thanks ever so.

my ds hates being in our bed unless to play, he just would not lay down and go to sleep, kept wriggling about and crying, i was terrified he'd fall out so no co-sleeping in our house! i just went into him and cuddled him for the first few nights, then he wouldn't be put down though so i had to sit in a chair in his room whilst he slept on my chest (i am by no means reccommending this method but i couldn't bare to leave him as he was much younger around 9 months). i realised after a few nights that it was doing us no good so i laid him down in his cot, gave him my t-shirt that smelt of me (urrgh) and held his hand. he still cried a bit but went to sleep, then i creeped out the room. kept doing this and eventually he got attached to the t-shirt and associated it with me comforting him and it became his comfort blanket which he still has now at 17 months. he always has it for nap times/ bottle time/ bedtime and he goes to sleep fine now and sleeps through unless ill.

i think it's about finding something that works for you. we were just very very lucky that he got attached to the t-shirt. btw if you do use a comfort blanket make sure you have 2 as if you loose one you are buggered!

i cut my t-shirt in half so front separate from back but has 2 almost identical looking 'blankets' now so i can wash one without world war 3 breaking out!

Thanks meandjoe.

I do think a comfort thingy would be ideal... I kept saying to DP last night if only she would take a dummy I think that would have been all she needed to see her right. Might try and think of something we could use.

Although maybe I won't need to tonight... fingers crossed.

i'll keep my fingers crossed for you!!! my ds would never have a dummy either, it used to drive me up the wall as there was just no way of soothing him when out and about without carrying him around, but now i'm so glad he didn't, weaning them off is a nightmare.

so happy he doesn't have one, he just carries this bloody piece of cloth everywhere with him! lol

No suggestions really but just wanted to sympathise. My 21 month old DS has recently been quite difficult to settle when we put him down in the evening, having been easy for months. We had even managed to give up his dummy at night. Then he got ill at Christmas and has been unsettled since, so we have gone back to the dummy.

The dummy has helped a bit in the evening but not when he wakes in the night, so it isn't the magic cure unfortunately! We have been bringing him into our bed as too tired to do otherwise (especially on a work night) but may have to tackle it if it carries on for a while.

Sorry that wasn't much help but my friend with a son the same age has been through the same lately so I am hoping it is just a toddler phase!

No suggestions really but just wanted to sympathise. My 21 month old DS has recently been quite difficult to settle when we put him down in the evening, having been easy for months. We had even managed to give up his dummy at night. Then he got ill at Christmas and has been unsettled since, so we have gone back to the dummy.

The dummy has helped a bit in the evening but not when he wakes in the night, so it isn't the magic cure unfortunately! We have been bringing him into our bed as too tired to do otherwise (especially on a work night) but may have to tackle it if it carries on for a while.

Sorry that wasn't much help but my friend with a son the same age has been through the same lately so I am hoping it is just a toddler phase!

It must be a phase. we just got through the weeks long difficult to settle just to get to waking v v early!! ahhhh!

btw i do find tim eof waking from lunchtime nap makes a difference- used to be 3 now she needs tobe awake by 2.30 to ensure no screaming. wonder if people still put toddlers down for lunchtime sleep a bit later than is best for them to be tired at 7pm?