18 month dd previously settled well. just crying

[stripeysock]

for the last four nights our 18 month daughter has not settled till we bring her into our bed.

She has previusly settled well but woken in the early hours 4am /5am then comes into our bed.

She has been crying now since 7.30. We have tried rocking cuddling and now have just been ignoring her but going in every 15 mins to tell her to sleep for the last hour.

Please help what shall we do

We have had this recently as well. I still bf dd so I've resorted to feeding her to sleep again, but even this has been taking ages.

I have tried cutting out her nap and this works to an extent in that she has been going off to sleep earlier.

She has been waking up more at night as well.

It's a developmental thing and it's very common and well known - google 'the 18 month sleep regression'. Apparently they just grow out of it eventually.

I posted about it before and people came on saying theirs were coming out the other end of it. (I'm not entirely convinced by this as I feel as if she's just gone back to how she was as a new born).

The other thing is it could be her molars coming through - perhaps try a bit of calpol?

Anyway, no use at all to you, but just wanted to empathise.

empathy appreciated x

More empathy here for both of you! DS was a great sleeper when younger, but since about 18.5m takes MUCH longer to go to sleep and wakes at least once in the night, often more (now 20.5m). Have read the same type of info as Besom - developmental stage....hoping someone will mention how long it typically lasts [sleepy emoticon]...

She finally slept at 10.30 then woke twice and went back to sleep 10 mins before DH got up for work.... hardcore again.

Anybody got tips for dealing with it? I did pick up put down when she was younger and had success after two nights every time. I cant do that now. She is physically fighting me.

Oh, much sympathy. We had this with DD1 at about 19 months, she was previously a totally fab sleeper. With her, I think it was the combination of teething, imminent arrival of DD2, and also just the phase they seem to go through at this age.

DH ended up sleeping on her floor with her some nights as we just couldn't get her to sleep any other way. However, we did buy her a very dim nightlight (her 'sleepy light') which helped like this one. The phase only lasted a few weeks (but I think the nightlight helped end it).

You could do controlled crying or PUPD, but if she seems genuinely scared or upset (rather than playing oh such a fun game with you!), then those aren't the answers really.

Thanks Besom and luke warm, I think you are both right about teething.

I got totally put off the scent by a chicken pox roumours(actually it was a teething rash) and calpol and extreme exhaustion has done the trick tonight.

So far so good.
Thanks mums net xxx

Is that your extreme exhaustion or hers?

fingers crossed....

if calpol doesn't work, try neurofen. For molars it can be better as it's also an anti-inflammatory. did the trick when Ds was this age.

Thanks Girls, she settled again tonight after calpol and only 5 mins crying.
x