Ahh! help, dd screaming her head off as i type this, i have tried EVERYTHING! she has screamed and yelled pretty much all night every night for the last week :( heeeeeeeeeelp!!

[CharlotteACavatica]

She's 11 months, and normally so good, but she wont sleep! If i go up there now and pick her up she'll be smiley, and happy and cuddly, but as soon as i put her to bed she screams and yells and chucks her toys dummy out the cot and just gets more and more cross! She's fed, warm, dry and in case she's teething i have given her calpol, but nothing works! She will eventually exhasut herself and go to sleep, but in about an hour she'll start all over again if i pick her up she's happy and giggly and just wants to sit on my knee playing or sleep with me in my bed, and ive never had any of my children (dd is the youngest of 4) sleep with me, so i do have to put her in her own bed, but then i need some sleep!! Im on my own so i have no-one to take over, i really thought i may know how to deal with restless baby's by now, but when my others became restless at bed time, id do the cry it out as a last resort and they'd give up after 20/30 minutes of screaming, but dd can go 2 hours and not even slow down!!!... am i missing something? What on earth is causing her to scream every night!??

I would imagine if she's otherwise well that it's the developmental spurt that happens around 12 months. Main sign of it is inability to self settle, standing in cot, restless when asleep, waking frequently, seeming distressed at nightime.

It's because her brain is saying WALK WALK WALK and it interferes with their sleep mechanisms.

I'm afraid I'd just put her in bed with u. She's in classic separation anxiety time so she's terrified whenever she's not with you. My ds was same between 9 and 12 months. He's 3 now and been in his own room since he was 12 months and never have disturbed nights unless he's ill. It's not a bad thing sharing your bed with them if it's what they need. Only my opinion though! Some babies don't respng to crying it out or controlled crying. They just keep on going!

Oh she's stopped, she's yelling intermittently, but i think she's worn herself out. So am i best getting her and keeping her with me if she starts again? i cant believe how clueless i feel!! Im a very restless sleeper so im not sure how much sleep she'd get with me but im absolutley shattered, i need to do something and soon!

Ear infection ?

It could be something like that yes, i think if she carries on tonight and tommorow i will take her to GP just for a quick check just in case. Ear infection would annoy her when she lay down of course so that would make sense, but then would she be ok the rest of the time... she could i suppose. She still quiet so im going to go and see if i can grab some zzzz's while i can! Thanks for the help guys, if she starts again and i cant settle her i may try and keep her with me in bed. xx

I am a really bad sleeper too. I found that once I got used to it then I was so exhausted I'd sleep even with ds in my bed. I actually sometimes miss those long nights snuggled up next to him, smellng his sleepy breath. Awwww it was beautiful! I think it's entirely up to you how you deal with it but I found it far easier than leaving him to cry.

i have a 17 month old ds who has been really hard to settle to sleep at bedtime since about 11 months, basically he will only go to sleep if he has contact with me right nxt to him. in cot he would just scream and get worse and worse. he is just absolutely not the type of baby for Cry It Out.

I think it is seperation anxiety and i know it will not be forever, it will pass.Co sleeping is the way to go IMO. It works for me - He sleeps, i sleep, problem solved :)

Thanks everyone she didnt do too badly last night, i think the more i think about it the more i think that maybe it would be a good idea to have her with me if she carries on! I find it too hard to sit listening to her cry She is such a sweet little soul, so good the rest of the time that i cant imagine she is yelling it out at bedtime in defiance, something must be bothering her alot, and maybe is she is truly anxious to be away from me and i am just leaving her to cry then thats just cruel I'll see how she goes tonight, thanks again xx