Bed time becoming a nightmare!!

[Annie421]

My daughter is 20 months old, ever since she was 2 month old she loved going to bed at night - at 13 - 19months she used to cry to be put to bed!

For the past few weeks bedtime has become a nightmare, I put her in her cot and she will climb out muliple times and completely trash her room - tonight she got out 16 times! Every time I hear her I run up and put her back to bed, I don't understand why she has just started this as her bedtime routine hasn't changed - it's been the same since she was about 6 months old - bath, read, story tape then sleep. I have tried cutting the story tape out the past few nights through fear that it may be stimulating her too much.

All of this refusing to go to bed has started really since I have gone back to work - don't know if it's connected at all? My Mum looks after my daughter in the day for 3 days whilst I work full time, my husband looks after her the other 2 week days as that is the only time he can get off work. I think it may be just the case though that she has grown and can easily climb out of her cot!

Any ideas on what I can do?!

Pick up daughter, back into bed, say goodnight and shut the door.
Repeat 50 times on the first night, some suggest not making eye contact or engaging DC.

When she's finally asleep, relax and have a large gin and remember tomorrow will be easier, it's only a phase.

Your routine may not have changed but she has so reassure yourself you're doing nothing wrong, you just need to be firm and don't give in.

Works for me every time and it's for her own good (IMO)