Would I be out of my mind to try this?

[SleepForTheWeak]

So, DD is 22 months and a famously bad sleeper. We did hire a SC when she was around 10 months and got her self settling and sleeping through but that was ht on the head a couple months later with teething then illness and it all went to shit again (although to be fair she's usually only up once, compared to the 7+ times)

Anyway, she's getting harder and harder to settle at bedtime, especially for me. We had to sit in her room until she fell asleep, then she wanted a foot/back rub until she fell asleep (this works for DH still) and now she screams bloody murder as soon as I put her in the cot as she wants in our bed (she comes through when she wakes in the night, so has obviously decided she wants to start the night there too!!). It lasts for about 45mins-1.5hours and its soul destroying. She doesn't want me next to her, she doesn't even want me in the room but she gets worse when I leave.

She's in a cot bed at the moment, and so I was wondering if turning it into a bed would help. But now I'm actually toying with the idea of getting her a small double instead so I can lie with her at bedtime and during the night if I have to.

Is that just setting myself up for a fall? Will she still want in our bed during the night anyway?

I've accepted that she's just a shit sleeper, she's strong willed and deep feeling. I still breastfeed her when she wakes in the night and I don't mind that, it's usually just 10mins and she settles well after.

I hate how distressed she gets, but she can't start her night in our bed as its a very high Kingsize and she would be likely to fall out.

Any suggestions or similar scenarios welcomed - thanks for reading this very long post!

Could you stop bringing her in your bed in the middle of the night when she wakes? Then she'd soon get the idea that she doesn't sleep there she sleeps in her bed. She's probably confused as doesn't understand why she can sleep in your bed in the middle of the night but not straight away

Hi OP I too have a shit sleeper who had issues with reflux and has still got cows milk protein intolerance.

I just co-slept with her tbh in our bed and when she started crawling and it got dangerous we took the bed down so it was just a mattress on the floor. Dp was on his own in the other bed which was rubbish but she needed me and it just meant we all got some sleep!

She's 2.2 years old now and I still bf her to sleep cuddling up and then bf and cuddle back to sleep if she wakes up. Dd sleeps on her own now on the mattress on the floor and dp and I are in the other bed.

It's worked for us and they're little for such a short time so we both don't mind

DD has a big bed (more by accident than design) and I have to say I love that if I do need to go in with her I still get a good night's sleep! It somehow feels less bad-habit-forming to occasionally go in with her than to allow her into our bed - although I'm not sure that's true!

I would be a little wary though that this won't solve your DD's sleep problems. She'll probably still demand that you be there until she sleeps, then any time she wakes in the night. I don't have any suggestions for that, I'm afraid - sleep problems are so tough Might make it more bearable though.