DD has just turned 3 and has been a good sleeper since around 6 months. She tends to be an early riser but we’ve very rarely had any problems getting her to settle for the night/ night time wakings. She moved to a bed around a month ago with no problems.
In the past week she has been in tears at bedtime every night. So far we’ve:
- Tried to reduce/ stop lunchtime nap (was down to 45 mins anyway)
- kept to same bedtime routine as before (standard bath, milk, teeth, story, bed)
- played in her room during the day to reduce anxiety about bedtime
- spoken to her about bedtime and agreed to leave door open, let her choose which cuddly toys she wants etc
- attempting leaving her to scream/ whinge/ cry at intervals and going in to reassure.
So far it’s taken her over an hour to go down. I’m back at work next week in a job which involves doing lots of work at home in the evening so am starting to feel really worried about the knock on effect. She has not (touch wood) woken during the night since her settling issues started. Tonight for the first time she attempted to come out of bed and follow me, which was heartbreaking and also concerning from a safety aspect if she wakes during the night and her bedroom door is open.
Has anyone experienced this? If so, what strategies worked? I’m quite tempted by the idea of leaving the light on in her room, letting her play for a bit and then go to bed but not sure how this actually works in reality.
Thanks- am feeling desperate!