14 month old has been awake since 1am!

[MrsSamR]

Oh my God, I am at my wit's end!

DD2 hasn't been a great sleeper for a while now but tonight is a whole new level. She took 2 hours to go to sleep and finally fell asleep at 8.30pm.

She woke up at 12.50am and has been awake ever since! She is currently screaming in her cot as I just don't know what to do anymore and am starting to lose the plot!

I have tried milk, calpol, nappy change, cuddling, pacing holding her, shushing and leaving her to cry and she is just wide awake! She only stops crying if I pace around the living room with her over my shoulder but my back is hurting from carrying her.

If I try and sit down and hold her she sits up and cries and if I lie her down in her cot she full on screams. Does anyone have any suggestions as I'm losing my mind here!

Have you tried having her in your bed with you?

Firstly, if she's in her cot (although screaming), she's perfectly safe so take a minute and walk away if you have to.
Is she hungry? Got wind?

Yeah, I'd say put her in your bed too. Perhaps some nice relaxing music or pink noise.

I've tried having her in bed and cuddling her but she just sits up and cries and won't let me hold her. I've been stroking her back/trying to wind her as I've been pacing with her and nothing. She just seems wide awake and very unhappy but I can't for the life of me figure out why!

I completely feel you, my DS is 15 months and he is an absolutely awful sleeper, just wants to be awake all the time, really fights his sleep.

One of the only ways that's helped get him to sleep is to literally lie in his bed with him and just pin him down (gently) so he doesn't move and he eventually falls asleep. I have to almost swaddle him with my arms.

I know this post isn't much help but you are not alone and I really hope things resolve for you🩷

I just gave her some more milk (basically cycling back through all the things I've already tried!) and she drank most of it and got super sleepy. Made sure I burped her and thought I've cracked it but as I leant to put her in her cot her eyes snapped open and she clung onto me and started screaming again, almost in a panic. It's so weird as she's never had any trouble self-settling previously and we've never co-slept or anything. She's always slept in her cot no problem. I'm wondering if it's separation anxiety or a development leap or something. Either way I'm praying it's a phase as I'm out of ideas!

Eugh, one of mine was a terrible sleeper (still is at 21). Can you try lying on the sofa with the tv on very quietly?

Has there been any changes recently in her life (like nursery etc)?

She'll sleep on me but as soon as I try and lie her down she clings onto me in a panic and starts screaming. I was really hoping to get an hour or so's rest as my 3 year old will be up soon but I may just need to give up and let her sleep on me so at least she gets some sleep!

She started nursery at the beginning of November so it's newish but she's never had a night like this before...ever!

Maybe her separation anxiety kicked it. Let's hope it's short lived. 🤞🏼

I agree. Cold or ear infection possibly! Nursery ruined my oldest for about a year. If he wakes in the night it’s always down to either a massive poo about to be delivered the next morning, or he’s coming down with something.

Sending sympathy and virtual coffee x

This has happened a handful of times with my 18mo. Weirdly, if you let her get up and play or read to her she's suddenly happy but try to get her to sleep and she screams. I never found a solution, just prayed it didn't last (and it didn't thankfully). Obviously letting her get up isn't a good solution because she's obviously tired and needs to sleep, but we got desperate a couple of times after 3+ hours.

If it happens again, could you sit/lie on the floor next to her cot so she knows you're there and just let her burn herself out crying? Just offer reassurance, say it's time to sleep etc. If she's screaming and working herself up into a frenzy I appreciate that might not work though. But if the crying isn't hysterical, and you can tough it out, she might tire herself and eventually give up and sleep.