teeth, or something else?

[drivingmisscrazy]

DD (18mo) has been pretty good at bedtime until the last couple of weeks. She is cutting teeth (molars and at least one canine) and bedtimes have just gone to bits.

She gets up about 7.30, has a nap from about 1-2.15, goes to bed around 7. The last couple of weeks virtually every night has involved crying and then one of us going up to her and getting her up, calming her down and putting her back. She then goes off to sleep without any problem - usually, but it's often 8.30/9 by then, so she's not getting enough sleep. So we tried putting her down a bit later - but I think she is just overtired by 7.30.

We don't do the going in and leaving thing because it just makes her crosser. I'm assuming it will settle when the teeth finally arrive - once she's asleep she is fine

anyone? really fed up of it now, and no idea what to do

OK tonight we have refused to get her up, but go in and reassure her - she's been in bed since 7.30 and is still howling...

Hi

I can't really offer any advice, but can certainly empathise...my DD is only 18 weeks and we are going through the same thing at bedtime. I know she is only young, but she has been in a routine and going to bed somewhere between 7 and 8pm since she was 8 weeks old. Tonight nothing would calm her, not even more boob. Ended up drugging her to sleep giving calpol in the hope that it is indeed teething pain. She has been drooling all day and everything's going in her mouth...

She has now been asleep for 40 mins so hopefully it has worked.

If it is teeth (and it certainly sounds like it) then I wouldn't hesitate to give calpol or nurofen personally

Forget tonight, do whatever it takes to get her to sleep (Have you given neurofen?)

Tomorrow, give neurofen/calpol about 45 mins before bed time (we sometimes give it in bedtime milk if molars are bothering DS - he's still got his back 4 coming in).

I've read on here that neurofen is better for dental pain as it's also an anti-inflammatory, which then helps reduce the pain further. (calpol never did anything for DS)

HTH

Is she on her own in her bed? Can you not stay with her until she falls asleep tonight - esp if you think she's in pain?

had it! I think she is a stubborn little so and so and has realised that she has power over us - after 2.5h of her basically having a tantrum upstairs I brought her down for about 2 minutes, put her back to bed, straight to sleep!

So am going to devise a strategy to outwit her earlier in the evening...

Could be related to the 18 month sleep regression/developmental spurt. See here and here.

is there anything in the 18 mo sleep regression theory - the links you give are the only ones that seem to exist. I'm not saying it's not true, just that I can't find any info other than ask moxie and anecdote

These developmental psychologists think it's a big transition / sleep problems time (scroll to the bottom of the page).

I think it's not commonly called a sleep regression, though - if you google 18 month developmental / growth spurt, a lot comes up too.

But my DS is only 6 months - I only speak from what I've read, and heard many others complain about!

AngelDog thanks for that link - a lot of that did make sense of what's going on in my house...so we'll wait it out, I guess