Hysterical crying when put in the cot

[Gargula]

Hello, I'm after some advice about how I can stop my daughter hysterically crying each and every time I put her in her cot awake.
She is 6.5 months and is very clingy. She is either rocked (for naps) or BF (at night) off to sleep and then I painfully try and put her in her cot to sleep.
I have tried to place her in her cot awake but she just goes mental. I have never left her alone, she is in a sidecar cot and I lie down beside her and stroke her, but she still just screams hysterically. About a month ago I tried for a few weeks to sort this and she cried herself down but it never improved, in fact the hysteria was lasting longer and longer so I gave up.
This wouldn't bother me one bit if she was anywhere near sleeping through but she is waking 4/5 times a night for BF or comfort and she's getting harder and harder to place in her cot.

What can I do? Is this something she just has to grow out of?
Someone help me!!

Never rocked any of mine, but it is worth trying different ways of doing it. Use the cot no only for sleep, lay her with toys and only leave her there for few minutes to start with. Try putting her on her tummy with few toys around and see how this goes.

But don't carry on rocking- she knows by now how to push your button!!

this could be my DD, she is also 6.5 months and until 1 month ago BF to sleep then sneaked in cot, would wake multiple times early evening and would end up co-sleeping with me from around 11, not from choice though I did enjoy it. She is a bit clingy and we still BF to sleep for naps which are mostly on me!!

the night time thing became a big issue as she was waking so often and DH was not comfy with co-sleeping so we needed to make a change.

Using the baby whisperers pick up put down, DH took over bed time/bath. Its no magic cure, but instantly she woke less and now wakes once, twice max and sleeps all night in her cot. She even moved into her own room 4 nights ago. Once DH took over DD stopped expecting to be BF to sleep at night- if she wakes and I think she is hungry I still BF her, but can put her straight back down, if its too soon to be hunger, DH will give her a cuddle and put down.

we never left her to cry it out- but this method does involve tired tears. The plus's are that where as I used to feel I could only comfort her put her to bed now DH owns this!!

Thankyou both - your suggestions are extremely helpful. I'll start putting her in her cot for more playtime and see if she can get over the negative associations - that's a good idea wayoftheworld
Scarlett I like the sound of DH taking over!! I may try out your method. I'm wanting to move her into her own room quite soon as I think we're also waking her with our noise at night as well.