Every night we bath an excited little squirmy baby at about 6pm, manage to get a nappy on him as he rolls around squealing with delight in a darkened room, put his pyjamas on as he giggles away, then read him a book as he cuddles up cooing happily. Then we get him off to sleep by 7pm, either feeding (me) or cuddling (DH).
An hour later he wakes up and goes completely berserk. Fake crying (no tears and it stops the moment he sees me, but escalates if DH goes in). Fake coughing (and it is fake). Bashing on the wall, throwing everything he can reach out the bed (his dummy, his lovey, my iphone one night). One night he found a bit of loose wallpaper and as I stood stroking his face tore off a strip in his rage.
We try everything to calm him (we've tried moving bedtime, getting him up, sitting beside him but not in bed, talking, not talking, stroking, music, white noise). But that's basically it until we go to bed (we cosleep) at around 11pm. As soon as we join him in bed he's asleep, and that's it until morning.
Now I've been reading threads, and I know some people have a worse time of it, but every evening is hell. What can I do?
He's 6 months old and until 4 months would go down and sleep until I came to bed, then wake for a dream feed. He naps fine, thank goodness, and on his own.