wandering round the cot instead of going to sleep!!!

[passmyglass]

ok, so I know this isn't a desperate 'help me I'm dying' problem, but it is irritating and I would love to hear how other people deal with it or if anyone thinks they have found the perfect solution.

My lovely 10m DD has mastered crawling standing and cruising. This means that when I put her down for nap/bed (and I know she's definately sleepy) she just repeatedly gets up and wanders round her cot, has a little play with her cuddly toys at the bottom (which I have just removed - is that mean?), has a fiddle with the mozzy net around her cot etc etc. I frequently go in, give quick cuddle, lay her down again, shhh shh, etc, but she just does it again and again.

She is quite happy bumbling around at first, but the whole thing means that she takes so long to settle (45mins ish) that she gets herself overtired and suddenly flips out before going to sleep.

I am loathed to cuddle her to sleep, partly because I spent MONTHS getting out of that, and partly because I am pg and standing for ages by her cot holding her over bump for ages is awkward and heavy. I am a fan of grobags, and this used to help limit her movement, but it is just too hat for her to wear one at the mo.

Thoughts anyone?

err, 'hot'. I don't put her to sleep in a hat.

This is what dd does it takes her about 45minutes as well if it is a new thing she will probably learn to settle before she gets too tired we only started self settling after she culd pull herself up so know no different. There are nights when she will settle without getting upset though.

We still use a growbag just have her in just a vest or something when its hot doesnt stop her from running up and down the cot though.

We never had a bedtime problem, but I stopped leaving DD to it at nap time and sat by her pinning her down by resting my hand firmly on her back and releasing the pressure gradually as she got sleepier. I still do it now at 14.5 month because she is a little pickle ;)

OMG my ds would go completely nuts if I did that! Its a bit rubbish b/c some OT is inevitable, but its a case of once the novelty has worn of she will go back to settling more quickly again. Of course it may be that she isn't quite tired enough to sleep at naptime anymore - 10/11 months is a typical time for things to go wonky.

Just leave her to it... I wonder if you just leave her to it whether,she'll settle faster. Each time you go in you are giving her stimulation. Let her find her own way to sleeping. Since my daughter was around,the same age I stand her in her cot, say night night, and go out of the room. She lies down herself and goes to sleep. It may take a while but,the novelty will start to and she will settle more quickly. Beware of turning it into game by going in there to lie herdown each time!

fififrog - like omama's, my dc would go bonkers if I pinned her down, although I if she wasn't that type of personality, I think I def would have resorted to it by now!

Omama and IslandIsla - wise words about novelty and not turning it into a game. Out of interest, IslandIsla do you still leave her to it once she starts crying? Cos mine is happy being left for quite a while, but then gets herself all tired and has a hissy fit.
thanks all