Help: 21mo now insisting on being cuddled to sleep

[MummyOC]

Our dd is 21 months old and has been very good going down at bedtime. She has a good bedtime routine and at the end of it, we could just lay her down in her cot and she'd quickly fall asleep.

One night last week, she was unwell in the middle of the night and I cuddled her to sleep sitting in a chair in her room. Since then, she's demanding to be cuddled to sleep in the chair every evening. If we resist, she'll constantly scream "mummy chair" and will eventually get hysterical. She will only sleep in the cot after she falls fast asleep in the chair, which can take over an hour.

It's exhausting and frustrating. We don't know what to do, especially because she used to be so good at bedtime.

Has this happened to you and if so, what did you find helped?
Thanks

Yes (with two DDs), and it's happening again now with our 21m old DS who was teething and had a roaring temp so was in our bed a few nights ago and wanted the same again.
We've had some success at doing the incremental putting to bed thing - so bedtime routine as normal, then a cuddle in his room, put him in to bed while still cuddling him, then cradling him, then holding his hand then creeping away with fingers crossed and hoping for some zzzzzzzzzzZZZZ from him and for me.

I've just posted about my 18 month old DS. I haven't any real advice but wanted you to know you are not alone. DS also screaming to be cuddled for every nap and bed time. It is exhausting. Fingers crossed for a short phase...