16 month old suddenly hates bedtime

[ballinacup]

I honestly don't know where this has come from. I never had to sleep train my 16mo DS, he was always happy to be put down to bed and would be snoring away almost instantly.

But for the past week or so he gets unspeakably angry at the very idea of being put down in his cot at night. We have a very good black out blind so his room is still nice and dark, the same routine as always is followed (7pm bath, 7.30 warm milk then bed) but he screams.

Don't get me wrong, he's not crying. He's SCREAMING. "No no no no no no no" over and over again. At the moment I'm trying controlled crying and within half an hour or so he will fall asleep but I feel horrible. Is this another perfectly normal sleep regression? Is he just throwing a tantrum? It's affecting his relationship with me as now, every time I ask for a cuddle he glares at me, shoves me away and shouts 'no!' yet will give his dad, grandparents and nursery carers the loveliest cuddles.

I'm pretty certain he's just showing me his opinion, but would love some reassurance.

I've no advice for you but wanted to say that my 16mth old DS has just started to do the same. He doesn't go to sleep till 11pm some evenings, I'm so tired

He throws a proper tantrum and throws his dummy at me .

Repeat after me "it's just a phase, it's just a phase". It's what I'm telling myself anyway....

DS did this at a similar age. It was just a phase, honest! We did have to be pretty firm and consistent with it though. And I think we started a bedtime singing ritual at that time (always the same) which seemed to help.

DS did this at almost exactly the same age. Went from being able to put him down awake and walk out one night, to crying and being sick if we left him and didn't respond to his cry straight away the next night. It lasted a couple of weeks and the only way he would stay in the cot happily is if we stood next to it. We did gradual retreat in these couple of weeks and then one night almost as suddenly as he started, he just decided he was totally fine with us walking out straight away again. Good luck - hang in there. Perplexing little things aren't they ;-)

DD is 16 months old and has changed from a bit of moaning at bedtime to standing in the cot screaming and holding her arms out for me. I don't know what to do for the best - I've tried picking her up and cuddling her (thinking I could maybe calm her down then pop her back in her cot - ha! The calming worked...until I popped her back in her cot); leaving her; going in and out. Nothing seems to work - she just seems to collapse eventually. I too feel horrible about it - breaks my heart and drives me made in equal measure. I hope this phase passes soon.

IHeart when you say you had to be pretty firm, what do you mean - did you leave DS until he settled on his own?

Sorry to reignite this but my 15.5 month old has just started doing the same and I'm at my wits end! He's still up now - happily playing but hasn't had nearly enough sleep either today or yesterday or the day before etc. I think he's overtired now. Leaving him to cry doesn't work - well at least not in the amount of time I'm willing to leave him crying properly - ie moaning in the cot I'll leave for a while, but proper crying with tears etc. I'll only leave it 5 mins max.

I keep telling myself it's a phase but not one I'm enjoying! He's also dropped napping in the day, he has around 30mins mid morning then that's it!

Is anyone out there to help?!