Sudden nap refusal/ short naps and will no longer self-settle at bedtime at 6 months

[CityDweller]

After seeing improvements all round with sleep (decent naps in either cot or pram and self-settling at night, reduction in night wakings) after a hellish and long 4 month sleep regression, it seems that things are going tits up again.

Past week or so, DD (nearly 6mo) has been refusing daytime naps and it's just got progressively harder and harder to get her to go down for a nap and/or to stay asleep for more than 25-30 mins. It's got really bad over past day or so when things that used to work (a bit of rocking for cot naps, for eg) are no longer working at all and this morning I had to bf her (even though I knew she wasn't hungry as she'd just fed half an hour before). Even then she only napped for 30-mins, with her mouth clamped around my nipple. Same with bedtime - she used to self-settle after bedtime routine. Last night after much wailing I caved and fed her to sleep (although once she was conked, I put her in cot and she slept well, just waking twice to feed between 8pm and 7am, which is fine by me).

What on earth is going on? It could be teething, as she's had the odd day of seeming miserable with that this week, but with nothing yet to show for it. Thing is, teething symptoms seem to have subsided the past few days and the only time she seems to be in discomfort, for eg starting chewing her hands, is when she's going to sleep. It just seems that she can't switch off. I suspect she's overtired (definitely was at bedtime last night), but all the things I used to do to extend her daytime naps (tricks to resettle her when she stirred after 30-45 mins) aren't working at all. She's also really clingy in general at the moment.

Any words of wisdom. Will this just pass on it's own? Should I just ride it out by feeding to nap/ sleep, even though I thought we'd broken that association?

Um, I hate to say this, but "nearly 6 months" is another classic development leap ie sleep regression territory. not as major as 4 months though. Is she about to learn to sit or crawl by any chance?

Also, teething can be an issue even if she doesn't seem distressed in the day, she may be distracted by all the fun she's having in the day and only notice it at bedtime/night.

it will pass - dd has gone through a few phases like this (appears to be having another at the moment ...) including at the nearly 6 month point. but each time it's been less than a week until back to normal, or normalish. if you do bf to sleep etc during the phase then there may be a few days of being a bit tough about insisting on self settling once the phase is over.

Thanks minipie. I dug out my copy of Wonder Weeks last night and her behaviour is classic for the 26-week leap. She is on the verge of sitting unassisted and also seems to be making various other cognitive developments.

On the plus side, even though she's getting hysterical at bedtime, she is sleeping better at night (far fewer night wakings). And naps have been far less fraught today. Although, I read a post on MN yesterday about how sleep is far from linear in its progression. So I think I need to get away from the idea that DD's sleep is a 'problem' to be solved

Reading with interest as ds2, who has been a pretty good sleeper, is a mare atm.

He's just turned 26 weeks and is on the verge of crawling, plus just cut another tooth.

I'm on my knees with tiredness and due to go back to work in a fortnight so if it's a temporary sleep regression I'll be so very, very happy.

My DS's naps went to shit when he wa ready for weaning. He was awful - stopped napping apart from 15 mins here or there and was miserable all day. As soon as I introduced a bit of food he cheered right up again. You say your LO is almost 6mo, might be worth a try?

BotBotticelli, funnily I've been tempted to blame weaning for ds2's sleep regression - go figure

He's been waking once in the night for a feed, after sleeping through for a couple of months, since about 20 weeks but around the time I introduced some solids a couple of weeks ago he's been waking far, far more and been much more difficult to settle.

I was taking it very slowly though so I suspect there's no real link and it's a coincidence.