my 20mth won't settle at bedtime

[trixabell]

my 20mth dd has become a nightmare at bedtime - she used to be wonderful - going to sleep by herself - with me out of the room. After a holiday with her cousins, which was very exciting, bedtimes have become a unbelievable. Her bedtime routine is 5.30 dinner, 6pm bath, 6.30 - 7pm milk and books in her room, 7pm teeth and bed. Now I can't leave the room without her screaming blue murder and trying to climb out of her cot. She does a mixture of demands, like fix her covers, running up and down her cot, playing hide her dummy and a good bit of crying to. I have been trying to stay beside her and give her as little interaction as possible but nothing seems to work - any one got any techniques to get her back into her routine - should I cut out her daytime nap? make to bedtime later - it is getting a bit wearing plus the fact she is up at least 3-4 during the night I feel like I don't have a break.

Make her nap earlier and wake her dont let her have as long. Light nights wont be helpin let her play outside if weather allows late afternoon and an extra hr might help. Now gettin older count her down to each step in bedtime routine so it's not a 'shock' to her that its time to go to sleep. Perceivere youi will get it back I did.

thanks - I let her sleep about an hour - and get her up no later than 2.30pm - I'll try earlier. Have you any ideas on what technique I could use once she is in bed - I have never done cc or let her cry it out and don't want to either - I just don't know what I am doing when I am in there -and always feel she has manipulated me to hold her hand or something else.

Does she like her bedding? we let our DS's choose there own covers and now they love geting into 'England' and 'Choo Choo'(thomas tank) beds. If she is settling holdin hands introduce a bed friend(teddy) thta goes in between you both for a while then tell her to hold friends hand while you go to loo/downstairs comin back each time but each night leaving her a little longer till one night she may go to sleep before you return. This is what i did and it worked for me.

My dd is a good sleeper but recently started to fuss at nap time. We dug out an old toy she had never used as a baby, it's a projector that projects (!) teddies and stars and other characters on the celing. You can time it for 5 or 10 mn, it runs on batteries. I think the manufacturer is Tommy. She loves it, and it forces her to lie down to watch it. She's going to sleep faster now. And a lot of exercise in the garden helps too !

thanks for these suggestions everyone - interestingly Lems I have been doing just that with her dolly - getting her to hold her hand so I'll just be more consistant with that idea. I also went out today and bought her some new bedding - she was very excited and was wanting to get into her cot at about 5pm - and tonight she went straight to sleep.

I know it won't be like that every night but hey it's a start!!

congratulations, start a routine and stick to it then she will more secure goin to sleep each night if its familiar to her. best of luck