toddler cot drama

[Evita]

Dd is 17 months now and has been going to sleep in her cot daytime and night time pretty well since about 8 months old. She's often had a few grumbles when initially put down but always gone off. Just this last week though during the day she's seeming to be really scared by the idea of being put down in her cot. She's tired, it's the right time for a nap and she says bye bye to all her toys, the washing machine etc. (her going to bed routine!) and when I get into her room I cradle her for a moment and repeat the word 'sleep' a few times and she yawns and relaxes but then as soon as I go to put her down she clutches onto me, breathes really rapidly and starts screaming. As soon as I hold her again she nods off, then wakes the minute I move her towards the cot. I've tried just leaving her there but she stands and screams her heart out for AGES. I tried for 1.5 hours today before giving in and taking her out in the pram - she was asleep in seconds, so clearly tired. Her room is quite dark, blackout curtains, but in the daytime little bits of light creep in which has never bee a problem. She has a favourite sleeping toy. I don't know why this has started happening now and what to do about it.

Well, thank God I'm not alone, that's all I can say. Even if there's no answers it helps to know that someone else is going through this awful stage. No one else seems to understand how out of character it is. that's why I'm so alarmed.

This morning she refused to sleep so in the end I just gave up and decided to go out. She fell asleep straight away in the car..something she hasn't done for months. At lunch time after fretting about it and getting myself worked up I decided to let her cry as going to pick her up just seemed to make matters worse...She cried for 1/2hr and then slept very on and off for 1 hr. I know this is nowhere near enough and I hate to think what the consequences will be.

I'll get back in touch with you if I get any answers but thanks for just being there!

mandalay, do you think she has something bothering her like teeth? I'm sort of clinging onto that possibility with dd as I know she's got some pesky molars coming through. She's been chewing her hands and dribbling like crazy for the last couple of weeks. If it's not that then I guess I'm going to have to think more seriously about CC and all that stuff.

The worst time we had with DD was just before my wedding last July, she was about 9 months old. I have never known sleep deprivation like it. The only difference was that she was listless (right word?) all day, wouldn't be put down, wanted to be cuddled constantly, screamed (literally) all night! Took her to the docs who said she was fine, prob teething. This continued for a week. I would be hallucinating all day in work I was sooo tired! On the firday she was in nursery and they rang and said that her ear had popped and all this goo was cming out. The poor little mite had had a terrible ear infection for two weeks. She must have been in agony

How does she sleep at night? Any change there? Dd's been waking a bit earlier in the morning too. I think she's utterly exhausted right now, maybe only getting 12 hours sleep in the whole 24 which is not at all like her.

Mum2Ela, how awful! That happened with dd once but with her throat. I only really realised because her breath smelt v. bad but apparently her tonsils were v. pussy. You feel terribly guilty for not knowing don't you? I'm amazed your GP didn't check her ears. I don't think mine's 'ill' right now though. She's just not wanting to be left in the daytime. It really is like she's afraid the way she clings onto us when we're near the cot.

I have thought maybe it could be teething as she keeps pulling strange sucking faces but apart from being tired she seems very happy. Also she's a bit young for molars isn't she? Or can molars come out as early as 1 year?

Anyway she seems fine until the moment I draw the curtains and start to zip up the sleeping bag then it's sheer PANIC!

Ah, mandalay, with an almost 18 month old the days of sleeping bag sleeps in the day are long gone! Wow, your little lady must be dexterous to stand up in hers, it took my little darling ages to be able to do that. I don't know when molars first come through, I guess it depends on how many other teeth she's got? My dd got her four main top and bottom front teeth first then 1 molar and now there are 3 all sprouting at once. Little bits of them have broken through, but other bits are angry looking bulges.

Oh my dd is VERY strongand quite the little madam! I really couldn't believe it myself when I saw her standing up in her sleeping bag. It's her new party trick and she's only been able to do it since yesterday so it's coincided with all this panic and screaming.

My dd can stand up in hers too now but I was really glad it took her a while! I wonder if this cot thing is perhaps due to different things with our dds as yours is a fair bit younger. I think my dd is really testing limits in general at the moment and part of me wonders if this is to do with that or teeth or what the heck?!!