8 month old partying instead of going to sleep

[Absy]

So, for a brief period I managed to put DS in his cot and after some shuffling around, he would lie down and go to sleep but for the past week or so, he's started lying down, then popping up and going and pulling himself up, burbling and pretty much doing anything instead of sleeping. He's definitely tired - it's about 3-4 hours after his last nap and he's rubbing his eyes. He has a bedtime routine (boob, bath, bed) but recently that's not working.

I'm hoping this is a phase? Or what else can I do?

No advice but my 9 month old has just started doing the same thing! I've just lowered her cot to the lowest setting and let her get on with it. She usually conks out except for today when she learnt that she could lean on the cot rails and try to eat the baby monitor

Is he crying/ distressed? If not let him get on with it and see if he goes to sleep. If he's merrily messing about and is safe in his cot going in and trying to lay him down etc for sleep could do more harm than good in terms of self settling. Speaks the voice of bitter experience.

He's mostly happy, but I can't leave him as the cot is a cosleeper and he can crawl off. We tried changing it to the cot but that was a nightmare - he screamed so much we changed it back

I mean putting up all sides of the cot

Bump

Any advice?

It is a phase, mine have all done it. With the older ones I was very strict on it's bedtime so bedtime it will be. With my youngest I just bought him downstairs for a bit and then tried again. The outcome was the same with all of them they just grew out of it. But the second approach was much less stressful

He's maybe having a development leap (learning to crawl perhaps) and even though he's tired he can't switch off. If he's happy and settling himself I'd leave him to it.

I think I may have cracked it. I give him some time to climb all over the place, then lie him down and rest my arm on him (not strongly. He can still get out if he wants to). There's some protest (a bit of shouting) but pretty quickly he turns over and goes to sleep. I think it signalled to him that it's sleep time