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Sleep

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Sleep regression at 20 months?

1 reply

KeepSmiling83 · 12/12/2016 01:11

Hiya

DD2 is 20 months and doesn't sleep through the night. She is usually up at least once for her dummy and usually goes straight back to sleep once she has it. Sometimes she is up more often but generally quick wake ups. She normally goes to sleep on her own - she has her bottle in her room and a quick cuddle then goes into her cot, rolls over and goes to sleep.

The past week however she has been taking much longer to go to sleep and will only fall asleep on me and then be transferred into her cot. She is still waking up and now has started needing cuddling to go back to sleep in the night.

She had an ear infection a couple of weeks ago and has just cut 2 top teeth but she was still sleeping ok. This seems to have come from nowhere. When I try to lie her down and pat her she just stands up and starts crying and repeatedly says 'mummy' over and over again.

Is this a separation anxiety thing? Is it a normal phase that will pass? I am obviously wary about getting into cuddling to sleep but don't want to leave her if she is genuinely distressed and this is a phase that will pass.

There is no one to share the nights with and I have an older DD so cant just leave her to cry anyway. It's bad enough having disturbed sleep when the wake ups are just quick but this is really hard! DD1 started sleeping through when she was 13 months and I was hoping DD2 would too but no sign of that.

So is this just a phase or am I going to have to try to be tough and keep her in her cot?

OP posts:
FATEdestiny · 12/12/2016 11:07

Given she was previously fine, I would suggest she is either cutting molars or poorly.

Regarding losing the dummy, there are various ways to make it easier for her to find herself

  • attach dumny to sleeping bag using a sewn on ribbon or dummy saver clip.
  • there are dummy saver soft toys you can but, where the dummy attaches to the leg of the toy
  • scatter millions of dummies around the cot.

At 20 months dummy runs should be well and truly a thing of the past. As long as baby is able to find the dummy, she should be able to reinsert it herself from about 8 or 9 months old.

I wouldnt wouldn't recommend her going to sleep in your arms and being transferred into the cot asleep. This can cause lots of issues. Better to stay by the cot reassuring her to sleep while she's in the cot.

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