15mo hysterical at bed time

[bigfishlittlefishtupperwarebox]

Hi everyone.

I’m after some advice, I really don’t know what to do. For the past week or so my 15 month old DD has seemed to grow to absolutely hate going to sleep.

On a night time we have books downstairs, that’s fine, then teeth, fine too. But as soon as we head for the bedroom she’s getting absolutely hysterical. Screaming like there’s no tomorrow and getting in to such a state she just can’t calm herself down.

Before this either my DH or I could pop her in the cot and she’d just go to sleep happily. Now she will only calm if DH sits in the room with her for ages. She won’t calm with me there at all. She’s started waking in the night as well and will only calm for him which is a pain as he works.

Nap time has had to be in the buggy as I’m on my own and she just won’t settle. Does anyone have any ideas? I don’t think it’s separation anxiety as she’s happy to be dropped off at nursery etc and isn’t clingy in general.

Can one of your not just stay with her till she goes to sleep? Z

X not Z!

She’s getting so het up on the way to bed, and won’t settle for me, just screams and screams. She will settle for DH but then if she wakes through the night will again only settle for him. Assume it’s a phase, but can’t think of any reason for it. My question was more what is likely to be causing it, sorry if I wasn’t clear.

Possibly a bad dream concerning you? Some sort of fright?

Have you tried letting her sleep in a cot in another part of the house to see if it's sleep, or the room itself, or the time of night, or something else?

Could you see if she go down in a pile of blankets on the floor in the family room or something like that? I don't mean for the entire night, of course, but could you try letting her fall asleep there, or temporarily "moving" her "go to bed place" and then taking her up to bed once she's out?

Then again, that could risk the routine and cause other problems...

Just curious, do you do bath time and then head downstairs? A friend of mine was finding that she’d bath her little one, then take him downstairs and all fine until heading to bed where he’d be really worked up. She juggled things around a bit and went to bed straight after bath instead and he became calm again x

That kind of bedtime screaming is often caused by overtiredness. What’s the rest of his day like in terms of naps etc?

She’s generally upabout 6:30-7, dropped to 1 lunchtime nap a couple of months ago so sleeps 90 mins to 2 hours about 12ish. Have tried getting another nap in but just can’t.

As I say this is a really recent thing, all was fine until the start of the week. I’m wondering if she’s had a bad dream and is remembering every time I take her to bed? It’s all I can come up with. She’s just totally fighting sleep.

Last night was horrendous, worst for a long time. Slept til 10:30, then up til 1:30, then up 3 til 6:30. Just would not stop screaming in cot so had to take her out to calm her down. Then that was her wide awake. Catch 22 isn’t it!

We don’t bath her every night, but we never have and it doesn’t seem to make any difference in her sleep.

Maybe there is a ghost in her bedroom, put her in another room and see how she gets on with it. Not being flippant, she may have had a very bad dream in there and now associates the room with something terrible.

OK she is napping until about 2? And then what time does she go to bed In the evening

all was fine until the start of the week

If it's come on suddenly with no obvious cause, I'd suggest illness or pain as the most likely cause.

Chikdren often have short, discrete periods of time where they need extra TLC and are over-sensitive. I just give that extra attention for the time it is needed.