1 year old repeated inconsolable waking

[sleeplessmama]

My 1 year old has been a good night time sleeper since she was about 4 months, self-settling and rarely waking during the night. However, for the past month, every couple of nights she's started waking and being completely impossible to resettle. She wakes up crying immediately, sits and then stands up. If we go in to her she cries even more. If we pick her up she still cries. The only way to stop her crying is to bounce her until she falls asleep and even then she'll start again immediately as soon as you put her back in her cot. We've tried everything - Calpol, water, milk, co-sleeping, shushing, gradual retreat... Up until now we've ended up giving up and either getting up with her (which resulted in her being awake all night) or bouncing her to sleep and holding her. Not really sustainable.

Tonight we followed our HV's advice and didn't get her out of her cot but she was absolutely inconsolable when we were in the room with her. When we left she would cry for a few seconds, then stop and lie down, but then cry again 30 seconds later. After about 30 minutes of this she went to sleep, but was very restless then woke up an hour later and the whole thing started again.

We're at the end of our tether. Repeated wake-ups are one thing but this is resulting in us being up all night and we simply can't function on that little sleep - and not can she! She's exhausted, clingy and miserable.

A few notes:

• She starts nursery on Tuesday and has had a few settling in sessions both with and without me - she seemed to adapt pretty well
• She has had a cold but it's gone now
• I think she probably is teething but Calpol / Nurofen don't seem to help and she's fine during the day (apart from tired)
• Most days she has half an hour - 45 minutes nap in the morning and 1.5 hours after lunch
• She was sleeping 6.30pm - 8am before this

I had similar experience with DS when he turned about one, he would wake up and we couldn't settle him for hours, he would scream whatever we did, or eventually stop if we rocked him but cried as soon as being put back in cot or if I tried to lie down in bed with him. We spent three nights not lifting him out of cot but sitting with him. The first night he was inconsolable for about an hour, crying badly, but after that gradually calmed down and started going to sleep, but kept waking up and crying in a cycle that went on about another hour before he was finally asleep for good. The second night it took just over an hour, the third about 45 minutes, then he slept through.

were going through it at the moment weve given up. DD19months gets in bed with DH anytime from between12am - 5am I get out if i stay she sits on my head pulls my hair shouting ayke uuuup thinking its play time then I get in bed with DS3 or on the sofa which is actually more comfty than my bed.

So am no use to you but sod it I think as long as we all get some decent sleep why does it matter were we sleep as ling as we do. We all start off the night in our own beds though.