Sudden cot hatred at 8m

[ChestnutChomper]

My DD is 8.5m (though for sleep purposes, she is more like 7m as she was prem). She was in a Snuzpod until between 6-7m and then we transitioned to the cot with no real issue. She has always slept part of the night in her own bed and part in ours. I'd managed to push the coming into our bed back to around 4:30am, which I could live with, but recently she has decided she actively hates the cot. If she is put down awake in there, she will scream blue murder - awful, back-of-the-throat, full on demonic screaming. It starts immediately and she can really keep it going. I stay with her and she literally fixes me with eye contact for almost 100% of the time and screams like this, with proper tears as well. It's not very pleasant. If we transfer her to the cot asleep, she tends to be ok and can sometimes be resettled in the cot if she starts to wake but there comes a point where she wakes more fully and the screaming will begin again if she isn't brought out into our bed.

The moment she is out and on our bed, she is all smiles and talking etc.

Why has this happened and what can we do? Any advice gratefully received!

Anyone at all?

There’s a couple of routes you could go down with this- the sleep training route (I couldn’t do it but plenty of others swear by it) or embrace the bedsharing (safely of course).

I have twins who are coming up to 9m now. They sleep on a double mattress on the floor with bed guards on three sides. I sleep beside them on the open side, and deal with the wakes as and when. I did the same with their sister who was very much a cot hater like your little one- she still won’t sleep in a room alone at 4. With the twins I’m trying to miss out the cot stage completely.

It could be separation anxiety or something along those lines at this age? I had forgotten how tough the older baby stage was with sleep until my babies threw me back into it.

Sleep regression...

What's her nap schedule, has she reached or trying to reach any new milestones recently? Is she eating solids? Is she teething?

Naps are terrible and always have been. Naps in pram or on bed with me. No schedule - usually one in AM and one in PM when she eventually falls asleep. She is on some solids but is taking to them very slowly so not having huge amounts yet. Teething - maybe. No teeth yet, has had symptoms for months (red cheeks, constant chewing etc). Milestones - lots of developments over last month. Sitting up, stands with support, loads of new sounds, rolls properly etc. She's been a bit late with some milestones but HV said to expect this as 5 weeks prem.