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20 month old suddenly not sleeping. Am I missing anything obvious?

10 replies

BroccoliSpears · 03/02/2008 21:48

Dd has always been a reasonable sleeper.
She likes bedtime. She generally sleeps though - maybe wakes a couple of times a week, and usually because she's thirsty, has lost her comforter or got cold outside her duvet - understandable reasons. Can generally get her back to sleep within 10 - 20 minutes, either by fixing the problem or cuddling to sleep if there's no discernable problem to fix.

She comes into our bed if she can't settle and generally falls straight to sleep and one of us lifts her back into her cot when we get fed up with having no room.

Suddenly she hates bedtime. Won't go to bed. Takes hours to settle. Wakes all through the night. Won't sleep in her cot, in her bed or in our bed. Hates daytime naps. I'm at a loss to understand why.

I've generally taken the approach of putting her to sleep when she's tired, and I won't force her or leave her to cry.

Is this just One Of Those Things? A phase? Have others done this and (most importantly) come out the other side? Or is there something I am missing? Something I could try?

OP posts:
BITCAT · 04/02/2008 12:00

It sounds like there is something she doesn't like about going to sleep, maybe suddenly become scared of dark or maybe she is having nightmares. Nothing in her daily routine changed or any disruptions to normal life, ie new baby or new nursery etc!!

PutThatInYourPipeandSmokeIt · 05/02/2008 08:23

Any new teeth still to come?

BroccoliSpears · 05/02/2008 12:25

Can't think of anything different. New baby on way but I don't think she understands enough to be upset about it.

Hadn't considered teeth. She's got the last 4 molars to come. Could be... good thought. Though that would explain the waking more than the reluctance to go to bed in the first place.

Perhaps she's just noticed she can influence bedtime and is stretching her wings?

OP posts:
funnypeculiar · 05/02/2008 12:28

teeth, teeth, teeth. Check the back molars - dd got awful about her sleep - both going to sleep & night waking (although she ain't a fab sleeper) about 3 months back (ie 19mths) cut her first molar abour 2 weeks later. Started doing it again 2 weeks ago - cut second molar yesterday
Be warned, though molars seem to hurt for AGES

PutThatInYourPipeandSmokeIt · 05/02/2008 12:56

Try giving her neurofen half an hour before bed and see if that changes anything.

BroccoliSpears · 05/02/2008 13:32

She already has 4 molars.
I wasn't expecting the final 4 just yet.

OP posts:
funnypeculiar · 05/02/2008 14:53

Dds were her second set of molars - both of mine started cutting final molars before 2...

BroccoliSpears · 05/02/2008 19:32

Plus the dribbling, the grumpiness, the fist sucking, the rashyness...

...light dawns...

OP posts:
PutThatInYourPipeandSmokeIt · 05/02/2008 19:53

neurofen

micegg · 05/02/2008 20:04

I've just had the exact same thing with DD aged 2.3, Not sure if it was teeth but seems to have sorted it out now (she says quietly!). It went on for about 4-6 weeks. We just stuck to bed routine and comforted her when needed at night. I was beginning to consider the crying it out method which I have never done and I am not a fan of but appears to be no need. You just know I will be up all night now don't you.

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