16 month old stressed at bed time

[Lb123456]

Hi all - we wondered if anyone has experience of dealing with a baby/toddler who seems to switch personality at night/around bed time and become hysterically upset. She’s very happy during the day, sleeps amazingly at nursery and has always been pretty good at day naps. However as soon as we get near bed time she switches and becomes extremely upset, it’s as if she’s terrified of bed. The whole process to get her to sleep takes about an hour each night, we can only get her to sleep by breastfeeding or using a carrier. If we leave her in the cot she gets really hysterical.

She has always been a bad sleeper and we have never done cry it out. So getting her down has always been tough. But recently it’s like she has developed a phobia. It has coincided with her being generally fairly clingy to me during the day, so maybe it’s a phase linked to separation anxiety. But it’s not easy!

But starting to think it might be a fear of the night - has anyone had similar? Thanks!

Hey, My boy use to have to be rocked to sleep in his pram before being put into his bed, many nights he would wake up and I’d have to take him downstairs and put him back in his pram to rock him back to sleep (sometimes it would take 3 hours to get him to sleep) I was told it was my fault, as like yourself, I’d never let him “cry it out in his cot” I think I’d caused him to be so use to the stimulations of either feeding or rocking to sleep that he hated being put down in his cot as it was unfamiliar. I then started putting him straight in his cot with a bottle but rocking his knees and adventually he’d fall asleep. It took awhile, many tears from both me and him. But since he was 9 months old he’s gone to sleep without a fuss and now he’s quite happy to still be awake in his cot and just chill before he falls asleep. I think having a bedtime routine really helps, every night he has a bath and then gets into his pjs, our routine even has small things like letting him turn off the light! One of the best things I’ve purchased is a Bubzi sleep soother, I brought ours from Amazon, we have the elephant one! It’s a soft toy which plays many sounds, from lullabies to white noise, it also projects different coloured lights. It’s 100% been a major part in helping relax and let my boy feel comfortable in his bed.
Hope my experience helps! How many naps/ how long naps a day does she have? Maybe cutting them down may help.
All the best

Thanks so much for your response, I’ve ordered that sleep soother!! Fingers crossed 🤞