18 month old suddenly hates bedtime

[NKBH]

6 nights ago, my 18 month old daughter hysterically cried when we went to do her usual bedtime bottle and put her in her cot. Ever since then, she absolutely refuses to sleep in there at bedtime. She will happily nap in there in the day, but bedtime is an absolute no go.

For a few nights the only way we could get her to sleep was taking her for a drive and transferring her into our bed, if we tried putting her in her cot she would wake up screaming and we’d have to try again. The last 2 nights she also screams in the car so has fallen asleep watching TV downstairs at 10-11pm. She also screams if we try to lie her down in our bed.

I’ve taken her to the doctors and there’s nothing wrong with her, today she had a 3 hour nap in her cot and woke up happy, I have absolutely no idea what to do. Before this we’ve never ever had a problem at bedtime, she would either fall asleep drinking her bedtime milk, or go in the cot awake and fall asleep with us sat in the room.

Is this a regression? Seperation anxiety? Has anyone had this before?!

A sudden change like that must be really stressful, especially when bedtime used to be straightforward. ❤️ Separation anxiety can sometimes affect bedtime, but changes in routine, discomfort or other factors can also play a part.

Since this started quite suddenly, it may be worth checking with your health visitor or GP if you notice signs of pain, illness or if the distress continues. Keeping a simple note of her naps, bedtime and night waking for a few days might help you spot any patterns.

I hope things settle down for you both soon!

What is her day routine like? A 3 hour nap seems excessive for a 18 month old, both mine did about 1.5 hours/2 hours maximum at that age. If she's having such a long nap, she might not be tired come bed time.

Their sleep needs typically decrease around 18 months. 3 hours of daytime sleeps is absolutely loads for her age. 1.5-2 hours is usually about right and then with 4-5 hours of wake time before bed so nap 1-3pm and then bed around 7/7.30.

She usually has 1-2 hour nap, she only had 3 hours yesterday because she slept 10:30pm-4am the night before

She usually has 1-2 hour nap, she only had 3 hours yesterday because she slept 10:30pm-4am the night before

Is this someone posting the question in AI to get a response and then copying the answer or just an AI bot account?

It’s definitely AI in some form because this sounds exactly like chatGPT