Suddenly DD is sobbing at bed time!

[RGPargy]

DD (9 months) has always been good at going to bed, whether it be for a nap or going to bed at night. However, the last week has been a bit of a PITA! I put her into her cot and then she starts crying and sobbing (with proper real tears!) because she doesn't want to go to sleep and/or be away from me!! Last night was the worst because she was up until just gone 11pm and was crying alot of that time (but not in an "ill" way).

Now, i have my own ideas as to why she is being like this and i would be very grateful if you could reassure me that my assumptions are correct!

(a) She is teething, i'm pretty sure of it. She seems to have painful gums and wont let me anywhere near her mouth, added to the fact that i can see her gums are alot paler than they have been in the past.

(b) She is on the verge of crawling. She has made one or two crawls in a frontward motion, and is soooo almost there!

(c) I have over the last month just returned to work part time and DD has been going to MIL for the 2 days that i work. Could this also be unsettling her a little too?

Am i right in thinking that all of the above could contribute to her rubbish bed times? Please tell me it's a phase and she'll get used to it and calm down again?!!

TIA!

Hi, RG.

I think you are probably right, it can be a combination of all 3 things. Also, I think that 'separation anxiety' can set in around 9 months.
My HV told me that when babies are on the verge of a developmental change eg crawling, it can make them very unsettled and can disrupt their routine.

IMVHO, if you keep to your dds normal routine and give her extra reassurance, she will settle again. There were times with dd1 when I panicked that I had 'lost' her eating/bedtime routine -usually when she had been ill- but we always got it back.

It feels awful, though, doesn't it - seeing your baby unsettled? I think sometimes the effect is just as bad on us mums. I've sat and cried on the sofa after a bad bedtime, while dd1 or 2 is giving it ZZZZZZZs!

Hope your dd settles soon - and you get your evenings back!

Thanx for that SR. I'm so glad it's not just me (although i knew i wouldn't be the only one). She's been fine going down for naps today, although she did whinge a little at first for about 30 seconds, if that. All i can do really is, as you say, just reassure her when she gets like this. She gets to the point where she's hysterical and really sobbing, the poor little mite. It really does break my heart seeing her like it!!

Aaah,it gets me every time when they cry 'real' tears. There was a baby crying in Tesco the other day. He was tiny, maybe a month old, and I couldn't bear to hear him distressed.Mind you, it wasn't enough to make me want another baby!
His poor mother was doing a Supermarket Sweep impersonation.

Awww bless him. I'm always tempted to ask if they want help with the baby. Roughly translated that means "can i cuddle him? PLEEEASE?!!"

Well i think the sobbing episode is down to two things - teething and starting crawling. She did two "steps" on Monday when she was trying to crawl but yesterday she mastered it and was off like a shot! Last night however she was up sobbing for a while so i had to bring her downstairs and then she woke up again at 12.50am but thankfully she calmed down and was off to sleep again in 10 minutes after i brought her in with me for a cuddle. I put her straight back to bed tho and she was fine til the morning, bless her.

I've read somewhere actually that when babies teeth it hurts more when they lay down than when they are upright. Could also be why she's been waking up after going to bed!