Bedtime has been going on 2 hours so far and is still going...

[bluestripes]

DS has been getting worse and worse at bedtime over the last 5 weeks. He used to go straight to sleep on his own but gradually it has got worse. Tonight we have been trying to get him to bed for 2 hours and he is still screaming now. He will settle down and look like he is asleep as soon we leave the room he is instantly standing up and totally screaming. He seems to know when we leave the room, we've tried the gradual leave so standing at his cot and then the door and then just out side the door but then about 5 mins later he is standing up screaming again - what else can we try. This is just getting so tiring every night, i'm beginning to dread bedtime. He has two naps in the day and they are totally fine, he will go into his cot settle himself down and go straight to sleep so why does he do that during the day and then behave totally differently at night?

Went through this for a short while. Almost forgot it Boring but DH or I would just sit in the room with the light out (or night light) not look at him, speak or make eye contact until he fell a sleep. Very boring as you couldn't even have light to read a book. It worked. Took a few weeks but we inched out after two or three.

How old is he? Sounds like separation anxiety. Not much you can do but as Starbear suggests.

He's 14 months. He is now combining the nightmare bedtime with getting up at 6am screaming. I thought it might be separation anxiety but as he doesn't do it in the day at all, I kind of ruled it out. How long does SA go on for if it is that? I'm dreading bedtime tonight already and it's only 6am!!

How did last night go? What did you try?

Oh 14 months is more like molars. DS flipped from being happy to go to sleep with DH keeping him company to screaming bloody murder and wanting to nurse to sleep and all night long. Mr. Ibuprofen at bath time helped a lot, but I'm afraid 3 months later I'm still doing bedtime myself and the molars are only just cutting the surface. With molars they can be quite happy during the day with distractions, but come bed time when they're all alone in the dark they can't ignore the pain.

Oh yes it could be teeth!