10 month old sleeps all night but it feels like a fight each evening to get her to go to sleep.

[LuckySalem]

Basically that's it. I don't know where i'm going wrong.

She has dinner at 6:30-7pm, then has a 1/2hr to an hour play before bed at 8 where she has a bottle on our bed (hurts my back to lean down into the cot) when she's finished her bottle instead of falling asleep like she used to she starts playing.

We I try to calm her down, read her a story, sing a song ANYTHING but she just wants to play.
Eventually I give up and put her to bed where she then starts SCREAMING.
I go in and comfort her, PUPD, but this doesn't work and eventually I give up and lie on the floor waiting for her to go to sleep. - THIS IS NOT GOOD,

She used to be brilliant and has now become a devil child?

Is she tired enough? If she naps in the afternoon it might be time to cut that back.

She has 2 naps during the day but I found that when I cut the 2nd one out she wouldn't sleep all night?

The trouble with children is that as soon as you've got something sussed they grow up a bit, their needs change and what used to work doesn't any more. It can be infuriating.

From what you've said, I would be inclined to decide on a definite calming routine - whatever works for you and dd and then stick to it. Everything should be calm and muted - maybe a story might work better than playing? Then after milk a little cuddle or a lullaby or whatever you do and then put her down. Don't get drawn in to more stories or songs - give her a chance to learn that these are the cues to sleep.

Having said the above, if she cried I'd personally think that the routine wasn't working for her and change it to whatever did work - cuddling to sleep / staying with her. She's very young.

The thing is OldBea - She doesn't want to be touched, I've tried stroking her head, rocking her etc and she just screams even louder so I have no choice but to put her down in her cot. Although I don't leave her (I lie on the floor falling pretending to fall asleep)

I've tried the calm thing, we've sat in the dark with nothing but the radio on and still she wants to play. I've read her books but she's more interested in trying to rip them. It just seems as though she doesn't want to go to sleep.

we have this problem for EVERY naptime.

Will she play and then settle? Or does she play and then cry?

She used to play and then settle in our bed with her bottle and a book but the last week or so, she just wants to play and then play, when you try to get her to lie down she cries, when you take her to bed she cries.
We've found lying on the floor works abit as she cries, stands up sees you there then plays in her cot for about 10 mins before lying down and going to sleep.

I thought she wasn't tired yet but she's rubbing her eyes, pulling her ears, yawning all the usual "i'm tired" signs.

It's just strange.

Maybe persue the lying down near her while she drops off then? It will reinforce the idea of going to sleep in her cot by herself. You could gradually move further away, or gradually leave slightly earlier?

She could be teething - all sorts of reasons why she might need a bit of extra comfort while dropping off. I'd be inclined to just go with whatever works rather than turn bedtime into a battle.

It is very frustrating though. You have my sympathies. Hope you get something sorted soon.

Thanks OldBea - I gotta try something as its horrid.

Just gonna bump this to see if anyone has any other ideas?

Sounds a bit weird, but have you tried putting her to bed earlier? It sounds to me as though she could be going to bed too late - I have had great results with my (8mo) dd after shifting her bedtime forward two hours from 7.30pm to 5.30pm - she seems much happier to fall asleep and stay asleep. It sounds crazy but it might work! Good luck.

Hmmmm - I'll have a go at knocking her routine forward abit then see what happens.

Although last night after I lay on our bed with her in COMPLETE darkness ignoring her she started to fall asleep so I put her to bed and that worked (although it was 10pm ) which I don't like the idea of. So I'll try the earlier bedtime tonight and see what we get.

Ok so today she had dinner at 6:30 then she played for about 1 hour, then bath, bottle and bed. She fell asleep with bottle in her mouth so I woke her a little and put her to bed, little squeak and asleep! by 8:40

Maybe i'll have to start bathing every night. The only reason I didn't use to is cos it upset her eczema but doesn't seem to now.

Agree with AvonB... if we put our daughter(8month) down to late she whinges abit where as otherwise shes an angel and sends herself off to sleep in her cot after a bottle in the lounge.
Bathing does help before bed, we used to everynight.

Weve also got a vibrating mattress and weve got these lights that change colour (3pack from argos) if she really plays up, like when teething we put 1 at the end of her cot by her feet n she falls asleep watching it change colour, there great!!

She used to have a light on the celing winnie the pooh thing but the batteries died when we moved her to her room and she didn't seem to miss it so never got new batteries but maybe I should start turning that back on again.