16 month old dd who settled herself to sleep suddenly screaming when I put her down... help!!

[hollybobs]

My dd has never been the best sleeper but certainly not the worst. For the past few months I could put her down in her cot at night, without a dummy, and she would settle herself to sleep within a matter of minutes, and only ever a few grumbles. She has been prone to wake up during the night but has only ever needed the dummy to get her straight back off to sleep again.

But for the last week things seem to have gone in reverse. She suddenly started crying as I put her down in her cot and has cried on and off til she's gone to sleep. On a couple of nights I've ended up giving her the dummy cos she's got herself all worked up.

Not really sure why this has happened... I thought maybe with the hour going forward but she has blackout blinds and she should be used to it by now. This also coincides with her going through a bit of a tantrum stage - the past week it's as if she's going through the terrible twos - throwing a wobbler at anything that doesn't go her way - could this have anything to do with it? Is it just a developmental stage??

Any advice would be great - dc2 is due to arrive in 2 months and I really want to get dd1 back on track before then!!!!

Could she be teething? Or ill? Is she showing any signs of attachment issues during the day?

Thought about both those things. She was teething a few weeks ago but they've come through now. She also got ill (cold and cough) around the same time & again that's cleared up now & she doesn't seem ill at all during the day.

I don't think there are any attachment issues, I've been back at work for 9 months and she stays with my mum & dad while I'm there. She's never shown any separation anxiety & always seems comfortable there. The only change in her behaviour I've noticed are these tantrums she keeps having

Does she have her molars? DS used to settle to sleep with his dad, then around June last year he started bloodcurdling shrieking at bedtime unless there was a boob in his mouth (or a double-dose of ibuprofen AND paracetamol). His molars finally errupted around September.

I sympathise - my own DD has been exactly the same and still is now. She always used to go down in her cot awake no problem but then started to cry when i put her down. I've put it down to molar/separation anxiety issues and hope that it will pass soon!!

Good luck!

Thanks for all your advice.

Ches - she always seems better if she has some nurofen but i'm trying to avoid it cos I'd end up giving it to her every night and that can't be good for her, can it? That also makes me think that maybe she is teething or ill but then she's fine in the day...

RGPargy - glad to hear i'm not the only one! Fingers crossed its just a stage and it will pass before dc2 comes along x

Please get her ears checked. Ear infection may not give pain when the child is vertical, but excrutiating pain when horizontal.

my ds who is 20 months started doing this a few weeks ago always been great at going down but would scream as soon as we left the room! one night he cried for 50 mins! he did this for 8 days and we just used to the Lay and go way, never got him out of his cot as when we did this the 2nd night he was even worse when we put him back down. After the 8 days he went back to how it was before It is just a phase and it will pass

We had exactly this too, Pinkranger! Came from nowhere. We tried a nightlight and, coincidence or not, things settled down after that.

TBH, sounds like teething to me. She's not completely fine during the day if she's having tantrums... I am sure she is hitting toddler-dom, but my DS's wobblers almost always coincide with teething. One dose of ibuprofen a night for a week or so is not going to do any serious harm. It's not forever.

I say dose her up and get some rest!