7.5mo having trouble winding down at bedtime

[RedSH]

Hi, my 7.5mo little girl can't seem to wind down at bedtime. We do have a routine and up until a couple of weeks ago she would go to sleep within a minute or two of being placed in her cot with no fuss whatsoever.

However she now seems to be too excited when she gets put into her cot. She can be sleepy after her milk and a story and then the second she gets placed in the cot ping she's up on her knees (she is a tummy sleeper and has been since she was a few days old) and gets excited and it takes an age for her to settle down long enough to fall asleep. Often she makes herself sick with all the moving around so I stay in the room until she is asleep just in case.

I think it's probably a developmental thing - she has recently become a lot more mobile - but I would love for her to remain calm once she's in her cot as she used to!

I would really appreciate any advice or suggestions you may have.
Is there anything I can do to calm her quicker? Will she just grow out of it soon?

Sorry for the long post!

a lovely baby massage? Are there any groups near you to go to and learn the techniques? Otherwise, lying her in the cot and gently rubbing her tummy in a circular motion or smoothing your hands down her arms from her shoulders to her hands. And a gentle hand massage is nice too. Quiet whispering from you and a hushed, repetitive sound or hum.

Thanks luciemule, I hadn't thought of massage! I will definitely give it a try tomorrow night.

I currently rub her back (due to her being a tummy sleeper) in a slow circular motion when she's in the cot but it doesn't seem to make much difference once she's got herself excited.

How is her napping? Is she overtired due to a lack of daytime sleep?