One year old distraught at bedtime

[Maud]

Our nearly 13 month old usually goes down fairly easily in the evening, but all week this week she has had her bedtime feed and then just started screaming when we've tried to put her down/leave the room and she then becomes totally distraught. Every evening we've ended up bringing her downstairs until she's fallen asleep on one of us, but she still cries for most of the evening and this evening is no exception.

It's emotionally exhausting and we're at a loss as to what is causing it. There are no obvious teeth erupting atm, which usually causes 2-3 bad evenings. Could it be that she is learning so much during the day (she's learned lots of new signs lately and is close to walking) that she just can't switch off and settle?

Has anyone else gone through this? Please reassure me we're going to get our good sleeper (and our evenings) back soon?

 

[MrsS143]

Dunno if you are willing but have you tried or considered controlled crying?

 

[Kiagirl]

Our LO used to get distraught from about 11 months. She didn't like being put in her cot, in the end we took the side off so we could lay on the floor with her so it was easier to make an exit and within 2 nights she was sleeping through again x

 

[Maud]

I don't want to leave her to cry MrsS. It's bad enough holding her while she screams, I could never sit and listen to her screaming by herself.

Thanks for the suggestion Kiagirl, but she wouldn't be safe in a bed yet and I'm not convinced it would make any difference given that she screams all evening. She naps in there fine in the day too.

She's back to her usual happy self this morning of course.

 

[Sprout]

No experience with children of this age but could it be that she's overtired? Perhaps try getting in another nap or putting her to bed a bit earlier?

 

[Pumpkin9]

Maud, thomas did this for awhile and actually I still have days when I can't leave him at night when he's awake in his cot.

We have a single bed in his room so I lie on that next to him and then when he's asleep I transfer him into his cot. We then don't have an issue with him generally through the night as he sleeps quite well.

It might just be a phase and she is looking for comfort and reassurance as she's learning so much or it could be teeth but you just can't see anything yet.

It'll sort itself out I'm sure. We had an horrendous couple of weeks and it's calmed back down again

 

[LD1978]

We've had odd nights of this with our 16 month old too. Maybe it's an age/development thing as my friends 13 month old is doing a similar thing. It's hard at the time as exhausting but I think these things are just a phase as she's ok again now (I'm sure we have more to come)

Just do what you have to when she needs comfort. We did a bit of everything, lay in Her room, cuddles and in with us eventually x

 

[Mummybexee]

Controlled crying is for younger babies. Have you tried reading a storey or singing her a song/humming untill she falls asleep? What about pushing bedtime back half hour/an hour to see if that changes anything?

 

[Mummybexee]

Also is bedtime or when you leave her? Could be separation anxiety ?

 

[Maud]

She is extremely clingy lately so we're not sure if she's connected bedtime to being left alone, although once she's asleep she sleeps through fine. We've tried keeping her up later but it didn't help. Haven't tried an earlier bedtime, but she'll be starting nursery soon so that wouldn't really be ideal. We're going to try feeding her before we take her up for bed tonight and see if she will self settle thesame as she does for a nap. Could be a disaster, but worth a try...

 

[Chezza]

Sounds like a sleep regression, very common around this age apparently? Have a little read, if you get a moment...I found it to be very helpful xx

http://www.babysleepsite.com/tag/12-month-old-sleep-regression/

 

[Mummybexee]

We had the 4 and 8 month but never had an 11/12 month one? He's slept through from 11 months - didn't even know there was one!

 

[Chezza]

My little boy had 2 SR. One at 12 months and a pretty serious one at 18 months! He slept through from about 10 weeks old and it was a real shock to the system both times!

 

[Maud]

Thanks for suggestions.

She is asleep in her cot!! Fed her downstairs. She was very distracted and started crying when she was done, but OH took her upstasies and she continued to cry, but settled herself down fairly quickly. We're going to do it this way for a couple of days and see if we can break the habit...

 

[Maud]

Sadly, last night she was back to screaming and it was 10pm before we got her into bed

I'm holding on to the hope that it's because she's learning to walk (she took her first steps this weekend) and that it's only temporary.