Bedtime battles have started here! (LONG)

[marinkitty]

What is up with my baby????

Mia has been going to bed with no problems for months. Every night we do our bath, bottle, book routine and I rock her a couple of minutes and she goes in her crib awake. Sometimes she goes right to sleep, sometimes it takes a little while, but she is quiet and content.

Last night she started to scream - and I mean she was just raging - a couple of minutes after I put her down. I went back in, rocked her till she calmed down, tried again. Same thing. Finally on the third try she went to sleep. Slept well all night.

Tonight - same thing except that she never settled down, even after four different attempts. An hour had gone by and I finally left her to cry and she fell asleep within 10 minutes but I hate to let her scream like that. And each time she was so close to being asleep when I put her in the crib and I literally set her down and she popped up like a little maniac and started to wail. I've never heard her yell like that - she sounded so angry.

Have any of you gone through a phase like this? She'll be 13 months this Saturday. She is teething but she has been for awhile and she is in a great mood when awake, taking naps, sleeping all night - so I don't think that is it. She isn't sick. She did just start soy milk last weekend, but this seems like a really odd way for a problem with that to manifest itself. She also took her first steps this week - do you think it is tied to that?

This is probably one of those inexplicable things, but I was so taken aback at it and hate the thought that bedtime, which has always been such a great time for us, is turning into something negative.

Sorry this got so long!
Holly
Mom to Mia (3.17.03)

[Sarah1]

I wouldn't worry about it too much as it probably is just a phase. She's enjoying your company and doesn't want to go to bed and separate from you. We've definitely been through little phases like that (bedtime is generally easy for us too), but they've never lasted more than 2-3 nights. I think it'll pass.

My only advice is, just make sure you KNOW she's tired when you put her in the crib, and be consistent.

[daisymommy]

Holly, please let me know when you figure it out, because Joshua has been doing the EXACT same thing since Sunday night. I cannot for the life of me figure out what the problem is! It's like all of a sudden he has decided:
"They're just going to go have fun without me! I'm not going to stand for it! I'm NOT going to sleep! I want to stay up and play! Maybe if I scream alot and shake my crib then they'll let me out..." ;)

[LisaMom2Allie]

We are going through the same thing so we have been letting her cry it out. I hate to do it but I kept going in and rocking her and she would be asleep, then when I put her in the crib-up and screaming like a banshee. I would pick her up and she would immediately fall back asleep on my shoulder but when I put her down-up she would pop.
So we finally decided to just let her CIO and it does work.
I think(HOPE) it is just another phase.

Mia and Allie are very close in age and the past few weeks for us have been wild during the day also. Eating has been a real challenge and she has started this thing where she screams at the top of her lungs when she wants something. We are letting her scream for the most part and trying not to give into the "tantrums" but boy is it hard. So far they are just at home episodes and we have not had any public displays of willpower.
Good luck!

Lisa
Mom to Allie Nicole
3-10-03