15 month sleep regression?

73trix

Baby has suddenly started having a meltdown at bedtime as in roars when I leave the room, all smiles when I go back in and repeat! I think I know the theory of what to do but it's not working. I'm not able for cry it out either. Can babies suddenly get like this? He had been a dream to put to bed since about 6months old bar a minor phase at about 10 months. God its exhausting. We have had a week of it almost. Can he have suddenly developed a fear of the dark or something? Til now he has a very dim cot light. Help!

LegacyUser

We had it at 14months - suddenly went from being great to put to bed to taking an hour or more to fall asleep!

I used to hover outside the door, waiting for the silence. Then after a few days of that I decided it couldn't go on because my entire evening was gone (and I work full time), so I went to pottering around our room, bathroom etc, folding clothes, getting ready for the morning and shushing every so often. For the nights there was a lot of wailing, I left her for ten mins, then went in and resettled every 10 mins.

Has he started walking or anything lately?

We did the ten minute thing every night for a few days and eventually she got back into her routine. Unfortunately you do have to be strong, especially if you know that they are able to fall asleep and in the habit of it. Once you're happy that he's not hungry, he's got his routine and that he's warm and comfy and safe, ten min bursts won't hurt him, especially if he can hear that you're outside the door.

For what it's worth, I noticed this was also the time that our little one became particularly attached to her teddies and blanket etc. She had liked them before but really started noticing them and loving them around then. If he hasn't already got something like a teddy or whatever, it would probably be a good time to introduce one.

I know the feeling, I was completely shell-shocked by this sudden change in her, couldn't figure it out at all - until I gave up trying to figure it out and just went with my responses being routine, routine, routine!!!! Exhausting few weeks though!

Dolbert

My one year old has just started this He was a dream to put to bed before now!

Penny Dreadful

73trix wrote: »

Baby has suddenly started having a meltdown at bedtime as in roars when I leave the room, all smiles when I go back in and repeat! I think I know the theory of what to do but it's not working. I'm not able for cry it out either. Can babies suddenly get like this? He had been a dream to put to bed since about 6months old bar a minor phase at about 10 months. God its exhausting. We have had a week of it almost. Can he have suddenly developed a fear of the dark or something? Til now he has a very dim cot light. Help!

I'm afraid I must be a very mean Mammy because I let mine cry it out mostly. She is almost 16 months old and almost always goes to bed with ease. Her naps during the day can be a little more work than her night time bedtime but she needs to have them or at least one of them.
If I know she is clean and dry and not hungry then she is crying for the sake of it and I leave her for a little while and it stops. The tone of the cry can be different and if I can hear a different tone then I go back to her. Sometimes she has gotten her arm or leg caught in the cot (she is trying to climb up and over everything in sight these days) and that hurts her. I go in, move the limb, give her a little cuddle and put her back down all without talking to her and leave the room. She might cry a little again but then goes to sleep.
They push boundaries a lot, its really up to you to decide what you're happy to move on and not.

ShaShaBear

My little lady is almost 18 months and starting the same. From she was about 4 months old she slept 12 hours solid per night and worked up to 15 hours per night as she got older. At about 12 months, we hit a small blip which turned out to be a fear of the dark and that was solved very quickly with a nightlight. Now she starts as soon as she finishes her bedtime bottle in her cot. It's very clearly not a distressed, pained or hysterical cry (she stops periodically to listen for someone coming up the stairs and will sing and babble if it doesn't seem to be working ) and I've had to let her cry it out too. First couple of nights it was on and off from bedtime until about 3am but now it's just from bedtime (7.30pm) until roughly 9.30pm (not constant, obviously).
It's become a right nuisance as we've just gotten back to having our own free time in the evenings/nights! Naptime during the day is a doss - bottle, cot, wakes 2 hours later.

dori_dormer

Yep there's a leap at 15 months. It nearly killed me but only lasted 2 weeks. 10 days of that my husband was away on business.

We don't do cry it out either. Causes me and baba way to much stress! I used white noise, and sang songs and used a night light. Honestly nothing really worked until he finished the leap and then he went straight back to normal almost overnight!

The only thing that got me through was knowing it was a leap and it would end eventually!

I also tried co sleeping to save me some sanity but he was way too fidgety and jumping around the bed. So I put a mattress on the floor beside his cot and slept half the night there most nights.
This too shall pass!

73trix

day 10 and seems to have passed, fingers crossed!

was sleeping in the room with him so glad to be back in my own bed.

Monkeys!:rolleyes:

dori_dormer

Oh and fyi, the 18 mths one is the absolute worst! Because they are even stroppy and moaney during the day too!

is the start of tantrums and all the emotions over flowing! Its the leap of doom lol!

Good luck!

73trix

Update. It was a Phase of about 2wks. Phew. He's been great since. There is hope people.