My daughter has been a good night sleeper for a long time - since about 4 months we have been able to put her in bed awake and she falls asleep on her own. We used shh/pat for sleep training and we used it if she was a little fussy. She is on a good eating/nappng schedule overall. But -- This past week she has been a nightmare at bedtime. Sitting up, standing up, screaming for about an hour before falling into an exahusted sleep. Today she started doing it for naps as well, although it was very short.
For the most part, she is still taking 2 naps. She held on to a third nap for a long time so I assume she will hold on to two for a while as well. She is clearly tired at bedtime but cannot settle down. Shh/pat is not working at all. In fact, sometimes I think having my husband or I in the room makes it worse because she tries to reach out for us through the crib rails.
She has been getting a lot of teeth although that does not seem to be bothering her too much. Even when we give her pain relief, it does not seem to make bedtime easier. She has been going through a lot of developmental changes - learning to walk, etc.
I am not sure what to do to help her get back on track. I sat next to her crib for almost an hour last night, shhing her and laying her back down when she stood up. When I finally left, she cried for another few minutes then fell asleep. Is this separation anxiety? Does she need a stuffed animal or lovey? Or do you think it is all the physical changes? My husband and I have never been big into the "crying it out" method but I think we might need to go there, at least letting her cry a bit and checking at intervals. Any help would be appreciated!