DD has been a nightmare at going to bed for the past month or so.
At first, she just kept asking for more cuddles but would settle herself at bedtime and was fine at nap time. Bedtime would take about 30 mins or so. She would make excuses to avoid bed, like needing nappy cream or the loo, but she was nowhere near as bad as she is now. But then she began to get clingy in the daytime, to the point where all she would do is sit on my knee, even if she was playing. She then began to get even clingier at nightime, and developed a chest infection which didn't help things.
She had the chest infection for about 2 weeks, and would wake repeatedly in the night. But she would always settle very quickly. When she was coughing loads I would bring her into our bed. She was still settling herself at night at that point.
However for the last 2-3 weeks, she has been a nightmare. She refuses her naps altogether which she definitely needs as she gets extremely grumpy without them and normally crashes at 3pm ish. She is bad at bedtime too, she will go to bed as normal but when I try to leave all hell breaks loose. She will scream and cry for more cuddles, throw her beloved teddy across the landing (she can't sleep without it) and repeatedly cry "mommy" or "i need a cuddle again" etc. This will go on for anything up to 2 hours, at which point I usually give in, lie down with her and 10 mins later she's asleep and I sneak out.
I am at a loss as to why she is like this - she has just turned 2 and since then it's been worse. She now cries at nursery when I leave which she never did before (she's been going about 6 weeks now, but this all started before she started nursery and she only goes 2 afternoons a week) and started asking for me if I even go to the loo.
I am wondering if being ill made this all worse? She's pretty much fine now apart from a croaky voice, I have caught her chest infection though and am so tired from all this behaviour!!
She also wakes in the night at least twice, and will repeat the whole process again - if I'm lucky, lying with her for 10 mins will do the trick.
I think she is definitely OT - shes missed so many naps and so much bedtime that she can't not be. I am at a complete loss as to what to do. I can sometimes get her to nap in my bed, but she has recently started refusing that too.
Her routine before all this started:
730am - up
8.am - breakfast
11.00am - lunch
12.00 - nap (asleep by 1230 on normal day, 1pm nursery day but always at home)
2.00 - i wake her from nap
4.30ish - dinner
5.30ish - snack
6.00 - wind down time
6.45 - up to bed for stories and cuddles
7pm - bedtime
7.15 - 7.30pm asleep
is this just a phase? can anyone help, I am soooo tired and so ill! She won't let hubby go to her, she just gets more hysterical if he does, so I am exhausted!
I have tried moving her bedtime to 6 or 6.30 when she has missed naps but she is still the same. I have tried later bedtimes, later nap, earlier nap, earllier bedtime... but no matter what she will refuse bed and naps. There have been no new changes at home, so I am confused! She has no siblings either
