17 mo to suddenly start playing up at bed times?

[lisanicole]

my 17 mo boy has suddenly started to act strangely at bed time. we have always (well since 10ish mo) sat and read a couple of books in the chair in his room and then I put him to bed turn his musical sheep on, and leave...no dramas and he's asleep in minutes. until yesterday. he is getting annoyed with any book we read, and he chooses them! he starts kicking his legs and pushing the books away and grizzling. so I say ok, time for bed, but he starts crying and reaching for a different book. so, I say ok one more and then its bedtime. but we start reading another book and the same things happens again. I managed to distract him tonight by saying did he want to choose another toy off the shelf to take to bed (he usually just has his monkey and sheep already in his cot). he picked a little plastic hairbrush and comb off the shelf....random!...and went to sleep holding them...no

anyway, he's done this for his day nap and night time yesterday and today and i am just wondering what could be going on as it is very unlike him. I thought I may be putting him down to early, but he was definitely ready for bed tonight. He is up around 6.30am, nap at 12 (normally 1.45-2hrs), bed at 7,30pm. has anyone experienced this...? what did you do?!! thanks

[Buttonbobs]

your EAS looks about right, it may be the sleep regression that comes around 18 months. If it is developmental the only thing you can do is hold tight to the pattern and go with it. Do you think he could be teething at all?

If you want to try tweaking something you could try a 15 min later BT, but a 13 hour day is quite good anyway. Is he high/average/low sleep needs?

[lisanicole]

he is very high energy, very spirited! but id say average sleep needs.

yes he is teething, one canine just popped through in last few days. the others have come up and gone down, so they are probably not too far away.

despite going to bed issues, once he goes to sleep he still sleeps his usual length of time, roughly 2hr day nap, and all night without interruptions (touch wood!). I also gave him pamol 45 mins before bed last night in case of tooth ache but still same thing.

he seems to just not want to go bed...normally I say to him 'ready for bed now' and he has been running off to his bedroom but today we had chase round the sofa instead! if it is developmental is this him just trying to assert his independence or is he now more aware that he doesn't want to stop playing/whatever he is doing...??

I did try 15 mins later today, same thing with wanting to read more books, but not really wanting to...and crying when we get up off the chair to go to the cot, but I put him in bed with a soft book he could fall asleep on, to distract him, and he was passed out within 2 mins! so that leads me to think that its not a timing issue? i'll stick with the slightly later bed for a while and see how that goes. next Q - do I cap his nap to get him in bed for 7.30pm ish? lol!! Thanks for your help

[Buttonbobs]

Given what you have said I wouldn't cap he nap for now. You don't think it's a timing/routine issue, I don't think it is either. You read his cues well last night and just got him to bed a little more quickly, perhaps he just needs a slightly later BT and a slightly shorter wind down for a little while.

[lisanicole]

well he is not doing too badly, I am keeping him awake slightly longer, 15 or so mins and that seems to be working. he is still doing the same thing with wanting to read more and more books - maybe he's trying to delay going to bed? and he is still starting to have a  strop when I put him in bed but I keep giving him a book once he's in his cot and that seems to keep him happy. he usually stops grizzling as soon as he touches the mattress!

he has also gone off his food a bit, he was eating a LOT up until just before this change in his behaviour occurred. they might be completely unrelated though.

if he was having growth spurt perhaps he was needing the extra sleep, and maybe he needs a little less now??

can someone explain to me, in a nutshell, what wonder weeks are? somebody mentioned this to me yesterday.

thanks again

[Buttonbobs]

A wonder week is a huge developmental leap. In the run up to the leap there can be a change in LOs behaviour as they struggle with he coming change.

Have a look here:
http://www.thewonderweeks.com/gb/

It does sound a Dev leap to me, you're doing the right thing just hold tight xxx