I have a 19 month old daughter who used to go to be with no problems. We would put her in the crib and she would put herself to sleep. In the past week, when we put her in the crib she screams and crys and gets hysterical. We go in and try to calm her but as soon as we leave she cries again. It was so bad that the only way that we could get her to sleep was if I stayed in her room and rubbed her stomach until she fell asleep. My question is is this normal? any ideas what is causing this behavior? How do we stop it? We haven't changed anything in her room and there have not been any major changes in her life.
Check to see if she has an ear infection. If she does, then she may be in pain when she lays down because of the increased pressure inside her ear.
Hi D.,
My daughter is slightly over 2 and we have also gone through this. There are lots of reasons kids go through this, she may be in a growth spurt, scared of shadows plus she is also at the age they start going through seperation anxiety. Does she have a particular blanket or stuffed animal she favors? Maybe introduce one to her if not as a surogancy item. Hope this helps!
B.
My son started this at 17 months. It turned out he was scared of the dark. I still don't know why it happened suddenly, but we put in a night light and have had no trouble since.
My son started this at a slightly younger age. Just as you say. I put a sleeping bag on the floor of his own room and let him sleep there. It worked! He just didn't want to be in a crib anymore. I know that it might not be the case with you...but it might.
Babies are strange when it comes to sleep. I have three kids and all of them have gone through times when they slept very well and times when they didn't. Even the big ones (4 and 5 years old) still go through times when they wake up a lot at night. I don't really know what makes that happen, but I have found a fantastic book that has helped me a LOT. IT's called "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" and is by a doctor with the last name Weisbluth, I think. My doctor recommended it because she said she was going crazy with her son not sleeping well. She liked it because it was written by a pediatrician who has studied babies' and children's sleep habits for years. His ideas are extremely well-supported with data and scientific information. It helped me a lot when I was trying to teach my son to sleep through the night at one year old.
I recommend it to every parent I know, but I always say that the second half is better than the first half. It is more practical and gives advice for every age group. The first half is more just information, and I always feel bogged down when I try reading it all.
The thing that has worked best for us and, from what I have heard, works every time is to let them cry after you leave and not go back in. It is heartbreaking at times, but if you are consistent, it really only takes about 2 to 3 nights of it before they stop and even the second and third nights they go to sleep quickly with less crying. It killed me to do it with my first and second, but it hasn't been as hard with the third and she sleeps a lot better than the first two. Of course, I have only done it when I was sure that they were old enough not to need to nurse or take a bottle when they were waking up and when I was sure that they didn't have a dirty diaper, etc.
L.
PS The book gives many alternatives to crying it out, so it's good for everyone, even those who don't want to let their babies cry.
My son did the same thing but he was exactly 2 years old. I put him in a bed. I do think he was a little young. That of course opened another can of sleeping issues but they pass. I do think what caused my son to freak out was his "aquarium" in his crib. The batteries were low and he would press the bottom and it made an eerie loud noise. I should have checked that first before I took him out of the crib.
