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Screaming in cot should I try the cotbed?

Lily cries when she goes in her cot now (been doing it for a few weeks then the cries become screams!) It's not like her at all as she used to point to her cot and be happy to get into it at bedtime.

She's 18 months so do you think we could try making the cot into the cotbed? She seems to hate the bars and pulls herself up on them and rattles them!

Any advice apreaciated.

Thanks!

xx

Replies

  • Hi,
    A's been like this over the last few weeks I put it down to teething, being poorly and the whole Christmas doing stuff different thing.
    But then I read in one of me books about dropping on of his naps.
    In the past he has had 2x2 hour naps one in the am and one in the pm (obviously!). We'd been stuggling with these and he just wasn't happy.
    Well on Monday after the night from hell (almost like newbornagghh!) I decided to just drop the am nap. It worked a treat! No fuss at bedtime slept trhough with no upset. Neither of use could believe it and are wondering why we didn't do it before!
    Just an idea but maybe she is ready for a big girls bed?
    Hth xx
  • this was what max became like at 18 months and we did change to cotbed instead and it worked a treat for us! Might be worht a go!
  • She only has one nap a day now, has done for a while so can't drop a nap! I think we'll give the cotbed a try at the weekend - we can't go on like this every night!

    Thanks maximum and mum to 1
  • Ohh! My nearly 18 month old is doing this too, crying then screaming whenever he's put in his cot - he's doing it now, went to bed at 8 and still hasn't settled. It started literally the day Daddy finished work for Christmas, so I'd put it down to the excitement of Christmas, Daddy being home all the time etc. He can literally cry and whinge in his cot for up to 2 hours before going to sleep, which in the afternoons is a nightmare - when he eventually does go to sleep he'll happily still have a full nap of 1.5-2 hours, but then I have to wake him for dinner, cue grumpy toddler, who then doesn't want to go to bed again at night! Sometimes if I sit in the room he'll go to sleep, but then wake again as soon as I get to the door - and I don't really want to have to start sitting with him again.
    I have just ordered his bed (we don't have a cotbed), should arrive tomorrow, but we weren't intending to use it yet (bought it cos in the sale) until we've moved him into the other room (which needs emptying of junk, some of which needs to go into loft which needs boarding, then it needs painting) - although I guess we could put it in his current room, just hadn't planned to. In some ways though I'm reluctant to put him in a bed the way he is as it doesn't seem like we'd ever keep him in it! I guess it's worth thinking about if it's worked for some of you.

    Hubby is wondering whether he wants to drop his nap, but my mother's intuition says not - until this started he was happily going down in the afternoon for 1.5-2 hours, I can't see him suddenly not needing any sleep any more, 3 weeks ago he couldn't make it to bedtime without any sleep after 2pm, never mind without any at all! - and he gets grumpy and seems tired to me, I left him today until he was rubbing his eyes before putting him down and it still took 40 minutes to settle - and I think when he doesn't sleep well in the day his nights are then unsettled as every time he stirs he's so cross at being awake that he gets upset.

    Sorry to hijack your thread jellyfishpink, it's just really struck a chord - and my pregnant hormonal self isn't coping well with the screaming! I'll be interested to hear how Lily gets on in her big girls bed.
  • I don't have any advice but i'm glad to hear I'm not the only one! Stanley has always been a good sleeper, both day and night and used to love it when I put him down to sleep and would go off no problem, but for the past 2 weeks he's been like a different person!! Has started crying, then screaming after a while when i've put him down, and rattles and kicks the bars and generally fusses too. He's 16 months so guessed its just a phase where he's more aware that bedtime isn't fun' but its driving me crazy! Hes only just settled at 10pm tonight, after going up at 7, and still only has one nap a day so can't cut that out either..and has started waking at 6am and screaming then, as before would easily sleep into 7,30 and wake up happy! He does have a bit of a cold, and probably teething but i feel this may be the start of things to come!

    Trying the cotbed may be a good idea - Stanley can't walk or even stand up yet so wouldn't be an option for us (as he'd just fling himself out probably!) but i'd give it a go in your situation..let us know how you get on! Leanne.x
  • Gabe is 20 months and pretty much the same, he is OK to go in the cot at night and doesn't cry but in the day is another matter. He used to love having a nap in his cot in the day but now he screams blue murder and like Lily it's like he feels he is 'caged'!!! In desperation cos Andy had the pushchair, I took the mattress out and just put it on the floor, and he fell asleep fine on that & didn't even try and get out even when I left the room. So I think Gabe would be better in a cotbed too (his is a cotbed so I would just have to take sides off) but because he is still OK at night, I'm wary about taking the sides off, in case he's just up all night getting out of bed!! If he was misbehaving at night too I'd be inclined to give it a go. Think I will wait until he's 2 -2 1/2 unless any further problems come up, then he'll understand more that he has to stay in bed, though he's not a nightwaker anyway so hopefully would go OK. xxxxx
  • Sunflower81 - hijack away its fine! I'm so pleased Lily's not the only one like this. She was screaming at 5am and did not want to be in the cot. She ended up in bed with us. And tonight she was screaming again...daddy asked her did she want to go to bed and she said yes and pointed to cot, but once in it she said no no no and the screaming began! I put her in a bigger sleeping bag last night and tonight but it hasn't helped.

    So tomorrow we are turning the cot into the cotbed...and for some reason I feel really emotional about it. Hubby thinks I'm being silly lol.

    Will let you know what tomorrow night brings. Thanks for all the replies. xxx
  • Well she is sound asleep now! We did it this morning and she loved her 'new' bed. She cuddled up in her duvet and put all her cuddly toys on the bed. Tonight she got upset when hubby put her in and she wriggled out of the duvet so he called for me! I put her back and sat next to the bed while she wriggled but then she just lay there and fell asleep!!!!!!!! Not sure what will happen if she wakes up in the night but it's a good start that we had no screams.

    Just another question - do you all still put them in the cotbed in the feet to foot position? xxx
  • oh sounds good so far - we never worried about the foot to feet bit as now they can move all over it is not relevant.
  • jason's nearly 20 months n hes started doin the same the past wk, altough we moved house on new yrs day. i am planning to take the sides off when i can get a bed rail for him, has she started climbing out of her cot as well? jaosn does in the mornin but not at night for some reason!!
  • She tried to climb out of the cot so I think we made the right choice. She is snoozing away tonight ...had a blip at 2.25am (lol) she woke up and was confused and I spent the next 45 mins sat next to her bed trying to convince her to sleep...which she did until 7.15am. Fingers crossed she sleeps thru tongiht.

    Good luck if anyone else is moving them into a bed! x
  • Glad she seems to like it so far!!! I haven't put Gabe in feet to foot position for a long time. He refuses to be tucked in when in the cot and has to stand up in it until I leave the room. I used to get really frustrated & annoyed and try to keep laying him down but now I just leave the room even though he's standing up and he just crashes out when Im gone! Weird!
  • Lol. Lily was kneeling in the bed last night when hubby left the room but within minutes she was flat out asleep. x
  • Amy has been in a bed since 14 months and had no problems she loves it and slept much better. However normally i still wake at every little noise she makes but this morning i was fast asleep and i felt a tugging at my toe!! She was at the end of the bed bless her so we all snuggles up even though it was 8am and i needed to leave for work at 8.30am! she NEVER sleeps till 8am so lovely suprise!

    Good luck xx
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