For the last two weeks or so my almost 6 month DD has been fighting us at bed time.
Normally after her bath I would feed her in a dark room and she would fall asleep after or during eating. Now she fights to stay awake, we have tried rocking her in the pram but all she does is scream, Ive tried to hold and rock her, but this she thinks is a big joke and starts to giggle.

It always end up with me in tears and my dh rocking her in the pram - screaming her head off until she goes to sleep.

Any ideas on what I can do to get her back to sleep in a more easier and peaceful manner without wanting me to pull out my hair in desperation?

Right around 5-6 months my babies no longer could be nursed to sleep. Around that age I would start laying them down when they looked tired and hoped for the best. My oldest faught me but learned to fall asleep on her own. My youngest has been able to fall asleep on her own most nights for over 2 months and she is only 4 months old. I would still keep cuddling and nursing in the bed time routine but try allowing your baby to dall asleep with out you.

Also keep in mind your little one's brain and body is developing quickly. Soon your little one will be sitting up, saying first words and crawling.

Also I know this is hard but when you lay her down. Talk to her softly, stroke her hair, rub her tummy, tell her you love her and walk away. Go set your kitchen timer for about 10 minutes...turn the tv or radio up you will not here her cry and try letting her cry herself to sleep on her own. Just go in and check on her and give her a cuddle if she is not asleep in 10 minutes and then smile and try it again. On the worst nights it never takes me more than 4 times doing this to get my little one to fall asleep.

Doing this is hard at first but is worth it in the long run. It sounds like she cries herself to sleep while being held so this is not much different.

Jen

Has anything changed for her. Have her daytime naps changed? What time are you putting her down for the night?

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I remember my DD going through the same thing around that age. Is your DD teething, or has she recently acquired a new skill (such as pulling up or crawling)? Whenever my DD was cutting a new tooth or achieved a new developmental milestone, she had some trouble sleeping. Soon after, she'd settle back into her original routine. Does your DD still take naps during the day, and does she fight to sleep during those times? I'm just asking all of these questions to see if I can come up with a really good suggestion for you. I'm sorry about the frustration. I know how you feel.

I agree with JenJoe! Put her in her bed and let her fall asleep on her own.

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I'd suggest establishing a really good solid bedtime routine, if you haven't already. It takes me about 20-30 minutes to go through all the steps of our routine with 8-month-old DS, but he rarely cries at all now, once I finally lay him down. For us it's: 1) Nurse him (and while he's nursing I sing him the same 5 songs); 2) Go into the bathroom and brush his teeth and wash his face; 3) stand him up on the changing table for a couple minutes (he now knows that's his cue to try to poop!); 4) change him and put his PJ's on; 5) hold him while I pray out loud; 6) sing one more short good-night song as I lay him down into the crib; and 7) kiss him and wind up his mobile. I make it a point to nurse him first thing so that he doesn't fall asleep then, but has the chance to anticipate each step of the routine and settle in for the night.

Now for me, getting him to sleep straight through the night is another matter, but at least he goes down easy!

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Yep, my son went through the same thing at about that same age as well. I too would rock and feed him to sleep each night and then 'poof!' it did not work any more like you say!
I too found myself letting him cry to sleep. I hated doing it but I suggest trying what JenJoe recommends. It worked for me too. It is so hard to let your baby cry, but it does help them learn to sooth themselves to sleep. As long as they know you are still around it will be comforting to them when they see your face in about 10 minutes when they still have not drifted off to sleep.

Excitement over new skills, teething, and even a good old ear ache can keep your little one awake. I always tried to make sure my little one was comfy. It can be hard to tell when they have an ear ache. I have heard that if they are tugging on one or both ears then that could be a sign.

Good luck!! My son is now 2-1/2 and still hates going to bed! LOL

Bedtime is around about 7:30. She has a snooze around 9 in the morning and again around 2ish.

Normally she is awake before six and the nine sleep is an easy one, sometimes I struggle with the afternoon nap, but it depends on what I have done with her during the day.
Prehaps I do need a stronger night time routine as normally the rest of the day is sometimes a bit random.

My DS is about the same age and it sounds like we have a similar schedule. Early wake up, first nap is a breeze, later nap needs convincing, and 7:30-8 bedtime. Just went throught the same thing and lasted about two weeks, but we have two new teeth!! Is she teething? Have you started solids? Some say that helps although I didn't really notice a difference.

Overall he is not a great one for falling asleep on his own (night time or naps) and everytime I think "ok now we are going to let him cry and teach him to fall asleep on his own" it seems like he starts teething or ear infection or really bad cold and then it's not really fair to let him cry when he's obviously uncomfortable? But now I'm afraid we're setting ourselves up for difficult bedtimes to come.

Good luck!

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