why is my 19 mo old suddenly crying when he goes down to sleep...he never used to do that!?

Question

he immediatly stops crying as soon as i pick him up and hold him....

Answer 1

Maybe starting terrible 2's early. He wants you there and is fighting for it. You need to stop it, or you have to hold him forever. Also, he's older, and he doesn't want to sleep so he is fighting it. What you can do is put him down, if he cries, don't pick him up. just pad him for a while, or let him cry it out. At this stage, it's a battle of control and will. You can't let him win.

Answer 2

My daughter goes through stages of that, she is now 2 yrs. That happened once, for a few days, and recently she did the same thing again. She normally goes to bed very well, but for a few nights she wouldn't lay down and screamed when I left the room. The first night, I tried staying in her room, just sitting near her crib, and she stopped the crying and laid down, falling asleep eventually. I never did figure out a specific reason for it. Last night she went to bed fine, like normal. It's probably just a phase, or maybe even teething.

Answer 3

Separation anxiety. Normal. If you have him in a bed, lay with him for a little bit then tell him he needs to be a big boy and go to sleep. It'll take a few nights of that for it to catch on.

If he's still in a crib, honey, to save your sanity, your going to have to let him cry it out 20 minutes at a time. After 20 minutes, check on him, hug him for a minute, then set the timer again. This method also takes a few nights, but you will survive.

Answer 4

when my 4 year old was that age, he was still in a crib, so i sat beside him, stuck my arm through the bars, and held his little hand until he went to sleep. I'm still doing that, he's now in a big bed, but it's not for as long, and not until he falls asleep. For us, bedtime has always been a big deal. We made a routine of it: dinner, playtime, story, bath and then bed. I am so thankful I did, cause now he goes to bed easily for me. You have to stop picking him up, he's manipulating you (not being mean), he knows if he cries, you'll come rescue him, and what better place to be than in Momma's arms? Be strong, be soothing, make bedtime as pleasant and comfortable as possible, and you'll reap the rewards as he grows...even if it is excruciating to hear him cry right now (and I know it is). Good Luck!

Answer 5

This just started in the last couple of days? Go get his ears checked. Some kids WAIL when they lay down if they have an ear infection because laying down puts pressure on them. Or, check if he's getting more teeth - that can make the ears hurt too.

Answer 6

It's habit at this point. What you need to do is, just lay your hand on his chest. Wait until he calms down and walk away. He will get used to you NOT picking him up.