I guess we knew the day would arrive when our sweet little girl would start to throw tantrums in order to get her way. Emily has perfected the art of stomping her little feet, or lying flat on the floor and kicking when she doesn't get what she wants. The episodes are typically very short-lived, and she's pretty easily distracted. This week though, the tantrums have escalated to a new level, particularly when it comes to nap or bed time. Yesterday, she only took a 30 minute nap all day long!
Tonight, after a day with only a one-hour nap, she was so tired she could barely hold her eyes open, but she refused to go to bed. She wanted to play, sing and talk to us, and wouldn't settle down, even when we rocked her or read stories. I finally put her in the crib, kissed her goodnight, and left her with her lullaby music. She screamed (I use this word deliberately, because there weren't even tears when I went to check on her!) for almost 45 minutes on and off before finally giving up and collapsing with exhaustion.
We never completely used the "cry it out" method--not because we disagreed with it, but because we never really needed to, and Emily has almost always been ready for bed when we put her down. We aren't sure if this week was bad for sleep because she hasn't felt well, or because she's entering a new phase, but we're hoping it passes quickly.
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