Need sleep advice for 22 month old

DD has always been an amazing sleeper at night and napper during the day until this week.

Nap Problem:
She goes in at normal time 1-1:30 and will immediately turn the light on and talk in her crib or stand in the crib. I will wait a while, go back in and lay her down again and turn the light off. She then turns it back on and will talk herself to sleep. But this can take an hour.

*She never had a problem with the dark at all, so this turn on the light thing is new.

At bedtime (which is usually 8:30) we follow our routine. Bath, stories, light off, music on then in the crib....
Well now she cries when I put her in, turns the light on and starts the whole talking bit again. She has not been falling asleep until 10-10:30 the past few nights.

When she does go to sleep, I turn her light off. Only to find that at 3:30 in the morning she is wide awake in her crib again, talking with her light on. It took until 5 for her to go back to sleep. She is still in there sleeping with the light on as I type this.

She did cut a tooth this week, and her 3 other eye teeth are about to cut. She isn't crying in pain, I had her ears checked too.

HELP a momma out. I am pregnant and SO tired at night. I can't deal with the delay in bedtime and the middle of the night waking. I don't know how to get her to go back to her normal routine.

Re: Need sleep advice for 22 month old

I feel like the light thing might be a game to her. Is there away you can move the crib away from it so you ca't reach it anymore?

Other than that, I think it's normal around this age for sleep patterns to change...I remember Lily had a rough patch around that time....waking up super early.
Luckily, it passed!

Re: Need sleep advice for 22 month old

I can try that Lori. I am losing my mind today, so tired!

Re: Need sleep advice for 22 month old

I'm not sure what else you can do other than move the crib. Have you tried a night light? That might give her enough light to feel comforted and able to go to sleep. I think they do develop new fears around this age and start to have nightmares, etc. That could even be why the light is on when you go in at night. Can she communicate anything to you? I know DS woke up screaming a few times recently, but he can't really tell me much yet.

I hope it passes soon so you can get sleep!

Re: Need sleep advice for 22 month old

She talks a lot and just says "no crib" if she doesn't want to be in there. She will say "light" and turn it back on. Then she ends of singing the ABC's or other songs and talks like it is party time instead of nap time. She doesn't seem scared. I will get a night light this evening before bedtime. I will try anything.