Gradual withdrawal and illness

[Laurakat76]

Hi all,
Our 23 month old little boy's sleep has regressed dramatically since about 18 months, separation anxiety I think. He takes ages to settle and we have to stay with him and cuddle him. Sometimes he asks to be put in his cot when he is almost asleep, other times we transfer him. When he wakes in the night one of us takes him to
our spare bed and he sleeps well. We have considered gradual retreat as although we are getting by and getting sleep, the bedtimes are really stressful. However, he seems to have a constant cold and cough which puts a stop to the gradual retreat every time we try to start it! It also puts me off as Im not sure if we would have to repeat the process in full after any bouts of teething or illness? By the accoubts Ive read it seems to take several weeks to work? I guess Im trying to weigh up whether to do the sleep training, or ride it out in the hope that he will grow out of it or at least be in a better place developmentally to respond to strategies. We are also wondering whether to move him to a bed? Any advice would be most welcome. Thanks in advance!

Laura