Time to make some changes or go with the flow?

[HeiressesGiltnor]

Ok my DS is 10.5 months and I would say he's a textbook sleeper in many respects.

He goes to bed at 7ish, he has a good routine and is pretty much always cuddled to sleep. He will occasionally go into his cot drowsy and get himself off to sleep, and occasionally if he's really wired we'll put him down wide awake to 'workout out'. Sometimes he crashes and sleeps, other times he cries and we go and get him and cuddle him to sleep.

For the past 3/4 months has slept until at least 3am. Whenever he has woken I've gone and got him from his cot, popped his dummy in and he comes in to sleep with us. He the doesn't generally wake again until 7am.

I am happy with this in many respects. I get plenty of sleep and cuddles and so does he.

However there are two issues.

The first is that he is increasingly large and mobile. He wriggles in bed a lot, kicking and poking and takes up a lot of room. Gone are the tiny baby cuddles!!

The second is that when I cuddle him to sleep he pokes and my face, pulls at my hair and my clothes. He basically uses me as a comforter. I have tried offering teddies etc but no, my hair is better. I try to discourage it but I think he's too young to understand. He just does it for comfort. But cuddling him to sleep is taking longer and longer and becoming less pleasant. He wriggles and kicks too, until he's calm.

I just can't decide if I should work on encouraging him to settle a bit better on his own, and if I should be trying to get him to stay in his cot all night. I have no idea if his waking is habitual. I've never even tried just getting him back to sleep and leaving him because I worry he'll wake and I'll have to get up again. I take the path of least resistance and most sleep.

I'm just wondering what other mums would be doing/have done? As a first time mum I look back at some of the things I 'battled' when he was smaller and wonder why I bothered. Hence why I'm interested to hear from those who've more experience than I!

I count myself lucky that he's pretty easy and that I get lots of sleep and it seems mad to change what works. But on the other hand I haven't even tried and I wonder if I should be helping him learn some better habits...

Sorry it's very rambly. I appreciate any input!

[Allthatnonsense]

I would always go for quickest and easiest. I have been known to sleep in a cot with little one, but would not recommend it.