Hate night times

[Bosstherm]

I’ve gotten into the happen with my 3.5 year old that at bedtime I stay in his room, sat on the floor next to his bed, stroking his leg/arm etc till he falls asleep (30-60 mins per night). He then wakes up Atleast twice, where I have to repeat the above but it’s usually less time. He wakes for the day around 6am.
When he is with his dad he goes to sleep alone and sleeps all night u too Atleast 7am. So he isn’t scared or anything, he clearly just knows that I will sit with him like an idiot !
How do I stop this? I am absolutely shattered. Do I just cold Turkey it? Refuse to stay with him, and have to keep putting him back to bed as he will
No doubt get out of bed and start kicking his door etc when I say I’m not staying with him?
Help
Wise mumsnetters

Have you tried a variation on pick up/put down? Where every time he cries for you, you go in and reassure him that you’re there but ultimately you just lie him back down and tell him it’s sleep time and then leave again. You may initially go in lots of times

We had success with this, albeit my daughter is more like 18 months. It took an hour or so the first night then decreased and after a week she was great

Cold turkey it. Honestly. Put him down, tell him it's bedtime, maybe go on once if he screams the house down to reassure you aren't going anywhere then be persistent. If he's doing it with his dad it sounds like he's only doing that with you because you are allowing it.

My DD never slept and it took a long hard week of me putting her down for a nap and her screaming blue murder until she slept. A week. She's slept in her bed when she's been told it's bedtime absolutely brilliantly since and she's now 10, was a small but cruel sacrifice to make!

He’s definitely doing it because I let him. I felt guilty but he’s coming up to 4 soon and I need my sleep. I’m getting 4-5 hours 70% of the week
My only worry is he will kick his door loudly over and over again