Kisses at bedtime, can't leave the room, help !

[Twosugarsplease]

Ok, my ds is 2 yrs 2 months. We have finally cracked sleeping through the night, he has only just stopped waking for the day at 4.50 on the dot every morning, to around 7 now, brilliant !
Bedtime routine same every night, bath or wash, stories, and cuddle up time while drinking his milk ( from his cup).
I lay him down with favourite teddies, blankie, then kiss goodnight, all done, and that was always how it was...now though he says 'kiss, kiss' so I will go back give him another, then he asks for another and another and so on......
I first thought bless him he wants kisses SO WHAT !! And so I would and do give as many as it takes, but when I leave the room if I get out he cries and I just get that gut feeling he won't settle without another kiss, until I have no choice but to be quite firm and that it time to go to sleep, and I feel guilty because he only wants a kiss, but believe me I would be in and out all night !!! He has now started waking around 5 am my dp can't settle him anymore because he wants meeeeee! He is in no way lacking love and affection, I know he is just being a monkey. He can go to sleep himself, it took us months to help him self soothe, it just Feels like he is playing for time with me and I can't win, unless I let him cry.

Our DD who is excatly the same age started exactly the same thing at the point we got her to kick the dummy. We started letting her dry for a few minutes then going in and explaining it was the last kiss. This seemed to help (as long as you stick to it being the last one) and now, a few weeks since the dummys went in the bin, she doesn't ask for one more kiss anymore and just settles straight down. Good look and well done on getting the night sleep cracked!

that was supposed to say "letting her cry" not dry!

Thanks pippy, unfortunately I think I just have to let him cry don't I ? and go in at intervals, I have been doing that, but felt so guilty that he just wants a kiss, but I am being led by him, and it's time to take control again.
Thanks for your reassurance.
Beertricks, thanks for that it is a good idea.

My LO used to get quite distraught on me leaving the room at bedtime, but I now distract her by getting her to blow kisses at me that I pretend make me jump and 'push' me out the room. Sounds mental I know, but it makes her laugh distracts her from being annoyed at me for leaving.

Blowing kisses works here, too. Also, kissing on the palm of the hand and then closing his little fingers around it - a kiss to hold, for if/when he needs one later on when mummy has gone.

Egon, that's great : I will put that into practice. Thankyou x
Mog that's a sweet idea, I really will try what you have all advised....it's so tough though when he wakes at daft o'clock and the ritual begins, especially when only all last week he slept til 8.45 am on the dot. So got away the early hours mayhem for a week, I thought we had turned a corner, especially as it was half term too ! Fingers, knees and toes crossed for tonight xx

(DS is 3yo) We have a little routine where i kiss his ears first, then his knees, his feet, his belly, his nose and then whatever else he wants me to kiss and after that im done. he can cry if he wants to but he cannot get out of bed.
it usually takes 3 days of cries/moans before being easy (ie a 5 mins routine - no sweat)

Good luck!!

DS went through the "lots of kisses" stage. IIRC we got out of it by pre setting the number of kisses
starting out with preposterously high numbers like 100 or 88 and doing them VERY fast. gradually shifting to lower numbers and a more leisured approach. Now its about 3 each .