Right, so we all know about Little Angels. I was the worlds worst skeptic when Tanya Byron declared to be able to sort sleep issues out with this "rapid return" malarky but there it was, done in front of our eyes on TV... and it seemed to work.
But, was it just clever editing? NO! I tried it on my 3.5 yr old... it worked!
So, all you who have kids that refuse to stay in bed... here's what I did.
Put them to bed as per usual (after bath/story or whatever - keeping it calm).
Say goodnight, shut door (or not, if you don't normally) but don't bother going downstairs (tis WAY too tiresome going up and down so many times!)
Wait for rebel children to come to you; say "no, it's bedtime now" and return them to bed immediately.
Wait for them to kick off and come to find you again
This time, say "bedtime" and put them back to bed (carry them if needs be)
It will escalate - they will go absolutely bananas.... keep putting them back to bed without saying anything (hard!) until you win the fight.
Now, this isn't easy. It is time consuming - the first night with my DS saw me do at least 80 returns (yes, I kept count!)
But, it does work - within 4 nights he was down to a 10 minute, 2 return routine and after a whole week he went down first go.
Stick with it - it's easier if one of you sets aside time to do it each night (you can choose who's night it is!) if you're in a partnership to keep consistency but I was on my own...
Good luck!