7 month old sleep - all my own fault?

[nearlyreadytopop]

I would just like some advice please.
DS is 7 months old and bf. He slept in his own cot until 4 months when there was a growth spurt that seemed to go on forever. To try to make it easier for myself, I took the side of his cot and attached it to my side of the bed. This worked really well, and we all got a lot more sleep. I feed him and then snuggle him to sleep with his head on my arm. Over the past month its stopped working for us as well as it did. Every small rustle of the duvet, my husband snoring etc seemed to waken DS up. And now he will only sleep with his head on my arm.

We tried to move him into his own room at the weekend, against my better judgement we put the side back on the cot and tried to get him to sleep in it without me beside him. He would fall asleep in my arms but as soon as his head hits the cot hes wide awake and crying.
I have now moved a single bed beside the cot in DS room with the aim of getting him used to the new room before we try to get him to sleep on his own.
So I wonder what the easiest way to change a sleep association? I cant let him cry but Im coming under pressure from family (hence the 'all my own fault'.
Ideally I could feed him, and when hes sleepy put him down and let him fall asleep on his own. Then I could go into my own room.
Sorry this is so long but I just dont know what to do next

That's not very helpful telling you it's all your fault - gotta love family sometimes...
From what I can gather if the baby falls asleep with you there and then you disappear it can freak them out when they wake up alone, so good idea putting him down when he's sleepy and letting him fall asleep on his own. My DD is just coming up to 7 months, she was sleeping through but has started waking up and crying for me. I did 2 nights of sleeping with her in the double bed in the spare room (and even then she was still waking up and crying for me every few hours!). Tonight I decided to not let it become a habit so I've been letting her cry a bit and she is now asleep in her cot. Every time I've let her cry it seems really long, but if you time it it's actually 10-15minutes, which is a lot less time than when I faff around trying to settle her with cuddles.
All I can say is decide for yourself how you would like the sleeping arrangement to be, then try to get your DS to learn to settle himself in that environment. I doubt it's the room he needs to get used to, rather it's not having your arm there where he wants it :)
Anyway good luck!