Does this count as self-settling or is it another prop?

[evelynevening]

Put DS (13months) in cot tired but awake, with CD of children's songs playing and leave the room completely (if I go in at all he starts to cry) He sits in bed listening to it in silence for up to 30 minutes and then lies down and goes to sleep.
Has been doing this regularly for naps, bedtime and night waking for the last week or so.

Please say it is and Ive not introduced another prop!

Try saying the batteries have run out and trying to go without the sings one day. You'll soon find out if it's a prop or not.

I think your ds is going to sleep by himself and that's great but beware You will need to take it if you are ever away for the night and god forbid if you don't take the "music machine" on holiday! bitter experience

As Raspberry says everyone has props to help them get to sleep. I have to have a certain pillow arrangement and ideally a cuddle from dp. A prop to help your ds sleep is only a problem if you think it's a problem. The reason why people put so much effort into trying to get their dc to sleep without rocking or nursing is because it's a pita to do every night (multiple times in dd's case) so many people would rather not have to. If you don't have a problem with popping on a cd for your ds then that's fine, pat yourselfd on the back and continue.

If you do think it's a problem for you then you could try slowly reducing the volume over a number of nights to wean him off it.

No I don't mind doing it at all, no time taken and I get loads done while he is listening as well as when he's sleeping (so it is a bit like a double nap in regards to my free time).

I was just worried as you hear so much about props and how babies need to learn to self settle and that when they have another bad phase with sleep, the fact they have never been able to self settle makes it harder to help them learn to sleep again.

I just thought that babies need to be able to go into a cot wide awake and just lay down and go to sleep, but I guess it is not that clear cut.

It's probably a bit like white noise...some people can't go to sleep in absolute silence. I'd probably try reducing the volume gradually so that in the end it's not much more than a background 'tinkle' - that way if you ever go away you can just put a radio on with much the same effect.