DS is almost 18mo and generally sleeps through the night. Bedtimes however are often long drawn out affairs where either DP or I have to sit in the room with him while he fidgets and chats to himself and finally falls asleep. He stands up and cries if we leave the room.
We have over the weeks managed to get to a point where we sit in the doorway/just outside and if he gets upset, just do a quick "sshh bedtime" and he'll lie back down again and eventually fall asleep.
Would love to get to the point where we put him down awake and leave the room and he can drop off in his own time, alone. Each time we get close something happens - teething, poorly, weekend away - and we're back to sitting by his cot and have to start over.
If he wakes in the night he needs more help getting back to sleep and we often have to pat him/put a hand on him to get him back. Would love just just be able to put head into his door, or even just do a quick straighten duvet etc and leave again and let him go back to sleep on his own.
After a particularly obnoxious week where we were back to rocking/sshhing/patting to sleep bedtimes that lasted almost 2 hrs, we're really keen to crack it. He did get three molars in ten days but still....I was reduced to tears on more than one occasion.
I'm tempted to resort to some controlled crying in order to make the final step from sitting by the door and him not actually needing us there. I just think we're never going to get out of the room otherwise and will be sitting in his room while he falls asleep until he's a teenager!!!!????
Does anyone have any other suggestions or are a few tears the only way?