How to get 8mo to sleep through

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Ds is an average sleeper - not brilliant but it's ok. Over the last few weeks he's settled into a routine of going to bed at 7 (he'll often fall asleep having his bottle, but otherwise is able to go to sleep alone when we put him down and leave him), occasionally waking around 10ish (which is usually because he can't find his dummy or has wedged himself in an awkward position but will go straight back to sleep when we sort these out), but then waking around 2ish. He's wide awake then and either grizzly or wanting to play. We usually change him then (otherwise he's soaking wet in the morning) and he then has about 100-150mls. However it often takes ages (over an hour last night) for him to get back to sleep, and it's definitely not helped by the fact he can recently crawl and stand so just won't lie down. Sometimes he can be left on his own to sleep, but that usually results in him dozing off then waking up 10 minutes later. When he's really unsettled I usually end up holding him until he's fully comatosed. Once he does go back to sleep he'll then sleep to about 7am.

I really want him to drop the feed at night and also get to the point where we're not woken up in the night (either by him sleeping through or him self settling). I'm prepared to do a bit of controlled crying in theory, but at 3am I have to say my willpower goes and I take the path of least resistance.

As an aside, I desperately want to sort this as I'm finding that this routine is actually causing me to only get 3-4 hours sleep a night as I'm struggling to get to sleep, and then being woken up just after I finally drop off which results in me struggling again after ds goes to sleep. I can't sort my own sleep issues until I know ds won't be waking me up. I'm therefore chronically sleep-deprived even though ds's sleep isn't that bad in the grand scheme of things.

Any ideas very gratefully received!

Its entirely reasonable that you could drop night feeds at 8 months old.

The first things to consider before attempting this is the volume of milk drank in the daytime, the amount of calories from food eaten and the volume of fluids (ie water, squash, fruit juice) drank in the daytime.

People often say "food for fun until 1". The basic meaning is that it might take until 12 months old for baby to be getting a diet varied enough, with portion sizes big enough, with all food groups covered. Until then baby will need milk to give easy calories.

Also bear in mind that it is recommended that a child has 1 pint (21oz) of milk a day until 2 years old.

Finally, bear in mind the amount of fluids baby was getting before weaning n compare to the amount of water he is drinking now. A child well hydrated through the daytime shouldn't need a drink in the night. But a child having only just enough water to not feel extreme thirst through the daytime might be thirsty at night.

So, my waffling aside - if your baby getting enough (a) solids (b) milk and (c) water through the daytime for you to be confident that he does not need a milk feed at night?