I cuddle my 13mo DS to sleep for naps and bedtime. From about 10-12 months this worked great - he'd have a story, cuddle in and be asleep in 10-15 mins and was even sleeping through from 7ish to 5ish most nights by 12 months. I was happy doing it, he was getting good sleep - result.
However. Teething has meant a nightmare fortnight of struggling to get him down - taking up to an hour, and him either taking short naps or waking up in the wee hours and coming into our bed. (His cot is still in our room, won't move till we move house in a couple of months.) Although the teeth are through now and don't seem to be bothering him, he still can't settle on my lap like he used to. He's also getting pretty big! He'll pull off me, stretch out on the bed but then start rolling, sitting up, waking himself up basically so I pull him back on my lap. Then he'll eventually settle but with lots of wriggling, trying to stretch his legs out etc. Once he's asleep I can put him in the cot no problem but if he's even a tiny bit awake he sits up immediately and won't lie down again. If I sit there he stands up and starts grinning at me. If I leave the room it's def con 3 crying within 30 seconds.
So any suggestions? I think he'll be more comfortable settling in the cot but he just won't cooperate. I am not up for any form of controlled crying that involves leaving him to cry for minutes at a time. Ideally it would be great to cuddle him for 5-10 mins (which I love) and put him down relaxed. He does like the pillows on our bed so maybe he's old enough to have one himself to help get cosy. I think his cot is not as comfy as our bed!