Remember all kids are different there is no set time line for them to sleep thru. Mackenzie was a great sleeper until she hit 13 months and she is now 3 and still dosn't sleep thru the night. I hear you re the exhaustion thing. We took the dummy off Mackenzie too but ended up giving it back as we couldn't get her back to sleep when she woke up. Some nights she wakes only once others 3 times and maybe 1 in 10 she will sleep thru. I've tried to explain if she wakes to roll over and go back to sleep but she has a huge imagination and tells me that Buzz (as in lightyear) and Woody are shining the sun in her eyes or all the farm animals are waking her up (she lives in the persona of Milly from New MacDonalds farm). My neice was 3 before she slept thru and my DH's sister was 10! Some nights Mackenzie will sit up and talk for 1.5 hours. She has stopped screaming out to us at night but now walks into our room so I just take her hand and lead her back to bed. We need to jump in her bed with her and 99% of the time this way she goes straight back to sleep and we all get some rest. I usually wake up an hour later with pins and needles in my arm and then walk blurry eyed back to our bed. I know this isn't the best way but it works for us and we all get our sleep. We too are having another bub (only 9 more sleeps!) and I'm wondering what we are going to do - I guess we will just take one each and hope for the best! No answers for you - maybe you can get his carer to cut out his sleep and see how that goes. He may still need it every few days to catch up or it may make him overtied and worse - just a thought.