I agree that it's the child, not the way you put them to sleep. I've always put DD to sleep the same way, but she's been all over the sleep spectrum! From sleeping through, to waking every half hour all night; from going to sleep in minutes, to struggling for hours.

She's now 21 months and wakes anywhere from 1-3 times each night, and on Friday night it took a long three hours to get her to sleep. I'll admit I didn't expect this. I thought after 6 months all babies slept through, and it didn't help that my Mum kept saying "don't worry, just wait til 6 weeks, that's when they sleep all night" (ha!!). The thing is though, even though she's older now, I still can't do any form of controlled crying. If I were to put her in bed and just leave she'd follow me. If I shut the door she'd cry - and not just a 'bugger, now I have to sleep' cry. She makes it very clear that she needs me to go to sleep, and even when she's struggling she's ten times worse if I leave.

I do leave and send DH in if I've had too much and need a break, but she just doesn't handle just being left. Overnight is different, not every noise or cry means she's awake - I only go in if she actually calls out Mum.

The thing that helps me is knowing that this is normal until around 4 years. I figure 4 years is a short time in the grand scheme of things, and I'd prefer to give her what she needs than listen to her crying while I do the dishes or something.