Awww Ben, I empathise with you! As I write DP is rocking our bub to sleep in the pram (but please, don't look at my ticker to check how old he is, you'll get seriously depressed. BTW - it only took 10 minutes).

Euan used to self-settle, but teething and other milestones can throw that out in a huge way. Now, with tooth number two coming through, he only settles in the pram (or car, or other motion device), on the boob, or in a carrier. On the one hand, it's not as easy as just popping him into his cot and leaving him to it, on the other, he will sleep anywhere as long as he has one of his tried and tested methods to get to sleep.

If controlled crying isn't your thing, but you want to encourage Isabell to self settle, there are ways to do it without CC. When E learnt to self settle, he was about 3 months old, and we were at the end of our tether. We would literally spend all day trying to get him to sleep - he was a newborn and he only got about 8-10 hours of sleep a day. He really cracked it when we tried to rock or carry him to sleep, which was all that worked previously, and it was almost like he needed something that was less stimulating. So when we put him to bed, we wrapped him, and lay next to him on our bed, stroking his head and whispering to him (or singing, or shh-ing) whatever works. We would sometimes have to gently hold his arms to start with so he wouldn't try to wriggle out of the wrap, but he would eventually and gently drift off to sleep. After some weeks, the amount of time we needed to spend with him decreased, and some days we could wrap him and just lie next to him without any contact and he would fall asleep within a few minutes.

If she does need some form of motion or cuddling to sleep, why not invest in a good carrier, if you haven't already? It makes carrying a babe to sleep so much easier for parents, and the snuggliness of a good wrap (for example) is very conducive to drifting off to sleep.

How old is Isabell now? Are there any other issues (like wind) that might be preventing her from getting to sleep? Have you considered sleep school? What about a swing style rocker - they are expensive but do the work for you! I wish we had bought one - I used a friend's and Euan was asleep in five minutes whilst I sat and had a cup of tea. Unfortunately he was nearly 5 months old and a boofer, so it wasn't worthwhile buying one at that point.

I hope you start getting some relief soon - and that the rocker doesn't end up over the fence. Good luck!