With getting back to sleep at night I used to stand next to the cot and sing quietly and pat/rub until they went to sleep. The first time it would take an hour to get them to sleep, they weren't crying in that time just not sleeping LOL! Next night it was generally be 15 minutes, then 5. It gets to be more about the sleep cues of singing and patting than anything else. Obviously different kids respond to things differently....DD1 was much more about singing and it worked really well, but when she got a tooth or was sick she'd get out of whack (sleeping in our bed for the worst nights) and once she was recovered she would 'forget' the cues and we'd start from scratch all over again every.single.time! DD2, on the other hand got over stimulated with too much singing and patting and hates rubbing so the cues had to be more subtle but as soon as the pain/sickness was gone she would be back to sleeping through without me having to do anything.

I'd say try a few different things on for size and don't necessarily disreguard something if it takes s long time the first night, it might just be a stepping stone to forming a quicker easier habit.