Thats what we did too fiona. We did a combination of both, I would see if we could settle in the cot first by shhhing and gentle stroking of the face. If not then we'd pick him up till he calmed down and try again. Its such an awesome feeling watching it work and seeing him get better at sleep each day. And it was a lot less stressful than trying to put up with screaming of overtiredness (in my arms) or in the cot (as we had tried with Paris).