DS is BFed to sleep, I don't go out much but on the rare occasion I have DH is pretty good at winding him down (bottle of EBM in dimly lit room and rocked to sleep) he just tries to recreate what I do as much as possible minus the boobs of course

He's never really been put to bed by anyone except us though so we do find ourselves arranging our modest social life around DS's bedtime although he can stay up til midnight without too much fuss so that's handy!

I know what you mean about when people come over and you have to disappear constantly. A few of our friends asked us why we don't just leave him to settle himself or leave him to cry but I just have to take a deep breath (really I just want to yell, 'you don't have any kids so shut up!') and explain that's not how I do things.

I figure the more time I spend with him now feeding, cuddling, rocking etc will pay off and and I'll have a happier, more relaxed child in the long run. It sucks that I miss out on going out and what not, but it's only for a few years. I have 50 more years to go out and have fun, DS will only be a cuddly baby for a few years!