Oh, those sodding books! "Don't pick baby up" just leads to extra distress. I can put him down awake but tired and he'll play for a few minutes then start to fuss, then cry. So I go in, calm him down, leave. He starts to cry. So I go in, calm him, put him down and can't even get out the room.

As for the time I spend getting DS to sleep - he will fall asleep in my arms within 15 minutes. Just keeping him asleep once I put him down is the hard bit, be that in his cot or in my bed. I did manage to rock him to sleep a couple of times, but once I stopped "sssh"ing and rocking he would wake up again - grr! (BTW, I know he sleeps in his chair, but I really want him to sleep in a bed, hence no chair last night.) Dr Seuss isn't the success I thought it may be, so I will try soothing music tonight - which means I can go to sleep within an hour too!

Mayaness, is there any particular way I should be using the vetiver oil? Cos i may have used it wrong.

My health visitor suggested I let him cry a bit, which I aren't going to do. Even if DS has learnt his cries will bring Mama, surely that's better than learning his cries won't bring Mama? Yes, sometimes I look at him and he's making a cry noise with a big grin on his face, so I giggle at him and he laughs back, but it wouldn't be a game if I stopped attending to him. Anyway, that's just me!

(btw, I would let DS play in the small hours if he could amuse himself. He can't, and I'm not playing with him at that time!)