Anna one things about babies is they're very adaptable and let you make mistakes, change your mind and negotiate. My little man was a great sleeper who would self settle, blah, blah, blah and then he changed his mind and we would cuddle to sleep and then he changed it back again.

I spose I'm just reinforcing what the others are saying, go with what works for you. You're the one who has to manage it. No matter how tired I am there is nothing more special than cuddling a sleepy baby.

As for sleep associations, my daughter is 16 and still has her 'doggy' that she cuddles when tired or feeling a bit down. Nothing better than having something to comfort you, shame food does it for me