Viv - you seriously crack me up! I have been chuckling at your antics since this thread started.

Hun, I dunno! I have STRUGGLED with this sleeping crap since DS was born to the point I had a freaking panic attack over it!! You DON'T wanna end up where I was. I understand the pressure to get them to self settle, but at the end of the day, you need to do what's right for you (man i wish i could listen to my own advice!)

If you do want to start settling him in his cot, just understand that it will take a while before he gets it. If, like me, you aren't keen on listening to him cry, it will mean you hanging over his cot to settle him while he's learning to do it on his own. It can take ages and aint much fun really. I did it with my DD too and eventually she did get it and was a brilliant sleeper and we had hardly any sleeping issues ever again (until now when she chucks a tanty every night before she goes to bed and tonight, just for something new, snapped off a piece of the timber blinds on her bedroom window??!! I'm sure it wasn't intentional but still )

The other thing is that he may get to a point where rocking, patting, holding him to sleep doesn't work. Some older babies get jack of it and you end up rocking them for 2 hours and they're still awake! Happened to a friend of mine. She then had to do controlled crying before she lost her mind, and now they tell us that is the most evil crime a parent can commit! (this was 5 years ago and no one was told back then it would cause a baby massive psychological damage and would lead them to become an axe murderer in later life).