You know what, this has been really helpful! So thank you to everyone!
Before having Jasper my training and adviced I'd been given through work was telling me to let him cry it out, but my mummy instinct were saying that while its easier for me, its not better for him. Because I worked in a nursery, I can actually ignore a crying baby (bad side of this, I can also sleep through a crying baby!!!
) so I'm not I guess like a 'normal' emotional mum when I hear bub crying.
BUT, something was nagging at me saying that I'd made the wrong decision to let him CIO. Yesterday I tried it for a while and he just cried and cried and cried and he then had a miserable night and today he's been unhappy! I'm sure he'll forgive me, but it just made him overtired and emotional.
What I've been doing it cuddling him and rocking him until he'd nice and relaxed and then putting him to bed, still awake, and giving him 5-10 minutes to get himself to sleep. If he's still crying in 10 minutes at the most, I go in, pick him up and then I cuddle him completely to sleep... as if I was to go in and pat him, or go in, settle him and put him back down he'd get TOTALLY emotional, so once I've gone to him, I'm committed to putting him to sleep in my arms and then putting him back into his cot asleep.
I feel better now, because that kind of sounds like more or less what other mothers are doing.
I think even though it might mean more work in the end, I'll start letting him CIO when he's 6month+ when I'm confident I'm not going to damage his nervous system, overheat him (as when he's crying he does sweat profusely!!!) or mkehim an anxious child.
Thanks again!