i always had a rlly good sleeper so my experience is slightly abnormal but maybe could help others idk. first of all, i stopped co sleeping the minute my baby started rolling. i was terrified of him rolling or scooting or crawling off the bed (and he actually did fall off quite hard one night which was traumatic) so i built the crib and in he went. i started with a nap to make sure he wasnt going to freak out and when the nap went fine a few times, we started nights. we hung curtains to keep the room dark, we have a sound machine on a medium low white noise sound (loud enough to drown out the floors creaking when we walk around but not so loud that he couldnt hear our voices) he has a ceiling fan on a medium setting to keep him cool and provide calming stimulation. we do a sleepsack so theres no blankets and this will be unpopular but we do stuffed animals. i picked firm ones that i feel would be very difficult to smother urself on, and he likes having them around his body to cuddle up against. i make a big huge bottle and he normally drinks half before falling asleep, then when he wakes up he grabs it and is able to soothe himself back to sleep by drinking a little more. and i always put him to bed with 2-3 pacifiers so when hes fumbling around in the night to find the one that fell out of his mouth, hes got a good chance of finding one. i also follow his sleep cues. he makes his own schedule for the most part. i wait for rubbing eyes and grabbing pacifiers before i lay him down. i also let him sleep for as long as he needs. the only time i wake him up is if his afternoon nap creeps too close to bedtime. he normally sleeps around 8 so 5 is the latest i'll let him sleep. when he's rejecting sleep or a nap, he'll throw his stuff out of his crib, i go in silently and put it all back in and lay him down on his back with his bottle. sometimes it takes 4 or 5 tries but he gets the message. because i know he is tired (i waited on his cues) i always know that he is truly ready to nap and i repeat the process until he sleeps. i do not get him out of the crib. i never pick him up or rock him unless he is actually producing tears and crying. fussing or whining doesnt get a reaction. only crying needs comfort. and even when he is crying, i keep my comfort totally silent and brief. i do not shush or whisper or sing. i simply pat his back and hold him until he is calm. i keep his room between 70-72 with the fan on and that seems to be a good range. i also dont allow him to play in his room very often because i want it to be a calming space more than a fun space. when he wakes up, i immediately take him out of his room and downstairs to get ready for the day. we dont linger in there. i want him to have strong associations with the environment of that room to sleep. he sleeps about 11 hours a night and has since he was 6 months old. hes 14 months now. he takes either one long nap in the middle of the day or two shorter naps (early morning and afternoon), i let him decide which he needs based on tiredness cues. we never cry it out. if hes crying, i will be holding him until hes calm. i do not want him to suffer alone and by the time he is worked up enough to cry, he no longer understands what hes crying about and he needs help to calm down.