mummynana, jen...
it's impt to hv a bedtime routine, so they know it's bedtime. it can be anything. for E, he has a bath, drinks his milk and he knows it's bedtime. do the same bedtime routine every night, in a few days, they'll get the idea.
once i finish the bedtime routine, i put him into cot, turn off lights and walk out. 1st day, he cried for 1hr. 2nd day he cried 20min and 3rd day, 0min. how long they cry really depends on the individual babies. 1 baby i know only cried 20min the 1st day. 1 baby i know cried 3hrs. but in e end, both are trained.
my friend who sleep trained her baby @ 21mths told me that once she got him to sleep on his own for bedtime, he stopped all night wakings. once she trained for bedtime, she managed to train naps too. she used to have problems getting him to bed. can spend 3hrs lying on e bed with him. but now, he sleeps on his own @ 8pm to 8am.