Hi again,
Good to hear you want to put her down early - just remember that it may take a few days for her to get used to the idea, so keep at it until it works
Just to let you know that, as a site, we try to steer people away from the cry-it-out method, mainly because it can be very counter-productive in many ways, not to mention it goes completely against Mummy-instinct, which I thing is the most important thing (and Daddy instinct of course
). I think you were right to leave it at that.
If you want to learn more about our methods (well, not ours, they're the methods of Tracy Hogg, the Babywhisperer), you'll find lots of info on our boards. Have a look at our FAQs section (at the top of the Naps forum). There's lots of great info there, incl Teaching sleep - broken down into ages, and sleep interviews with Tracy, which I strongly urge you to read. There's also answers to frequently asked Nap/Sleep questions. With regards to pu/pd (pick up/put down), there's a whole board dedicated to it - just go back to the main board page, and look under the 'Sleep' section.
I certainly don't think you've left it too late at 1 yr old to teach her to sleep. One thing you have done by treating her the way you have is taught her security, and that there will always be someone there for her when she needs them. This means your sleep training should be easier than, for example, someone who has come here and previously only used cry-it-out. They would also have abandonment and separation anxiety issues to deal with, so take heart that you shouldn't have to deal with that
.
Be aware that Tracy's methods of sleep training are not 'quick fixes' and will not work overnight. Your poor hubby may spend a lot more nights in a darkened nursery (I have spent many hours like that myself), but just keep telling yourselves that you have started down a path now, and, although it's possible it won't be a short one, it is a direct route to where you want to be. Just to inspire you, I spent a few gruelling weeks sleep training my son using Tracy's methods and, despite a few hiccups along the way, I can now do our usual wind-down, kiss him night-night, tell him I love him, pop him in his cot and walk away. He then falls asleep in his own time. This is perfectly possible for you too, you just need to be consistent.
HTH, and keep coming back here and also having a look at the other boards - we're here to help
