Sleep lessons for baby

So, call me a wuss, but I have never been able to handle letting my little babies "cry it out". It just seems cruel to me. Because of this, I haven't been able to answer in the affirmative when asked "oh, is she sleeping through the night yet?" before any of my girls hit 18 months. I realize that some of you may be picking your jaw up from the floor at the thought of not getting a full night's sleep for at least 18 months and I honestly have to admit that it really can become a pain in the...well, you can insert any appropriate body part you want here. I can assure you that my older girls sleep peacefully through the night and have for quite a while, but Zion, she's another story. She's only 14 months old and theoretically I have another few months before the night wakings really start driving me nut, but I've decided to try something a little different. I am teaching her now to go to sleep on her own and in her own bed (keep in mind that we co-sleep, so her bed is attached to our bed). Today is day two and so far so good. Yesterday she'd get up, I'd lay her down, she'd get up, I'd lay her down, she'd cry, I'd shush, she'd get up, I'd lay her down and so on for about a half an hour (which isn't bad when it comes to my girls). Tonight, she only cried for a few minutes and then laid there until she fell asleep. Maybe she's a fast learner or maybe I'm more patient than I used to be or maybe she's just exhausted at the end of the day from battling the slings and arrows of being the youngest four. Whatever the case, I'll take what I can get. Keep your fingers crossed for continuous restful nights from now on!