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Yep. We used a sleep consultant at 18 months and again at 26 months after we ruined his sleeping once baby #2 was born. At 18 months it was basically CIO which I wasn't opposed to because we had done it before (yeah, we've sleep trained our son THREE TIMES) and I knew it would work relatively quickly and easily. I wouldn't recommend the woman we worked with that time. At 26 months we used Eva Klein (mysleepingbaby.com) and she was very good. She does a free 15 minute consultation if you want to get a sense of what she would recommend. We basically did the shuffle - 3 nights sitting beside his bed, 3 nights sitting across the room, 3 nights just outside his door but visible, 3 nights outside his door but not visible, and then like two months sitting on the stairs (this part wasn't really sleep-consultant approved). Our situation was complicated by the fact that we also switched to a toddler bed. I liked Eva because she looked at the whole situation of the child - his room, his diet, his exercise, etc.

Not the age group you're asking about, but I had similar concerns. We used a sleep consultant at 6 months who was associated with Dana Obleman/Sleep Sense. She helped us figure out the ideal schedule, and then yes, it was CIO but with checks (which we abandoned because they made DD more upset). I sort of felt like I already knew everything she told me since I had read so many books and websites. At the same time, however, having paid her gave me motivation to stick with it because I didn't want to waste money.

Another thought - are you still nursing? Do you think weaning would encourage him to sleep more? Even after we sleep trained DD she still woke up once a night for a long time. We weaned at 16 months and she's slept 12 hours straight every night since then.

so sorry that you guys are struggling with sleep, I know how much it sucks! We did not do a sleep consultation with our toddler, but we did use one when she was around 6 months old and then again around 11 months old. And we used the baby sleep science people both times. I really liked them! They were really helpful, and offered solutions that involved both extinction CIO and a more gentle method. And they lined it out for you, which I liked. I also could email them with any questions I came up with during the process. Do you have Facebook? Another place I found helpful is the precious little sleep Facebook page. You can post a question and people can help troubleshoot. Good luck!