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Please make sure that there are no underlying medical conditions that may be causing your child to wake up frequently before letting him cry it out.  My son had infant acid reflux due to a milk protein intollerance and would not sleep for long stretches because of the discomfort it caused him.  After that passed with time and help of certain meds at the aprox. age of 9 months, he began to sleep better.  Now when he is suffering from a cold, has an ear infection, or is teething, he tends to wake often once again.  I find myself questioning my parenting skills when this occurs...but I just have to accept that my baby is a light sleeper and discomforts wake him easily.  Right now his molars are poking through his sore little gums and his naps have shortened to 50 minutes.  He used to sleep all night, wake in the morning around 7am, and nap for 1 1/2-2 hours in the afternoon.  Now, he falls asleep earlier in the evening, only to wake at 4:30- 5am, and then take two 50 minute naps during the day.  I just have to be flexible. The fact that your child sometimes wakes every hour or so at night is alarming, especially since he is in the room with you.  I can't believe it is separation anxiety because he is near you.  Please go to the doctor and try to rule out other medical conditions before transferring him to another room, letting him cry it out, and expecting him to sleep all night.  When my son had a bad cold which caused a double ear infection last month, he would wake often in the night. He was uncomfortable.  After he finished taking antibiotics, he was still waking often.  I brought him back to the doctor to make sure his ear infections were gone.  The doctor reassured me that his ears looked great and that he had no other symptoms of illness.   I decided to let him cry that night for 5 minutes each time he woke up before going in to resettle him.  Then I would leave. This went on for 20 minutes until he fell asleep.  It was hard but the next night, when he awoke, he would cry for 1 minute at a time and then go to sleep on his own.  I am not sure if this will work for you since he sleeps in your room.  After you go to the doctor to make sure everything is allright, then you can decide if you are ready to transfer him to his own room.  Take small steps and don't expect miracles.  You will need to comfort him often when he first moves to his own room and gradually make him feel safe there.  Best of luck to you!