RE: Did an earlier bedtime make a difference for you?
In general, I have found that when my DD wakes up in the morning is completely independent of when she goes to sleep at night. So if she goes to bed at 7 (her usual bedtime), she sleeps until 7 am. If she goes to bed at 9, she still only sleeps until 7. This isn't always true, but I have found it to be usually true. And getting those extra few hours sleep at night could be very helpful for both of you and might keep your DS from getting ovetired, which can be a cause of nightwaking.
But I'll be honest, that 6/6:30 bedtime recommended by Weissbluth, et al., is just not practical for a lot of people. If I did that my DH would NEVER see DD. So experiment with what works for you, but an earlier bedtime does work for a lot of people.
HTH,
Beth, mom to older DD (8/01) and younger DD (10/06) and always missing Leah (4/22 - 5/1/05)