What to do with a difficult toddler at night?

i had the same problem with my son, and probably around the same sort of age i think? He only seemed to wake and cry when he realised his dummy was missing. What i did was get a little tub (i think i used an old xmas pudding round tub?) and cut two holes in it - threaded some cord/rope through it and attached it to the corner of his cot with the cord (very short so it couldn't unravel and choke him!) and i placed about half a dozen dummies in the pot. I showed him every night where his dummies were and in time when he spat out a dummy at night, he would reach for another. Its easier for them to reach for another than 2 hunt around in bedsheets for a lost one!