Help me get my evenings back- toddler won’t go to sleep

[Anewmum2018]

Background- when we stopped giving my (now) 24 month old a bottle before bed (about 9 months ago) me or my husband started lying down next to him to get him to sleep. Before that he was going to sleep fine by himself.
Obvs we’ve made a massive rod for our own back, and now it takes him about an hour to go to sleep at night. I know it’s our own fault, but how can I make it better at the age his is now? He moved to a single mattress on the floor recently because he kept climbing out of the cot, so it’s even harder to get him to stay in bed to sleep!
Would you just go cold turkey and leave him to it, or are there more gentle ways to encourage him to fall asleep by himself?
Advice MUCH appreciated!

We’ve had success with the Sleep Tight All Night Teddy

What happens if you just leave? Mine is the same age and will piss about for an hour if you stay with him. I usually cuddle him for 20 minutes or so, tell him I need a wee and don’t go back. He shouts for about two minutes and then falls asleep.

How much sleep does he get in a day? Perhaps now that he is older, he is not as tired at bed time. For example when my daughter was 2 if she had a nap, she would then not sleep until 10pm!! We had to drop her nap so she would then sleep 6:30pm. If your dc still needs a nap, you might need to push bedtime back an hour.

Or it could just be your presence makes him stay awake longer. That is definitely the case for my kids.

Ha I like the wee thing. I’ve tried leaving before but he cries and whinges. I think I’m a little coloured by my PND experiences- don’t want to feel like I’m doing wrong by him etc.

What time does he get up? What time are you putting him to bed? Does he still nap? How long for?

Does he nap and is he going to bed too early? Usually they drop their nap around this age, but it comes with several months of not going to bed first. Once they drop the nap, it usually gets easier.

Yes still has a nap- around 12 for an hour. He’s usually in bed for about 7 and up before 6am. I thought maybe he was trying to drop the nap but he still gets so tired in the day time

Doesn’t sound like the nap is the problem, about normal. I’m sorry but it’s cold turkey and few crap nights imo

Leave him to it.

My dd is same age and can play in her room after we have tucked her in, she has books etc.
We get called maybe twice to tuck her back in but thats it.

She also has music playing.

You have to be willing to accept a bit of crying, just tuckl them back in and leave.

My dd did better once i said she could play a bit.

We also use a gro clock so she has to stay in her room until sun comes out

Oh and my daughter still has 1 nap a day!

Leave him to it.
Perhaps get him a toddler bed.
We switched about 4 months ago and he loves his bed.

We had the same trouble with DS, he just turned 2. He hated his bedroom was always BF to sleep then when that stopped we cuddled him in alit bed to sleep then move him.
Felt the same as you, bedtime was taking forever we had no evening bevsuse we would be up there til 9pm.
One night he was messing around, so thought I would just out him in the cot, he went to sleep no problem.
Now he runs up stairs and climbs in his toddler bed when we say bedtime.
Some nights he doesn't settle straight away. He's up there talking to himself for 45 mins to an hour.
But I leave him to it. The most we do is shout up, it's bedtime now.