Tips on how to get toddler to settle in own bed on her own.

[Cm17]

Hi,
Lo is nearly 3 and at bed time won't settle to sleep unless I'm there with her until she goes to sleep.
Although I don't mind sitting with her some nights it can take ages for her to go to sleep, i am considering pushing her bedtime back slightly as I just don't think she is that tired when I've been bringing her up but ideally I'd like to be able to bring her up, read her a story give her a kiss goodnight and go out the room for her to go to sleep by herself.
I know if i start to do this she will most likely kick off and get out of bed.
When she was smaller I used to bring her up to bed (when she was in a cot) lay her down and walk out and she would just go off to sleep.
I feel selfish but at the same time I'd like a couple of hours for me to get bits done and have a sit down for an hour before I go bed (I work full time and we have early start)

Any tips on how you best got round this, I want to make it as less upsetting for her as possible as i don't like the idea of bedtime being a battle or upsetting for her.

Is the problem that she in a bed (not cot) and she gets down? Or that she gets too distressed if you leave the room?

Could you try letting her listen to stories when you leave? My DD would happily let me leave her but I often watched on the monitor and could see she was still awake 30 mins later. So I started putting on bedtime stories on the iPad which she loved and I found settled her to sleep quicker. Upgraded to a Tonie box so she could control herself and she was happy. Even now, if she isn't tired, she will happily lay in bed and listen to them without us.

@reabies it's if I leave, she will happily be in her bed if im there with her.
I tried once to go out and she just got upset and got out of bed. She's too big for a cot now.

@SpicyNoodleSoup that sounds a good idea, I have seen those tonies boxes I might invest in one!

Ahh ok, I was thinking how I did it with my DS, but he's still very much in a cot and I've not had to deal with a kid who can get out of bed! Best of luck, hope someone is able to help!

I got a Yoto for my DD and it changed bedtime for us! Befroe it we had to sit in her room until she went to sleep which some nights took hours!
I got it just after she turned 2 and bedtime became reading stories, a cuddle and kiss and then story on and we left the room. We had to stay upstairs at first and leave her door open but now she's happy for us to put the yoto on, close the door and go downstairs.
Its lovely to have your evenings back.

I've read before trying to go out of the room for increasing lengths of time but always go back. So for example say I'm just going to the toilet or getting a drink then will be back, and always go back and continue sitting with her as normal. Next night go for just slightly longer and so on until you're building up her tolerance of you being out of the room