I'm afraid I was another who just rode it out.
DC1 would fall asleep in the buggy or the car, but if either stopped for too long, then she'd wake up and raise holy hell about the fact she'd been asleep... Napping was on me or not at all. Respite eventually came once she transitioned down to one nap (9-10 months old). I still cuddled to sleep, but I was able to put her down into her cot and she'd then stay asleep for the entire nap. I guess she was sleeping a bit deeper at that point. She went to nursery at 13 months, where her key workers worked their magic and got her to nap there. Sadly the same could not be said about at home.
Night time sleeps she almost had a switch that if you tried to put her down (after cuddling/feeding to sleep) before 11pm she would wake up near instantly. After 11pm was fine, but if she woke in the night she'd need cuddling back to sleep before putting back down. This did change eventually, I just can't remember when. I think it might be when she started crawling or walking (6 and 16 months respectively. Probably the latter come to think about it.). She started sleeping through the night at 16 months.
She dropped her naps altogether just after she turned two (started dropping ~22 months). No amount of nursery cajoling could convince her to nap there she was done. Once I stopped breastfeeding (23 months) I could put her to bed still awake, and she'd go to sleep by herself. She's been an amazing sleeper ever since. It was hard at the time, but I don't regret it.
Her younger brother looked to be going the same way, but once he got past his "sleep is for the weak" phase (~6months) I could put him down. Once he hit 10 months (and dropped to one nap) I could put him down awake. He also started sleeping through the night at the same age.
ETA: Both of them were born at 37 weeks.