Calming toddler for sleep

[OhWifey]

My 2.5 year old has always been either bounced / walked in the sling or fed to sleep. This has always worked well, stress free, nice cuddles etc etc. Happy with it taking its natural course. Now she's really keen to try to learn to go to sleep by herself. She will ask to get out of the sling and go and lie in her bed and try so hard to sleep! But then she can't and she gets up so I calmly ask her if she wants sling or bed and she always wants bed. In the day time too she feels tired and makes herself a little nest. But she never manages to fall asleep and gets more and more excitable until she's an overtired (albeit hilarious with it) ball of energy.
Any tips for gently helping her learn to stay calm and sleep? I know it'll work itself out in the end as these things always do, but I'd be interested to hear your stories if you have approached sleep in the same way.
I do have an older child who goes to sleep fine if she needs to but she has complex needs so was a different story entirely at this stage.
Thanks

Would she listen to an audiobook or some music. Or maybe one of those sleep/mindfulness apps? Maybe if you laid down and did it with her.

Does she have a routine outside of the sling e.g. bath/story/milk/teeth?

You could try putting calming music on at bedtime as a slight distraction.

The fact she wants to get to sleep by herself is half the battle so she's doing well but it must be hard learning to go to sleep without cuddles/warmth after always having that.

DD (just turned three) has her milk while I read to stories to her, then brushes teeth and then I leave her looking at a pile of books on her own. Sometimes she goes to sleep within ten minutes; sometimes it's nearly an hour.

Her wanting to do it is a good sign! I'd second audiobook or CBeebies radio. But are you staying with her? Maybe you need to go and leave her to it?

DD is just gone two, until recently we had to stay with her til she was asleep but now we just seem to get in her way and need to leave.

If you do still need to stay, you could try sitting in the dark with her while she's in her bed, talking through what happened that day in a low, soft voice, or reciting whichever of her books you know by heart.

What about having a nap together?

Thanks for the help all. It seems like audio books or music might be the way to go. Will have to be out of her reach or she'll go and play with it. So I could use an old phone. I'm a bit rubbish with new tech so can anyone recommend something. Should I use audible for example?

Yes we do have a routine but I do have to break it sometimes to deal with older sister, but she's used to that. And no she doesn't want me in the room. I'm absolutely delighted this has been her choice and we've done it the kind way but now she just needs to take the next step.

Following with interest! Would you keep us updated OP? We cuddle DD (2.3) to sleep but when she wakes she comes in to us. Interestingly when I was away for 2 months working (because of Covid and husband shielding) she slept through twice in her own bed for the first time in months and was sleeping longer periods on her own. She also got in to a really good routine of napping in her pram midday with no bother. Shes been very clingy to me since I got home at bedtime/in the night and is sprouting molars but when things settle down we might follow this route.

I'm not sure about iPhones but on iPads there's a feature called Guided Access (in Settings, under Accessibility) which means you can lock it to the Audiobook app and she can't do anything else with it.

Amazing. Didn't even know there was an audiobook app. So I've downloaded all her favourites and paired up with a Bluetooth speaker. She's in bed 'practicing' right now!

The Rabbit Who Wants to Fall Asleep (and others in that series) are available on audible if she needs something more bedtimey than her normal books.

After she's finished practising obviously .