A toddler does not stall bedtime because they are "bad at sleep." They stall because the day is ending and they do not want the people they love to leave the room.

So they ask for water. Then a snack. Then one more book. Then the other book. You give in once. Now the extra book is the new rule.

What actually works at 2, 3, 4 is not a longer routine. It is a shorter one they can predict.

Same chair. Same story. Same last line. Every night.

Rhyme helps because the beat does the calming for you. You do not have to invent a new voice when you are tired. The words slow down on their own if you let them.

Count something in the story — stars, trees, the sea. Toddlers lock onto counting. Then the last page has to be the end. If you add another book after "goodnight," you taught them the story was a stall, not a close.

Five minutes. Then lights out. That is the whole method.