We have a nice little bit in our routine which is working really well for DD in terms of laying still and unwinding...

We snuggle up together and do a bit of a debrief of our day. This essentially means that I give a blow-by-blow description of everything we did from the moment we got up - what she had for breakfast, where we went, who we saw... I throw in my own commentary on things to reinforce behaviours or experiences I want to highlight or that build self-esteem ("you were very helpful/brave/clever when you..." or "you ate lots of yummy broccoli at dinner"). I only focus on the positive things that happen, unless I think I can help to resolve an issue that she's still stuck with. DD really loves this and hangs on every word! It's like the story of her, and it's all recent enough that she can re-live it and smile at the bits she enjoyed. I just try and keep a very quiet, soft voice too so she has to really settle down and be quiet herself to be able to hear me. Finally, I talk about what is going to happen now (I hope) "now we're going to put your music on, you're going to lie down, give Pinky (toy) a big cuddle and tell her all about your lovely day, then you'll close your eyes and go to sleep".

I can't say it's 'magic' - we still have probably 3 in 7 nights when she's up bouncing around for an hour or more, but if we've timed bed time right and she's had bath, books, milk and then "Ivy's day" story... mostly she chats to Pinky for 5 -10 mins or so and then she's out.

GL - hope you find what works for your gorgeous girl!