It’s like his little body is saying no, but his tiredness is saying yes. I try to calm him down. I read him a story, I sing him a song, but nothing works. And I wonder, am I doing something wrong? Sometimes I think he needs a clearer routine. Other times I think it’s just his way of releasing the stress of the day. But honestly, I’m exhausted. I don’t want bedtime to be a daily battle. I just want him to rest and for me to be able to breathe too
Oh wow, same. My son acts like bedtime is the worst possible thing that could ever happen to him. He could be falling over from exhaustion, but the second I say time to sleep, it’s like he just drank an espresso. I have no advice, just solidarity. Hope someone here has the magic trick because I need it too
Honestly, I think kids are convinced sleep is a scam. 
My daughter will fight me like she’s training for the Sleep Resistance Olympics, then pass out mid, sentence. I once found her a sleep on her bookshelf. Hang in there, mama. Maybe we just need to start bedtime at lunchtime to get them down by 8
Okay, so we went through this exact phase with my son, and what finally worked was a super structured wind down routine with a visual chart. We did:
No screens an hour before bed
Bath time lavender lotion helped!
Storytime, same book every night for a while
Sleepy time music or white noise
Also, we cut down on naps, which actually helped him sleep better at night. It took a couple of rough weeks, but once he knew what to expect every night, the tantrums got waaaay less intense. Maybe give it a try?
ts easier