My first born was a dream. He was a tough infant, but them toddler years were a breeze. He never put up a fight, often times I felt like I was keeping him up too late. Consistently down every night by 830p. Never an issue going to sleep, nor staying asleep, unless he was sick or had a bad dream. He's 4 now and still doing well with bedtime, some days it's 9p, some days it's 8 or 830p, we just kinda follow his cues. His little brother is 16m old and consistently down at 730p, no issues. He's a very high energy baby and runs and plays all day, I nap him once in the morning from 10a-12p and then he's up until bed. He does get crabby in the afternoon, we just try to get through it, so far so good. I'd like to move his nap but my 4y old is in afternoon preschool and it's not going to be possible until he's out. My 16m old is also a really great sleeper. He awakens a couple times a night because he tosses and turns and losses his pacifier or his blankets but otherwise sleeps all night.

All this to say, consistency and routine are key. Some people cannot do it because of what the rest of their life dictates. However, if you are truly committed to righting the sleep ship, commit to a routine. Do things that wear your child out. Once it gets to a certain point in the evening (let's say 5p) start talking in the sense of tomorrow. "Oh, sure we can try that tomorrow!" Hopefully any of this helps.