Help! My Almost-4-Year-Old Won’t Sleep Until 10PM+ and I’m Losing My Mind

This is a desperate plea for advice, resources, or just some camaraderie. My almost-four-year-old absolutely will not go to sleep until well after 10 p.m.—and only if we stay in bed with them until they are completely asleep. It’s exhausting, and I feel like we have no life anymore because of this.

The biggest issue is that they go to a preschool where they have a 90-minute nap every day, and they sleep the entire time. There’s no real way to cut the nap, so we’re stuck in this late-night cycle.

Our general routine: • Home before 6 p.m. • Play and watch TV (probably too much, if I’m being honest) • Light dinner around 6:30 - 7:00 p.m. (in the very picky toddler phase) • Bedtime attempts start earlier, but they just. won’t. sleep.

We’ve tried stopping TV early, cutting it entirely, setting timers, bedtime boundaries—everything short of melatonin. Nothing seems to make a difference.

Has anyone successfully navigated this? Is there hope? I’d love any strategies, commiseration, or even just reassurance that this won’t last forever.