3 1/2 Year Old Won't Fall Asleep

I know my 4 year old has to have a night time routine or this happens with him too. It takes a good thirty minutes to wind down for him so we have brush teeth time, story time, time to pick clothes for the next day and prayer time. He still lays and talks himself to sleep. This is how he soothes himself I think. He is asleep much quicker. We have also come to limit snacks and juice in the close to bedtime hours. You may do this already, if not I hope it helps!

If your son sleeps late in the morning, then he will go to sleep late at night. My children always woke up at 7:00 AM.
P. S

If he is still napping in the afternoon, then the first thing I would try is getting rid of nap.
Next I would try wearing him out! Lots of activity in the afternoon.
Do keep your bedtime routine the same.
If with that, he is still awake, I wouldn't worry about it as long as he stays in his bed.

I had some of these same challenges - make sure that your bed time routine is exactly the same every night - dinner, bath, story, potty, prayers, bed - this will allow him to get himself ready for bed and know what is coming. I tried this for about 3 months and my daughter was still staying awake for hours. I spoke with my pediatrician and she recommended using Melatonin - its an all natural suppliment that comes in a liquid form that allows them to fall asleep naturally without any drug consequences! It works great - but you only have about 20 minutes to get them in the bed before it starts to work. I get mine at Rite Aid on the bottom shelf of the vitamin aisle. It's in a brown bottle with a purple label that has a moon on it! Good Luck! I know that this can be SO frustrating!

My daughter, who is the same age, does this too, particularly on days when she has had less-than-normal activity. I've just let her play quietly assuming that if she's tired, she'll sleep. No matter what time she falls asleep, she's always up at 7:30, and I haven't noticed any changes in her energy levels or behavior on days when she stayed up a little later the night before. Even though she's awake in the bed, she's still resting.