I kind of wonder if the pointing at the stuffed animals on the shelf is NOT a stalling tactic but a fear? At this age they start developing fears of things that were fine before -- and the animals might be scary in the dark. My son def. went thru a phase where the stuff on his dresser (a piggy bank & a radio) scared the bejeezus out of him, and I'd hear him shouting RADIO RADIO! in the middle of the night.
It also turned out that what was REALLY scaring him was the light from the baby monitor (which is behind the radio, and he thought it was coming from the radio) Finally what worked for us was turning on a light in the hallway. That gives enough light in his room without making the scary shadows that a nightlight does. We also had to turn the monitor face down so he couldn't see the light. No more issues!
since she's 18 months old it's hard for her to verbalize her fears (my son was close to 2.5 when we figured all this stuff out). I might try moving those stuffed animals and see if that helps any, or if she still points at them. Maybe also try a night light. I think rather than seeing this as 'spirited' (since it doesn't sound like she shows other spirited tendencies) I'd see this as a genuine fear on her part -- not stalling, but fear. Totally natural at this age! Put on your mommy-investigator hat and see what you can find out!
In the meantime I think WI/WO is a find alternative. I might also increase the length of wind down so that we're sure she's relaxed. If you can think of things that help her relax more -- like massage or music -- I might add those to the wind down as well. The more relaxed you can make her, the better! WI/WO you HAVE to be consistent though. The first night might take 2 hours! but you should see improvement each day. And improvement often comes really quickly! But I think first step is to make sure there is nothing making her fearful -- that may mean better light in the room, fewer animals to look scary in the dark, etc. You might even talk to her during the day and as if there's anything that's making her scared in her room. Don't want to put thoughts in her head, so you might say it like "Mommy wants to know why you cry at bedtime. Is something bothering you?" I know she can't talk well yet, so she may just point at something. If she points at it, I'd get rid of it -- at least for the time being to see if it's the offender.
My son went from NEEDING a pitch black room -- I mean, not even the whisper of light! -- to sleeping with the hall light on! Developing fears is just part of the toddler journey. So see what you find out!
