My DW provided child care for a neighbor's kid whose sleep needs were similar to what aquinas describes. The child's needs kept escalating over time, though, until putting the child to sleep became a living nightmare for any parent or caregiver involved.... DW had to stop babysitting him because the child was literally killing her.
This is one of the many reasons I love breastfeeding--it gives us an enjoyable way to for me to comfort DS to sleep (along with providing a nutritious pre-bed snack!) without any drama or discomfort. I literally lie down with DS and snuggle nurse him to sleep. Then I get up and go snuggle my big sweetie! Easy peasy!
We've had the opposite experience of the family you describe, Dude, in that DS' sleep needs have simplified and diminished over time, probably due to a combination of physical maturation and cumulative positive sleep associations
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LAF, this is a woo-woo unscientific suggestion, but I listen to ASMR sound videos on YouTube to fall asleep sometimes and they are brilliant. My untested opinion is that the calming response is a type of auditory-tactile synaesthesia. If your son is at all interested, it might be worth a try.
