8 m/o needs long stretches of rocking to get to sleep. any alternatives other than sleep training?

is there a way to establish a more efficient sleep routine for my 8 m/o without sleep training?

he takes 2 naps during the day (sometimes 3 if he needs a quick cat nap later on). he does a lot of tummy time. he's hitting all his milestones. he's eating solids, albeit a bit slower since he had a reaction and the allergist recommended still introducing one food at a time. he's combo fed, 80 breast / 20 formula via bottle. he still sleeps in our room, which we plan to do until 1 year.

we do the standard bedtime routine of bath, bottle, book, bed. he has always needed to be rocked to sleep, even if he's really really tired. recently he stopped liking to be rocked in a cradle position and now prefers to be held vertically against my chest. he will really fight sleep... constantly popping his head up before nestling into my chest. honestly it takes a long time to get him down these days. wondering if i'm doing something wrong. he also much prefers me over my husband and my mom (primary babysitter) which makes it tricky for me to even be away in the evenings.

not really interested in any sleep training methods that include crying. will keep our long rocking sessions if that's the only alternative.