Help with naps and daytime routine

[BertieBotts]

I have been having trouble with my 15mo DS not going to bed at night, but have found that on the days he only has one nap, and has mealtimes to a rough schedule/routine, he is so much easier to settle and sleeps well.

So, I am trying to stick to this daytime routine which involves him having a nap late morning for about 2 hours and waking up in time to have lunch. He has consistently had a morning nap for months, which is why I decided to keep it.

The only problem is that now, sometimes (like today) he didn't have a sleep at all in the morning, or at lunchtime or in the early afternoon, despite my efforts, but at 5pm he fell asleep in his highchair (he was having a snack) - he was exhausted and didn't even get disturbed when I moved him. So I let him sleep even though I knew he would be difficult later in the evening, he woke up at 6.20 and is still awake now at nearly midnight, totally overtired and fighting sleep, I can't do anything with him.

So my questions are:

1. If they miss their morning nap, is it best to keep trying to get them to sleep, or just forget it, and try and keep them awake all day instead?

1. Should I have woken him from his nap which started at 5pm (he usually has dinner around 5.30) - how long should I let him sleep for, and how do you wake them up?

Thanks for any help

[BertieBotts]

OK, thanks - so an earlier lunch and nap afterwards, that seems like it could work, except that some mornings we go to a toddler group which runs from 9.15 to 11.30, I tend to wake up and just get dressed and leave the house, they do toast there for the children so DS has his breakfast there. Then he invariably falls asleep on the way home, because he's been playing all morning and the combination of pushchair and fresh air keeps him awake. It is literally a 10 minute walk home - so any suggestions? I suppose I could make lunch for him the night before and stay in town and give it to him so he has some food before he sleeps. And once he is walking I could just not take the pushchair, which would keep him awake!

[Squitten]

My DS is the same age and he has one nap, from 12-2pm. I always wake him at 2pm because then I know he will be asleep by 8pm. It sounds to me that your LO's nap just needs to be pushed back a bit.

Today, however, my DS woke up early and so has already have a 1hr nap and will want another in about an hour, which means he will be in bed later tonight. I think it's best to maintain a little flexibility because there are always days when the routine won't work out.

[FlamingoBingo]

I have a kind of cut off time - I really need DD4 to start napping by at least 2pm because if it goes on later than 4pm, then getting her to sleep at night is a nightmare! I resort to slinging while I clean the kitchen (oh joy!) or going out for a drive or walk with the buggy.