22mo taking ages to settle at night, anyone else had the same?

[Playitagainsam]

My DD is 22mo and has always been a good sleeper. She's been down to one daytime nap for maybe a year, and recently has started to do the odd day here and there without any nap at all (eek!). The problem is that she's started to take ages to settle at night. She's in bed for 7.30ish, but can flap around in her cot until 9.30 sometimes. She chats/bounces around/plays with her mobile and doesn't cry, but I can't figure out why it's taking so long for her to get to sleep now. Today she napped for 2 hours at lunchtime, and didn't fall asleep tonight until 9.30. She wakes up at 7/7.30am no matter what time she goes to sleep.
Surely she's far too young to be needing to drop her nap?? Should we be waking her up from her nap sooner?

[Ferguson]

As babies mature into toddlers, then into school children, everything they do, want, learn, dislike is in a constant and steady state of flux - progress, maybe; sometimes maybe not.

As mental processes develop she will 'think' more about the day's events, and the day to come tomorrow. She may be more aware of sounds in the house, or outside, and think about those.

If she is content, and not worried at being on her own, or afraid of the dark, then consider yourself fortunate, as not all toddlers are so compliant!

Give her dolls, teddies, even a cloth book, in bed to comfort and entertain her; maybe phase out mobile if you conveniently can, so that toys are IN bed with her.

There aren't really 'rules' on these things, and although parents may have read the 'parenting manual' the babies haven't!

[apermanentheadache]

I think maybe she is in that difficult stage transitioning from a nap to no nap. Could you experiment with cutting her nap short - say, to one hour? This happened with DS.

[Mamabear12]

Yes, mine does the same sometimes. I leave stuffed animals in er bed bc she wants them and she plays w them at night sometimes. But she is happy and so I let her be.

[TheresLotsOfFarmyardAnimals]

Quite common to drop the nap after 2 years old. I'd agree with PP, try and trim the nap. Ideally an hour from 2-3pm

[Playitagainsam]

Thanks everyone. Yesterday she had no nap (her choice, not ours!) and was out like a light when we put her down for bed. Although she was totally nutty in the hour or so before bed! I thought she'd keep napping for a long time yet, I didn't realise they could drop it so early.
I'll try cutting the nap down, and once the mobile's batteries are gone I'll not replace them, I do think it's distracting her from sleeping.