Toddler naps all messed up

[jonnytekno]

Hello - hoping to get some toddler sleep help. My son is 3 and has not officially been napping (at set time or in a set place) during the day for about 6-9 months. He used to have a nap in his cot but then basically just started not going to sleep, and after a couple of weeks we decided to assume he didn't really need a nap anymore. However, it hasn't quite worked like that. He can go for a few days without a sleep in the daytime, but then (and especially if he is at nursery or doing something very exhausting) he will have a day where he falls asleep on the sofa or wherever, but late in the afternoon, usually around 4pm. If at home we try not to let him sleep a this time; we wake him up after about 15 mins, but it still affects his nighttime sleep AND he can go insane on being woken from being groggy etc. At nursery they seem to just let him sleep because they don't want to deal with the crazy tantrums if waking him up (at home we can calm him down with TV but they don't do that).

The problem is that, once he has done this, he won't sleep at night properly - both taking ages to go to sleep and waking up super early in the morning. This creates a vicious circle where he is then exhausted in the day and needs a big sleep in the afternoon. Trying to actually get him to have a sleep in bed during the day does NOT work, he gets very annoyed about that. Nursery are also unable to do this; he just has to fall asleep when he gets tired enough, and generally just on a cushion or the floor. It's a real trap situation and we're not sure how to get out of it; any ideas? Thanks

[T0ddlerSlave]

Dd is younger and still napping every so often, but we impose rest time. I send her up to her room and we've got a comfy corner with cushions and books.

Send him up earlier and have quiet time. If he's tired hopefully this will help him get through the day.

Do they not do quiet time at the nursery?

[GlummyMummy]

my two year old has started refusing to sleep in her cot over the last few weeks having always had naps in her cot. She is having huge tantrums now when I put her in there at nap time. So got to the point I am just keeping her up but she is so grumpy in the afternoons and waking early in mornings probably due to over-tiredness. So hard!!!