Going from three to two naps - help?

[LittleMilla]

DS2 is 8mo and i'm finding that his last nap is becoming a battle. I know that we probably ought to shift from three to two naps but cannot summon the brain power to work out how to do this.

Help!

Current routine looks like this:

Wake up/first feed - 7 (ish)
Breakfast - about 8am
Sleep - 9am - 10am
Milk - 10.30am
Lunch 11.30am
Sleep - 12.30 - 2pm (although today he did 12:45 - 2:45)
Milk - 3pm
Dinner - 5:30pm
Bed & milk - 7:15pm (ish)

Everything has half an hour wiggle room and whilst he usually does a big lunchtime nap, often if we're out it's a bit shorter...

Am I reading it right - but your day has 2 sleeps written out not 3?
Or is there a sleep between 3pm milk and dinner? Because that would look pretty similar to my DD's days but sometimes that last sleep just doesn't happen.
I had wondered whether to try and get her into a more consistent 2 nap day but have decided to not bother actively managing it. If her first 2 naps are of a decent length then I don't try to put her down for the 3rd one. If they've been quite short then I try and put her down for the 3rd one but I don't stress if she really fights it (and usually will get her tea on a bit quicker to make sure bedtime is earlier rather than later).

God I'm thick sometimes!

Yes, normally has a sleep about 4.30.

He's just woken up (as he tends to when he's not had the last nap) which makes me think he's overtired.

When my children were 8 months old their routine went

7am (hopefully!) - wake up
9am/9.30am - 30 min nap (often being walked around in buggy)
1pm/1.30pm - 2 hour nap in cot at home
3pm/3.30pm onwards - stay awake until bed at 8pm.

I don't think most 8 month olds need that late nap in the day.

Thanks mintyy. Think that the key is going to be pushing his lunchtime nap as late as possible.

I'm also begrudgingly going to have to make sure we're home for his sleep as much as possible as he's increasingly sleeping better in that out and about. Hey ho.

I found offering some water and a small snack at around what was the late nap time seemed to perk our DTs up a bit as well.

(Speaking as the expert who is listening to them grumbling upstairs clearly not wanting their morning nap now ...)

DS used to have a similar routine to yours, as he was a very early riser (still is, sigh) so needed the extra nap. Used to wake 530/6am, slept from 8-9am (in cot) another nap around 12 (usually in buggy) then a later afternoon short nap (always in buggy and this was a battle but he ended it to go through to evening). He was about 15 months when he dropped down to 2 naps. I started stretching the morning nap to 10 and he slept for longer, and then he had a afternoon nap about 3ish but I found he always woke (or was woken) from this one grumpy. Eventually, when he was about 18 months, his morning nap started around 11am and he had a good couple of hours, meaning I could cut the afternoon one. Even now, his optimum nap time is around 1130, though at nursery he naps at 1230.

DS will nap in the car but I prefer to be home because he gets his full nap time then (and I can have a nap too!).

At this age (and up to about 16 months), I did the 2/3/4 routine - so, up for 2 hours then short (about 40 mins to an hour max) nap, then up for 3 hours and then long (up to 2 hrs) nap, then up for 4 hours, then bed.

So a typical day:
7am - 5/6 ozs milk
8.30 - breakfast - porridge, toast, a little more milk, maybe banana too
9am - short nap in cot
12.30 - lunch
1-3pm - long nap in cot
3pm - 5/6ozs milk
5pm -evening meal
6.30 - bath then 6oz milk
7pm bed

This worked for us!

Thanks everyone for replies. On day three of two naps and he seems to be doing ok. Although started waking earlier which is odd?