Dropping the last nap...

[VomitingVeronica]

It's been looming for a while but my two and a half ds has finally dropped his lunchtime nap and I am gutted! i find ds and 6m dc2 a handful so rely heavily on bedtime and nap time. Wise mners, how do I fill the extra time? There is more than enough independent play and tv going on already so I really don't want to add more of that or ds will tantrum because of boredom. Dc2 naps from 9am to 10.30am then 1.30 to 3.30pm

(I love my children to distraction but I am desperately trying not to ask how to stop living for nap/bed time too!)

at 2.5 your eldest will still get tired and you may find that you can get them to nap every other day or every few days. call naptime "quiet time" and stick your dc into the cot with some quiet toys/trains to play with. they will have a quiet time or a snooze depending on their need while you get a well earned rest. you can keep this going for another 12 months if you work at it! good luck

ps could you get them both down 1.30-3.30???

2.5 sounds quite young to drop it. Is he fine without it? I know it's quite common for them to resist - my ds did but after a few months he went back to normal (naps and usual bedtime) and now at aged 4 he still naps 2-3 times a week! One of his peers did exactly the same.

Also are you sure the tantrums aren't tiredness? They hide it well!

Toys in the cot! I feel stupid for not thinking of it! We have been so anti toys in cots so far that I didn't think to change that. A digger has just gone into the cot with ds so fingers crossed both he and the digger stay there for 30mins or so!