Why is dropping the last nap making sleep worse?

[Butteryflakycrust83]

DD is 2.8 and since she was 1 she has been down to one nap a day (anywhere between an 1-2 hours). She goes to nursery five days a week.

Over the last few months she gradually stopped napping at the weekend and then goes through phases of doing it at nursery too.

But I feel like I have been lied to, where is this magical solid sleep I was promised?

Her schedule when she naps is sleep 9pm, wake 7.30am, nap 12-1.30
When she drops the nap its sleep: 7pm

WAKE UP TWO AM.

Sleep 5am, wake up 7.30am for nursery and then she will need a nap again that day.

What causes the split nights? She also sleeps TERRIBLY with no nap, she half wakes hourly and needs constant settling.

Any advice? Is she over tired?

Overtiredness I guess. we did a hybrid model with DD for about 3 months. Basically, if she napped, like your DS she'd go to bed quite late - say 9pm. If she didn't nap, she'd be in bed by no later than 6:30 pm, often a bit earlier. And would usually then sleep for a straight 13 hours. If she missed her nap and went to bed later than 6:30 it was a disaster.

I had a fabulous trip to see family over this period where I alternated so that one day she'd nap and then her and I would go out for early dinner with friends/family and then the next night we'd have a busy day and I'd get her down at my parents' house by 6:30 and have a lovely long quiet evening!!!

Yes over tired

Thank you, I will try the earlier bed time!

I think I have been scarred by 2.5 years of quite shit sleep and just cant imagine a world where she would sleep 6.30-6.30 LOL

I hear you! But I'd say that if she's sleeping badly with a 7pm bedtime, you have nothing to lose by putting her to bed earlier and seeing how she does with that? You could try 6:30 or even 6pm and see what happens. You might surprised. I think at this age, staying awake for more than 12 hours is really hard for them so it's worth giving it a shot.

(when DD started reception, I had to go back to a 6:30 bedtime for a while - she was absolutely KNACKERED otherwise! She was sleeping 13 straight hours a night, it was completely bizarre! I sort of miss those days - she's 8 and goes to bed at 9 and sleeps until 7:30!).