Capping naps at 14 months?

[SkyBlue1987]

My very active almost 15 month old is not going to bed until 9pm if he takes a 2 to 2.5 hour nap. He wakes around 6.30am, can sleep 2 hours plus at around 11.30am, even at daycare, then seems to need a huge awake window before bed. Even today we were out an about so he only had a 40 min car nap, was acting so tired later in the afternoon to tried to put him to bed at 6.30pm but wouldn’t sleep so got him up again and asleep at 8pm. Struggling with late nights as I’d like him asleep at 7pm (same time as my school age child) as need to do a bit of work in the evenings generally.

At that age if you want him asleep by 7 you’re going to have to get him up much earlier in the morning and then give him
an earlier nap as they need a longer nap or just accept that he won’t go to bed at

7 until he drops his nap.

I don’t think it will make much difference unfortunately if I get him up early - at least on daycare days it won’t. He’s at daycare 4 days a week 9am to 3pm and they don’t put him down until after lunch at 11.30am. He’d still then need a long wake window before bed even if up early. I guess if he’s home with me I could try getting him up at 6am and maybe try a 10.30am nap.

Is baby sleeping through the night? And does baby get put in cot awake to go to sleep?

Both these things will lead on your answer.

What's been your sleep journey to get here? What was the last change in routine?

I would suggest you're too early to me moving to a single lunchtime nap. I would keep your first nap earlier and stick to two nap days. A good approximation to work to is 234 - first nap 2h after waking, second 3h after waking, 4h to bedtime. Give or take, but there or thereabouts.

I'd suggest that your afternoon struggles are down to being overtired. A 2h initial wake window is much earlier than you're currently on. In your situation I'd have:
6.30am wake
8am-9am nap (wake at 9am if still asleep)
12pm-2pm nap
Actively keep awake in afternoon
7pm bedtime
Giving that a go will only be possible if you're able to put baby down awake and they'll self settle without much drama.

He is helped to sleep though cuddles, patting or being fed. He definitely can’t do two naps, we moved to one nap because he wouldn’t sleep until closer to 10pm at night with two naps. He just seems to need six, even closer to seven hours, of awake time before bed. We’ve tried 4/5 hours awake time but it was just a fight.

If you peel away the different layers of the issues, this will be the root cause:

He is helped to sleep though cuddles, patting or being fed.

Because he's not independent settling them he isn't going to go to sleep just when he needs to go to sleep. He's going to sleep when you happen across the right levels of patting/cuddling/feeding to sleep.

Goodness. Not our experience