Growing out of nap

[dycey]

Management advice please - ds is turning 2 and bedtimes are getting later, taking longer to settle, not seeming tired, wanting attention and soothing and then getting up early. Clearly getting to not needing nap but he still gets tired around 1 pm and starts lying down.

Has anyone experience of a) reducing nap successfully - can't see how to do this as he goes into deep heavy sleep for 1.5 hrs and when I've tried waking after 1 hr he cries and keeps his eyes shut and won't wake.

B) dropping nap this early

C) keeping toddlers up late - rather not do this as need to occasionally go out in evening - tonight have cousin's engagement drinks which must go to

D) exercising toddlers relentlessly!

Or any other ideas? It's getting a little silly!

Am nervous to entirely drop nap as did the other day and he went to sleep an hour earlier and slept til 6 but he woke 5 times around midnight - clearly overtired.

Can you try and bring the nap forward a bit so he has more time to get tired out in the afternoon?

Also definitely do something active later in the day preferably in the fresh air.

I feel your pain - DD is giving up her sleep and we either have total grumpiness in the evening and possibly following morning when she wakes too early or a real wrestle and endless settling when she goes to bed at night.

At least I know it should get better with time. In the meantime I try and give her quiet time if I think she is tired and some activity if I think she has lots of energy - difficult though as quite often I can't tell she is tired until she just falls asleep on the sofa!

we found a couple of things worked.
re waking him early - i lifted dd1 from bed, immediately gave a snack, a drink and parked in front of an episode of peppa pig on the dvd. this really helped her to get over the horrid grumpiness on being woken.

at other times we went for a longer nap every other day.

Thank you both. He just fell asleep on my lap reading after lunch so clearly needs a rest.

If I try waking him should I give him 45 mins or an hour? Usually he takes 1,5 hrs nap. But then isn't really ready for bed at eight.

I would probably try an hour as I know from my own experience that anything less than an hour and I find it really hard to wake up.

Thank you , sticking to an hours nap. Much more tired at bedtime now. Phew! Mixed results with morning rising but will persevere for a big and see. I am missing the longer break though!