Skipping 19mth old's lunchtime nap

[Romilly70]

DS is almost 19months. He is really energetic and does not need to need a lot of sleep.

(Bit of background, sort of relevant...)
We live in France most of the time and his sleep was really erratic, and we had got into bad habits so when i was at my parent's in the UK for a month, I did a bit of controlled crying and got him into a 7-7 routine with a lunchtime nap.

(I always had to take him out in the car eg on way back from playgroup or in the buggy to get him off for his lunchtime nap, but after CC; at night, i could just give him his bottle then put him to bed.)

Back in France he was into the routine for a while then we had a spell of hot weather and he couldn't settle till 9 or 10pm and this persisted till the day before yesterday. The DP suggested we kept him awake all day and then he would go off at a reasonable time. That worked as he nodded off in the car on the way home from friends about 7.30pm. However he woke in his cot about 8.30pm and i had to settle him in our bed and put him back. Then about 3am he woke again, had some milk and then at about 5am (i think) he woke again and brought him into our bed where we all slept till 8am.

Now it is 2pm and i am not going to take him out in his buggy to get him off, will just stretch him out till 7pm and hopefully he will go down no problem.

Do you think it is okay to just let him nap on the days when he will naturally nod off when we are in the car and then just persist with trying to get him tired enough to

(sorry hit send too soon...)

../.. sleep at 7pm for 12 hours (will try and stop 3am wakings by giving him water - has worked in the past. Rather than him napping during the day then only sleeping at about 9 or 10pm then waking at 8am anyway.
That way DS still gets 12 hours sleep and I save my sanity get an evening.

Risk is it could backfire if he gets overtired then his sleep will get worse. Overtired toddlers can seem quite hyper and energetic but it's usually a sign of being tired.

I'd put him down earlier than 7pm - say half 6 - if he has no nap today.

I'd keep up the nap if you can.

Thanks Iggly i didn't know that...

Well he was rubbing his eyes at 3.30pm. i took him for a walk and he was asleep in his pushchair in 5 mins. He then slept for 50 mins, woke, i brought him downstairs for a drink and now he is dozing on the sofa. i think i will work on getting him off on his lunchtime nap a bit earlier tomorrow, by noon, so he has enough time to get to tired in the afternoon and sleep at a reasonable time...