Waking at 5.30 - time to drop daytime nap - this can't go on!

[sleepychunky]

DS2 is 2.8 and has always been a pretty good sleeper since he was about 18 months. In the last 5 days he's woken up at 5.30 full of beans and ready to go. He still sleeps in the day for about an hour but I'm wondering if it's time to stop that now? The thing is that the days when he doesn't have a nap in the day for whatever reason, he's a right little sh*t from about 4pm because he's so tired. He goes to bed about 7-7.15.
So would you drop the daytime nap completely, cut it down, or do something else? I really don't enjoy getting up this early..

He's not exactly a shit if he's grumpy because he's tired.

Why not drop the nap for a few days and try an early bedtime, then creep it back?

I think though - bizarrely- they often wake up early when they're overtired. We certainly notice a much earlier wake up in our DS aged 3 if he's overtired/ out of kilter

When does he have his one nap? Perhaps you need to try to make it earlier in the afternoon/ just after lunch, then work to wear him out in the afternoon? Swimming, walks, playground , trampoline.

Try a 7.30 bedtime after a good stodgy supper(porridge/ weetabix/ banana )

• drop his nap to 30 mins ?

Try a 30 minute nap.

Hopefully that will be enough to minimise the difficult time from late afternoon until bed, while still helping him to sleep a bitlater in the morning.

Thanks all - he's at nursery today and I've asked them to only let him have half an hour nap (they have nap time at 12) so we will see what happens tonight and tomorrow morning.
poachedeggs I know he's not really a shit, he's gorgeous, and it's not his fault if he's tired, but when I posted this morning after already having him up for an hour and a half I was just feeling a little grumpy with him

No way. If he's resisting the nap then drop it but clearly he will be getting less sleep and be even worse. So keep the nap to 45 mins at least.

Early wakings could be the sound of the dawn chorus, the light, the drop in temp, he's hungry, needs a wee etc. I'd consider all of those things before ditching the nap.

I think you'll need to try whatever you decide to do for at least a week before you can judge the results.

2.8 is not young to be dropping naps so I think drop to 45 mins first and give it at least a week, if not more.

The comment about overtiredness is true but if he's been happy on an hour for a while, I think it's more likely to be a readiness to cut the nap that is the problem.