What would you do - 9pm bedtime or no afternoon nap for just 2 yr old ?

[BettyandDon]

Just interested in opinions / anyone with similar...

My DD has just turned 2. Pretty good sleeper overall. For the last 3 months or so, if she has an afternoon nap (1230ish which is normally for 1 hour), she doesn't go to bed until 9pm. Bedtime takes 1hr.

From age 12 months, she has not napped anywhere but her buggy. If we stay in the house she doesn't nap.

If she doesn't nap at all, she will crash at 730pm BUT will be really pretty grouchy from about 4pm onwards. Occasionally (on busy days) she can't make it till bedtime and crashes at 4-5pmish, usually face flat on the carpet.

If she has a post lunch nap and I wake her after say 30 mins to 45 mins, she is like a bear with a sore head for at least an hour. It is not a nice experience.

I know she is young to give up her nap, but 9pm is a nightmare bedtime for us as it means zero free time for me and usually a sandwich for dinner. She just doesnt seem tired enough if she's had a decent kip in the day.

How do others manage a transition to no nap ? Is there a 'way' to do it?

She gets up between 6 and 7am, so sleeping at 9pm with a 1 hr nap is getting 11 hours total.

forever - my eldest dropped his nap just before he was 2 and a half. He slept 12 hours solid at night.

My 17 month old sleeps about 12 hours a day, sometimes less. If he has a nap in the afternoon then we can't get him to bed before 10pm.

In your situation Betty I would go for an hour nap and then a later bedtime. I find that if you try to eliminate the nap, then they are too tired to eat a proper tea which then results in them not settling to sleep at bedtime and then you get an overtired and hungry child.

DD stopped napping regularly just before she turned two, and might now (2.3) have a power nap if we're in the car in the afternoon for example, but generally goes through to 7/7:30pm without sleeping. That way she sleeps for 12 hours and gets up at a decent time; we get some evening with DS and to ourselves; and we don't have to worry about fitting our day around the nap time eg doing the school run when she had just got up from a nap was horrible.

I found giving DS a snack mid afternoon and dinner no later than 5pm (and then on to bath at 6pm) was the only way to manage the no-nap afternoons without complete melt down

Hi OP
Am in similar position. Dd1 is 2.7 and still naps for two hours in day. Problem is she's thennottired at bedtime (715) and is a nightmare - crying, calling back, screaming etc and doesntgettired until 830 or 9 pmish. I can't make herbed time laterals she has bath and routine etc with her 1.4 year old sister which starts at 630. Ihavedecided much to my upset that I need to cut the nap to 45 minutes ( can't face getting rid of it) totryandget hertobed earlier.
Today we did 45 mins only. She still made a scene atbedtimebut it only lasted a couple of mins and I onlyhadto goin a coupleoftimesa d although sheiks not asleep yet (730) ihavecertainlymanagedto go downstairs a lot earlier than usual.
It's a difficult age when they can't quite make it thro day without nap but then if they have one it wreaks havoc!