18 MO seems to want no daytime nap

[LoobyLou33]

DS1 (18 months) appears to be fighting a daytime nap, and I'm wondering whether I just have to accept that or whether I can try to coax him into keeping it.
I am pg so could really do with a PM nap myself most days! And of course once baby arrives in April it would be brilliant if he's still napping a bit.

He wakes around 6.30/7am, and goes to bed by 8pm, asleep by 8.30. In August he switched from a reliable late morning 2 hour nap in his cot, following a holiday (grr). He only wanted to go down at around 2pm. This is now moving back to 3pm despite doing things like an earlier lunch. However if we are in the car he will drop off after lunch.

When he does drop off he could sleep for several hours so I usually end up waking him at 4.30ish - the early darkness isn't helping that to be fair.

When I do put him in his cot, he often starts snuggling down and then gets back up and faffs about and protests - then I leave him for a few minutes while he inevitably cries. After that I go back in and either sit with him while he drops off, or take him onto our bed to nap with me. I wouldn't mind him napping with me but often he'll just climb all over me and not settle there either.

Any tips or thoughts would be most welcome! I'm not sleeping brilliantly at night so really value a crash-out, no local relatives so no chance for a break.

Lol I've been having nap problems with my 19 month old too and have just created a thread about it.

I used to just pop her in a sleeping bag, turn her musical seahorse on, give her dummy and teddy and as if by magic she went to sleep every time. Now.. well today is a no nap day!

Any reason you can't take him out in the car each day? Then either park up so you can rest or lift him out and pop him on the sofa/in his cot/in your bed so you can sleep? If he sleeps in the car it might be the easier thing to do for now?

Or alternatively if he doesn't nap have you tried an early bedtime of 6/6.30? I'm aiming for that tonight and hopefully will get my feet up early tonight (also pg, due feb. It's looks like we are having a similar age gap!)

haloflo bad luck, it's a pain when you have a beautiful routine and then they decide to shun it! Especially when pregnant (congratulations though!)

Well, the problem with the car is transference - he usually wakes up and generally won't go back off to sleep again, and is also then grumpy for being woken. Yes I guess I could stay in the car too, at least it would be a break for me but it wouldn't be a decent rest, plus it feels a bit daft going to that length.

I will go and look at your other thread!