Omama, (and other lovely MNetters!) can you help?!

[pinkoyster]

I'm currently having the nap problems with 20 month old DS. He used to go down like a dream at 12.30-2 for his nap, and bedtime at 7pm. But he just doesn't seem to want to nap during the day anymore. This is obviously knackering as he wakes up at 6.30 so have to fill 12 hours of activities with him (I am also 33 weeks pregnant!).

I have tried pushing back his nap to 1pm (and even 1.30), but he just doesn't want to. I have also tried pushing bedtime back to 7.30-8 but he still doesn't want to sleep.

Any advice?

Does he still need his nap? I would have assumed he is letting you know he's ready to start dropping his nap. My DS naps most days still, but my friend's daughter stopped napping at 18 months, she now has a "quiet hour" where they snuggle up and watch tv together under a blanket around the time the nap used to be which seems plenty for her DD

IMO it is probably most likely to be a developmental thing. Lots of LO's go through this at around this age & will resist/refuse naps, resist bedtime, wake early etc. And then after a few weeks, all of a sudden they go back to napping again. My DS had a phase like this (prob from 20-22 months) & I thought we needed to lose the nap but he got so overtired without it & at about 22 months he suddenly seemed to need a lot more sleep again. He's still napping a good 2hrs a day at 28 months old.

Having said that, if your DS was early to drop to 1 nap i.e. before 1 year old, it is possible he may be starting to drop his nap.

Personally, IIWM I would do as pp suggests, keep offering him the opportunity to have a nap, if he doesn't sleep then at least he gets a rest (quiet time) & give him a super early bedtime instead (which will help prevent overtiredness from building). If after a few weeks he is still refusing his nap, then you have your answer.