Anyone else's toddler got this pattern: long afternoon nap, late bedtime?

[franch]

DD1 (2.5y)'s afternoon naps have been massive for ages, altho a few months back she would only take them about half the time - the rest of the time she'd skip them altogether.

She then started napping every day again and, up till now, I've been getting her up after 1.5h or so in the hope that she'll settle at 7. It doesn't seem to work very well and now that it's so hot she's sleeping really badly at night so I've decided to go with it. She also HATES it if I try to get her up from her naps and consequently I hate doing it.

So today we've decided to go with her current natural pattern, which is to sleep about 3h (3h 15 mins today ) in the afternoon (1-4.15pm today) and go to bed late (I'd guess about 9, but we'll see this evening).

I know part of this is the weather so we'll see what happens when it gets cooler, but it's not a complerely new pattern for DD1 so I wondered if anyone else has gone along with this kind of routine and found it workable? We also have a 10mo DD2, who has a short morning nap and longish afternoon one, and goes to bed at 7. Bit worried about DD1 invading our evenings, I must admit, even if this is a temporary/transitional thing ...

Dear Franch.My ds 2.7 is also like this you could have described him to a t.Just in the last few days he seems to have gone without an afternoon nap (we had a change of routine as on hols).Hes been pretty awful by teatime obviously tired out,but has slept as soon as gone to bed.He usually goes to nursery 2 days per week,and they give the kids a 1.5 hour nap.This seems to work ok but there is the grouch factor when you wake them up I agree.Im going to try what the nursery have been doing as he has been erratic with naps lately sometimes having a long one 3 hours other times on the go all day.To be honest id rather have a bit of an afternoon grouch than any time taken up in the evenings as my dd 7 months has just started teething so coping with the 2 of em leeves me pretty zombified!!!He goes to bed 7.30ish.dd has 2 very short naps and up at 5.30 every day.I guess its what fits in best for you at the end of the day,finding the balance is hard esp with two.Good luck I hope you find a happy solution:maybe you could pass it on to me if you do!!!Must go and be calpol fairy as dd is red,dribbly and screaming!!!!

Mine is the same franch and wrinklytum. DD2 is 2.8y and has gone from 1 hr - 2hr afternoon nap every other day depending on how busy she has been in the morning to sleeping 3+ hrs in the afternoon and staying awake until VERY late. last night she was still toddling around at 10.30pm. Convinced it is the weather and not worrying about it. DD1 did a similar thing during the summer when at this age. I am letting it go through the summer hols and wee how it pans out. Just frustrating when you lose your "grown up time" and seem to have at least one child awake and one child asleep 24/7 !!

Thanks wrinkly & lemon. So glad to know I'm not alone! Think I'll follow you lemon and let it go over the summer then review the situation!

She's not in bed yet ......