What do you do when it's too late for a nap but too early for bed?

[Flingmoo]

Some days, like today, my baby doesn't have his afternoon nap at 4ish, for whatever reason (e.g. later naps earlier in the day, routine thrown off by going out somewhere, just plain refusing to sleep etc)

When that happens, he just can't last til his 7pm bedtime, he gets really overtired and screams. By 5 - 5.30ish he direly wants sleep.

Do you put your baby down for a nap anyway? Do you wake them up after a short time so they don't sleep too close to bedtime?

(Obviously this issue only applies to those of us who are lucky enough to have good nappers with a reasonable nap routine - sorry catnappers!)

DS is 4mo and still needs 3 naps a day most days.

When DD was little I used to but her in the bath with a few plastic jugs and cups. She would happily play for an hour or so (kept topping up the bath with warm water) and then usual bedtime routine maybe going to bed half an hour earlier than usual.

I put mine in bed!! My two (13 months and 2.5 years) are normally asleep by 6.15 as I've normally had enough by then! When my eldest dropped her nap before she was 2 she was in bed by 5.30 every night for a good few weeks! She sleeps until 7/7.30, the youngest sleeps until 6.30 so not too bad.

I either put dd down for a nap and make sure it's no more than 20 mins, less if after 5, or I take her for a stroll in the pram. She zones out and is quite a rest even if she doesn't end up sleeping.

Otherwise I put down a bit early. Dd dropping her 3 rd nap she went to bed about 6:30 for a few days instead of 7.

Good to know! I wonder how I'll know its time to start dropping the number of naps! Do they just start refusing to sleep at certain naptimes?

I find it hard to tell when DS is tired but rather than wait for the obvious grumpiness to set in, I just put him down for a nap after he's been awake for 2ish hours.