2.9M Naps .... Bedtime

[ninenicknames]

DS has become defunked.

I've had a "good run" 2 Years & 3 Months of a diamond going to sleep. He's napped perfectly in the day, I've run a tight ship for my own sanity.

Yet..... The last week, it's game over. He's 2 Years & 9 Months & BEDTIME HAS BEEN A CERTAIN KIND OF HELL.

Yelling, crying, shouting .... every possible excuse as to why he just won't sleep.

Do I drop his nap!?! HELP! Anyone else's experience would be gladly welcomed.

DS1 got like this at about 2.5. We dropped the nap, earlier bedtime BUT even at 3.5 some days he still needs an hour or will turn into satan (especially if he's been really active or not napped for 3/4 days). So he naps roughly two days a week. It's a tough transition. Xxx

Arghhhh! Ok so maybe a little hit & miss.

Thought I'd nailed this hahaha

Yup, this is the rough transition to no nap, I think. We went through this for a while (a good two or three months) with DD until she finally dropped her nap for good just after she turned 3yo.

Will he be starting nursery soon? If so, he may start needing his nap more once he starts.

The process of dropping the lunchtime nap is gradual, not all or nothing.

Yes starts nursery in Sep, which I assume will exhaust him (3hrs Monday to Friday).

Ok I see so it's not cold turkey no nap?

Gradual, I'm tempted today to drop the nap as I can't have a night of messing about like he has been.

I really need to start potty training too which is a whole other story

ninenicknames I may be going against the grain here but if your LO still seems to 'need' the nap (which I define as dropping off quickly when you put them down) I wouldn't necessarily cut it out yet- we had a few weeks of bedtime shenanigans and I was almost ready to cut the nap (having reduced it from 2 hrs to 45 mins in the hope that would help...it didn't) and all of a sudden she started dropping off fine at night again. Now DD naps for 1hr-1hr30 (I only wake her after 1hr30) and I find something truly terrible to watch on the telly. She's 2yrs and 9 months too, by the way.

Thank you. So he hasn't napped the last 3 days

But gone to bed ok thankfully.

Will see how we go for the rest of the week.

He's exactly how you explain, will always go for a nap fine, never messes about & has to be woken.