Dropping day time nap?

[IncyWincySpiderOnRepeat]

Hi

My 22 month old really seems to be struggling to settle to sleep when I put her to bed at 7pm.

She's been going to bed at 7pm for over a year but just in the last few weeks we have been having this problem. She isn't ill and I don't think it's teeth as she does eventually settle and then (normally!) stays settled for the rest of the night.

It just seems that she isn't tired enough to sleep. She usually naps for about an hour anywhere between 1 and 3pm and settles for this quite easily.

Could it be that she is ready to drop the day time nap?? Should we move bed time later??

Firstly, I wouldn't rush to drop the nap. A million tempirary things can cause difficulty getting to sleep. They do pass, but once you've dropped a nap it is very hard to get it back.

Not yet 2 is very early for dropping the lunchtime nap (My older three children were 3-4 years old, my youngest was still having 2 naps at 21 months old). Having said that, it's not ungeard of. But it's not usually a quick switch. We had about 8 months of transition, some days not having a nap most days having a nap, until no nap days because established.

Worth remembering that the signs of a baby/toddler being over tired are pretty identical to a baby getting too much sleep. This includes difficulty getting to sleep.

But you know your baby best. Does she seem tired and/or grumpy if she doesn't nap? That would suggest she's not rest to drop the nap. Was she going to sleep easily at bedtime previously, or has it been a challenge to get her to sleep before?

You could shorten the nap or make it earlier (ie 45 mins at 1pm) and see if that helps.
My 21 month only needs half an hour in order to still need 11 hours at night and go to bed at half 7. She's unusual admittedly but this works for us.