What would you do? 3-2 nap transition

[Jasquers]

My DS is 7.5 months.
I am wondering whether he is ready to not have the 3rd nap.
He currently generally wakes around 6.30am.
He can last 2.5 hours before first nap, so sleeps at 9am. He normally wakes after 1.5 hours (and if he doesn't I wake him).
He then is awake around 2hr 45 before next nap, so sleeps 1.15pm. This is where it gets tricky. He normally sleeps 90 mins so he would wake 2.45pm. However, because this would be too early and too long before bedtime I tend to wake him after 1 hour, so 2.15pm, so I can squeeze a catnap in around 4.30pm. This is always in the sling as it is the quickest way to get him to sleep. I feel bad waking him at 2.15pm. He seems tired still.
So I think I have 3 options:
Do I keep capping the lunchtime nap and keep the catnap to prevent overtiredness?
Do I let him sleep how long he wants (within reason!)at lunchtime? If he wakes before 3pm which is likely, I dont know if he will last until a 7pm bedtime. Then again I have never tried it but 4 hours seems such a jump from being able to manage less than 3 hours earlier on. Will he sleep worse at night due to overtiredness? I fear if I put him to bed at 6pm he will be up for the day at 4am (especially as he gets 3 hours naptime).
Or do I cap morning nap, bring lunchtime nap earlier (and longer) and still go for late catnap?

What do your nearly 8 month olds do?

I would be dtopping that third nap around this stage too.

Could you try pushing the afternoon nap to start at 2pm? I would let baby sleep as long as he needs.

At 8 months mine napped 9.30-10.20 and then 1-2.30ish. Bed at 7. DD1 got up at 7, DD2 has always got up at 5.30 but napped at similar times. Now at just 2 she's dropped her nap completely and sleeps 7-5.30.
I'd let him nap as long as he needs at lunch and go for a slightly earlier bedtime.

Well I tried 2 naps past 2 days. The naps went well. 9-1030 and 130-3, bed at 7.
However he woke 540 each day and its been a struggle to keep him up until 9am for his first nap.
Today its gone wrong. He slept 9-1030 but only 40 mins at 130pm. Im thinking he was overtired from early morning wake ups. Im having to give him a sling nap now-430pm-5pm as he is so tired. Is it ok to do 3 naps one day and 2 if the naps are longer? Maybe bedtime was too late and I should go with a 630pm bedtime instead? Arrgh!!!

Yes, absolutely it's ok! In fact that is exactly how transitions work.

For example the transition from 3-nap days to 2-nap days might start with one-off occassional 2-nap days, in amoungst 3-nap days.

For example one 2-nap day followed by six 3-nap days. Then maybe one 3-nap day and only need three 3-nap days to recover. Then maybe two consecutive 2-nap days with just one or two 3-nap days and back to 2-nap days.

Over time there are fewer and fewer 3 nap days until every day is a 2-nap day. Transition took about 2 months for us.

Exactly the same kind of gradual transition happens with 2-naps to 1-nap days.

Thanks again Fate! I read somewhere (must not Google) that once you made the decision to have 2 nap days, you shouldnt revert to 3 as it can confuse baby and disturb sleep further! But what you say makes much more sense

Ours was much more of a complete switch, but that's because that's how they wanted to do it IYSWIM? They both just stopped wanting the third nap at 6-7 months, at 12 months both switched to 1 nap and both extremely suddenly dropped their nap completely at around 20 months. No transition at all! If your baby needs the extra nap on some days though then that's fine, just do it gradually. They're all different and need different things.