How do I know if hes ready to drop his afternoon nap?

[kbaby]

DS is 23 months old, he currently sleeps for 2hrs every afternoon from 1.30pm. He is ready for a nap and happily goes down in his cot. The past week he has been difficult to get to bed in the night and each evening has now been crying that he wants to get out, when he does eventually calm down he just lays there playing etc. Tonight he cried and didnt setle until 9.30pm.

I am thinking that maybe hes not tired at bed time and that his nap should reduce. But what do I do, do I try and keep him awake all day or should I let him sleep for 1hr and then wake him?
It seems a bit cruel to wake him up as he obv needs the sleep in the afternoon.
Any advice welcome please.

My DS2 gave up his naps literally as soon as he was two. Has yours managed ok without daytime sleeps, say if you are out and about? I would give it a go and see what happens. Either that or carry on with the daytime sleep but try to get him doing lots in the afternoon to wear him out!! Kids are all so different though - my DS1 slept after lunch till he was 3. I think you just have to try a few strategies and see what works best.

mine just wouldn't have them anymore, both around 27m.
ds1 had been protesting greatly about it (basically having an hour in his cot but rarely going to sleep) and when we moved him from a cot to a bed that was it.
ds2 also protesting, and with having to fit round the school run etc I just gave up. He is one grizzly bear in the afternoon and would greatly benefit from a sleep, but there is no way I could get him to hve one until about 2.30pm, and I leave to pick up ds1 at 2.55pm - so it would be pointless.

i think all little ones need a nap in the day - my dc2 is 3y 8m and still has an hour on most days! he really cant get through every day without one and he's still in bed just after 8!
my dc3 is 22 months and is still having 2 hours at lunchtime! think my kids just like they're sleep!
but if your little one is having trouble going to bed in the evening i would wake him up after 1 1/2 hours and see how he is about going to bed that night. i also think they go through a rebelious stage at that age about not wanting to be left to go to sleep.

My son started being really hard to settle at night around 27 months. Dropping the daytime sleep has been the only solution to getting him to sleep at a reasonable hour at night, although it took us forever to figure that out.

Mine was only on about 40 min - 1.5 hours, so it might be an idea to shorten his nap first and see how he goes?

Now my son is 3.5 and if he sleeps for even 20 min in the day he will get to bed 2 hours late - but still wake up same time next morning which means he is v grumpy!

Yes ill try to shorten it first then. It just seems so cruel waking him from his sleep that I havent had the heart to do it up to now.
thanks