Need some advice about daytime naps, please.

[suiledonn]

My dd is 26 months old. Up til about 5 months ago she had a good routine of being in bed by 8, napping 1 1/2 - 2 hrs during the day and then up at around 8. Then when I was about 6 weeks pregnant I got really sick with hyperemesis and I was really exhausted. I started going to bed with her (we were co-sleeping, since moved her to her own bed) in the day and sometimes we would sleep more than 3 hours with the result that we couldn't get her to bed before 9.30. Thankfully my sickness got a lot better and I stopped napping in the day with her. We have tried shortening her nap but still can't get her to bed before 9.30. Today dh was at home and we decided to skip the nap altogether with the result that she crashed out at 7.10.
We will have to wait and see how it goes but I am wondering if a day time sleep is important for some reason or is it the total hours of sleep in 24 hours that matters?
Also is there a good chance she will treat this as a nap and wake up again full of life at 9.30 or wake ridiculously early in the morning? Will her body clock be able to adjust to getting all the sleep she needs in one go?

I've been wondering about trying to get rid of DS nap as he is the same age and seems to be going to bed later and later. He has had a few nap free days and they haven't been terrible, but his sleep that night after no nap was really restless, and he seemed to have a lot of nightmares. I'm not sure if its a coincidence but he didn't have the wind down time he normally has (the half hour he lies on our bed wiggling about slowly falling asleep-we cosleep!) and just zonked straight out while drinking his milk! I admit I do like his naps though as they give me a chance for a brew and to catch up on some jobs so am reluctant to get rid of them!

Hi sparkymummy, well after going to sleep at 7.10 last night dd slept until 11 and then appeared in the living room just as we were going to bed. It took over an hour to settle her again but once she was asleep she slept very well. She got up a bit earlier than usual this morning and as a result she just got in to her own bed a few minutes ago and went to sleep. I am going to let her sleep now and go in around 1.30 and potter around til she wakes up. I asked my sister who has 4 children about naps and she said when hers were getting ready to drop the daytime nap they started by napping every second day so I am going to give it a try.

I know what you mean about enjoying nap time. I am a SAHM and dd and I spend a lot of time together so I do enjoy the couple of hours time alone when she is sleeping. Best of luck with your ds. It is exhausting having them up so late.