Time to drop DS - 2y8mo afternoon nap?

[joannaspanner74]

DS is waking up early each morning...anything from 5am onwards. Cue lots of cajoing and trying to persuade him to go back to sleep or at least 'rest' in his bed. Usually not totally sucessful.
Then day proceeds with him being tired & difficult & trying everyone's patience.
He sleeps max 1 hr at lunchtime. Sometimes we have to wake him from this sleep. But sometimes he doesn't seem tired but doesnt protest too much when we say its nap time and goes off wihtout too much fuss.
He will happily stay awake downstairs in the evening till 8-9 pm without being grumpy. Though we try and get him to bed 7.30-8.00, as it seems to make him sleep a little better at night.
So..am wondering whether to either scrap daytime nap altogether or cut right down to half an hour.
Often also wakes up asking for milk (which we stopped a few months ago), or something to eat.
DC2 expected in March '10, so anxious to get this all sorted asap!
Anyone got any bright ideas or similar exp?

It does sound like he is ready to drop the nap. When DD1 was about 2.8 she started staying awake v late at night (i.e. to 9pm ish) so I decided to drop the nap (at the time she would still happily sleep 1.5 to 2 hrs at lunchtime if I let her, although I usually woke her after 1 hour). It made all the difference to bedtime - in fact I had to start putting her to bed at 6.30pm as she was v tired by then and would pass straight out. The down side was she'd often be pretty grumpy by late afternoon. I found that for the first couple of months she would still need to have a nap a couple of times a week even though most days she was fine without.

DD2 dropped her nap before she was even two. They are all different.

Thanks. Probably have been thinking in the back of my mind that he could go without the nap, but as per lots of other mums, proably reluctant to drop it as it provides that lovely hours peace and quiet on the days that I am at home with him. On the plus side though it might mean i don't need the hours peace & quiet if he sleeps till a sensible time in the morning and goes to bed early!

My ds1 (2yr 9m) has just dropped his, although I do make him sit and do something fairly quiet (puzzles, stickers, tv). That way I can still go onto mn do chores.

I was just coming to post for similar advice.
DS2 is 2.1, used to sleep through, but now wakes a few times a night, just wanting his dad, if I go in, he is inconsolable.
He gets up for the day anytime between 5.45 and 7.
He still has nap (would sleep 2.5hrs if I let him), but cutting it down to an hour isn't improving much.

I don't know if I should cut it out altogether, as he asks to go to sleep around lunchtime.
Sorry to hijack.

no prob hijacking sounds a similar story. my DS's sleeping seems to have got progressively worsr rather than better. prob slept better 18 months ago than now!
but we have same night waking etc, except ours screams for me and tells DH to 'go away' if he tries to help.
i think defo quiet time is a must and i think from talking to other mums, we might have a situation where they nap every other day or every third day for a while till they grow out of the nap altogether.
will experiment when at home on Weds with him.

dd1 dropped her nap at a similar age-she was starting to not want to go to bed at her normal 7.30.
It was painful (I was pg too at the time) but improved bedtimes
actually she does still have an afternoon nap (she is now 3.5) if she is extra tired for some reason

DS2 will go to bed quite happily at 7ish and settle himself to sleep (have always put him down awake) talks or sings a bit to himself, but it's the waking at 1.30, 2.15, 4.30 etc that's doing my head in!
DH works and I am SAHM, so I dont feel its fair that DH has to settle him 3 times a night.
He used to settle for me no bother, but is a real daddys boy ATM.
I'm just hoping he grows out of this soon.