Is he ready to drop the nap or do we just need to modify?

[heatherjo_999]

My DS is 2.7 years old and has always been a great sleeper. He has gone down for naps from 1-3 p.m. or 1:30-3:30 since he was 14 months old. He still goes down at this time and sleeps soundly. He has only missed this nap a handful of times and it ain't pretty. He gets very cranky and it makes him completely overtired and interferes with his night sleep. Well, here's the situation: He is now up until 10-12 at night. He stays in his bed, but he just isn't tired. He used to take this nap and sleep from 8:30 p.m.-8 a.m. So I am wondering what to do. Just another tidbit of information is that he is a bear if you wake him from a nap. Should I maybe try 1-2:30 for a bit and deal with the wrath of my adorable little bear? Or, is the inevitable coming...dropping the nap?

[~Karen~]

You just to to start cutting it back.  Do it in 15 minute increments so he doesn't get OT.  If you cut it by 15 mins and he's still not going to sleep at night cut it by another 15 mins and see how you get on.  Should be a while before you have to cut it completely though.

[heatherjo_999]

Thanks a bunch! I will try that over the course of the next couple of weeks and let you know how it works out.

[~Karen~]

Cool.  Hope it goes well.  Hopefully you should be able to hang on to a nap for a while yet!

[heatherjo_999]

Hi, just coming back to let you know how it all worked out. We cut the nap to 1.5 hr. and that seems to help a bit. We figured out that the main problem wasn't actually the nap...it was a nightlight that he wanted on. Needless to say I had some insight that, that was causing the problem. I can't sleep with any lights and he has always needed it dark. He wasn't too happy at first but he is super smart and he accepted my reasoning Thanks for the help!

[~Karen~]

Great news