18 month nap transition

[twinmama2]

My boys have just turned 18 months and we are working on the 2 to 1 nap transition.  We tried it a few months ago and just fell apart, but this time around it seems to be going much better.  I just have a couple questions that I'm hoping for a little insight on.

First, we've been gradually pushing their morning nap back a bit each day hoping it will lengthen, but they're still sleeping about the same amount as they were when we were doing two naps.  Anywhere from 60-90 minutes is a typical nap right now, which doesn't seem like enough for them when that's the only nap!  Any suggestions on how to help them lengthen that nap? 

Also, they've been waking up very early, since even a few weeks before we started the transition.  I was hoping that going down to one nap would help us with that problem, but it hasn't   I know that early wake ups can often be overtired, but I'm not sure that's what it is since they were doing it well before the transition started.  Any ideas?

This is what our EASY has looked like since we started the transition about a week ago...
Sometime between 4am-5am start fussing and stirring in bed
5:30-5:45 awake
11:30-1:00 nap (slowly pushing this time back, about 15 minutes every couple days)
6:00 bed
Sometimes we've been getting nw (which is unusual for them).

Thank you so much for any ideas you might have for us!

[MasynSpencerElliotte]

I would guess that the ew were an indication that they needed to go to one nap...once they get to that point if they are still having two day sleeps then they ew to compensate. Since it has only been a week or so I would give it a bit longer to let them settle into a new routine and then once the nap is later you could push bedtime a bit later.

[twinmama2]

So we are now about a month into this transition and things have not gotten any better.  They are still waking up around 5:30 everyday (always J, sometimes L will sleep past 6am, but not often) and their naps are only about 60-90 minutes.  They almost always wake up from their nap crabby.  I really think that they need to sleep longer and are getting overtired, but I just don't know how to help them nap longer at this point.  We are continuing with the early bedtime to try and fight off some of the overtiredness, but it feels like we're fighting a losing battle.  Any thoughts or suggestions? Thanks.

[MasynSpencerElliotte]

What time is naptime and bedtime? Same as before? Is the night sleep good overall?

[twinmama2]

The last few days this has been our schedule:
4:30 J starts fussing/crying, sometimes settles on his own, sometimes needs help.  He usually will fuss/talk off and on until his brother wakes up then
5:30 both wide awake
12:00-1:30 nap (sometimes it's really hard to get them to last until nap time, falling asleep eating lunch)
6:30 bed

Night sleep has not been as great as it used to be - we've had nw early in the night, usually between 30 min to 2hr after they went to bed.  I think that's usually overtired, right?

Thanks for your insight!

[MasynSpencerElliotte]

I think personally I would put the nap a bit earlier as that is a long morning A time (just going on the fact that they are transitioning to one nap later than most so probably higher sleep needs?) and then to ebt if needed if the nap is not long. I wonder if the 1.5 naps are from ot as well? Early evening wakes usually are as well yes.