Dd (8mos) has started to balk at taking a late-afternoon catnap. We expected this was coming as depending on her wake-up time and nap length/quality, some days she doesn't need it, and we don't even try and put her down. So, I have been slowly trying to extend her awake time before her first and second naps to better balance her naps throughout the day. Otherwise she winds up being awake for 4+ hours before bed, is super-cranky by dinnertime, and falls asleep during her bedtime feed. (We've also temporarily moved bedtime a little earlier.) However, when I keep her awake longer (up to 2.5hr or so from 2hr), her subsequent naps are shorter (1.25hr vs. 2hr), which kind of defeats the purpose. In the end, she's getting less daytime sleep, and I still have a cranky baby at the end of the day.
How do I fix this?