Late to bed

[loraine]

My 2 1/2 year old used to go to bed at 8pm, but now he's awake till 9:30pm, we spend the whole evening taking him back to bed and he seems to be wide awake. He usually goes to sleep for just over an hour at 12pm and if I try to cut this nap out he crashes out in his bed at 5pm. He seems to need an afternoon nap, but then he is not tired at bedtime. Any suggestions please?

[carang]

cut the nap to 1/2 hour?

[JennyB]

What time does he wake up in the morning?
The only thing I can suggest that has worked for me when my daughter has had sleep problems is moving the bedtime slightly forward. Our bedtimes always go more smoothly earlier rather than later in the evening, when she is overtired and cranky. He may not seem tired but maybe he is just not showing it because he wants to stay up longer. My daughter is always trying to delay her bedtime even if she is "losing the plot" and yawning like crazy.
I think kids are still recommended to get 12-14hrs sleep per 24hrs at this age. So if cutting your son's nap takes him below 12hrs then it might not be a good idea.