Those with DC who nap once a day, please help me!

Ava has moved to one nap a day. Lately, she has been waking at 6:30-7am and then needing a nap again at like 9am, and there's no stretching it later because the kid can't stand up. Then she sleeps for 2-2.5 hours, but is miserable in the late afternoon. I have no idea how to fix this. Do I do something low key in the morning instead of letting her run around, or do I keep her up later hoping she sleeps in? This is the first time I really feel flustered in ages with this kid, but everytime I try something, it fails miserably.
I kept her up later the other night, and she woke up earlier, which then tail-spinned into an early nap, etc.
Then I tried keeping her up later in the morning and giving her an early lunch and a late nap, but she was so overtired she wouldn't nap at all. I'm about to scream because come 3:30-4:00, she's whining and falling down on her face, literally, and won't sleep

Re: Those with DC who nap once a day, please help me!

Maddy was the same way when she went to nap( She was exactly 12 months old) My 2 nap routine was wake up, hang out at home, take nap, do whatever I need to do for the day ( go out , run errands), feed lunch, 2nd nap... la la la

with one nap, I just moved what I need to do for the day after we had breakfast. She does not really sleep in the car or the stroller,. For a while she was taking a nap at 10, then we moved it to 10:30, now its around 11:30am. I've tried moving it later, but it usually backfires, so her nap is 11:30-1:30. Its different from most other 17 month olds, but it works for us

ETA: I gave her like a week at each new naptime.

Message edited 6/25/2007 8:34:15 PM.

Re: Those with DC who nap once a day, please help me!

I would try to keep her up later again, Julia goes to bed at 9:30-10 and wakes
at 9:30am, and takes one nap at 4pm. Shes been doing this for so long now.

Re: Those with DC who nap once a day, please help me!

Thanks, ladies. I kept her up until 8 tonight, which is a little bit later than usual. It's all screwed up since we're staying with my parents. They're up early and wake her up early, so it really sucks.

Re: Those with DC who nap once a day, please help me!

Welcome to my EXACT world

seriously though, this is my darling daughter to a T!! There's not much to do except for those hours before dinner and bedtime we do LOTS. Usually taking her outdoors does the trick.