Is He Getting Enough Sleep?

He may be tired, but those behavior problems are also part of the age. I call them the tyrannical 3's. I don't know where people got terrible 2's from because that is nothing compared to 3! They can do more things and are struggling to gain more independence, while still needing a lot of (unwanted) help. This ups their frustration level, but they still don't have the ability to handle all of those big emotions yet. And as you note, they are trying to transition to no naps. My 3rd son is almost 3 and full-on in this phase. I just posted yesterday about trying to maintain my sanity through this transition! It's not pretty, but it does pass. 4 is pretty terrific :) Hang in there, you aren't alone!

sweetness goes bye-bye at three. Four welcomes full on sass, and I am hoping 5 welcomes back sweetness.....

11-12 hours total is what is needed.

Ok, this might seem obvious, but sometime i get busy and i don't do this myself.
Balance the amount of Acitve time with down time.

So make sure you have him out doing something active in the am, playing ball iln your back yard, take him to a playground, put some music on and dance in the livingroom

then when he would have normally had his nap, chill things out, listen to a book on cd, snuggle up and read stories to him, work on puzzles or board games etc.

how is potty training? Could he be waking up at night because his bladder is full or his pullup is wet? You could try taking him potty half asleep at like 10 pm and see if that helps. too.

Two was easy. Three was really, really challenging.

This is when parenting becomes very important.

Food for thought: When I was studying to become certified as a parent educator, I will never forget when a parenting expert told my class that three is hard- and went on to say--" If you are a doormat when your kid is 3, put a 1 in front of the three...In other words, 13 will be a nightmare. The same holds true when your kid is 4."

We gave up on naps when my daughter was three. It was too much to try and cajole a nap all the time and then she slept waaaay to long and was grumpy after. Now she goes to bed at 6:30 and is up around the same in the morning. She was really cranky in the beginning, but now it is great. We have our evenings to ourselves and there's no more power struggle over sleep (napping or bedtime). Sometimes she'll still fall asleep in the car, but since this is on her terms, it's not a big deal. Hang in there, it may be that your son is learning a new skill or working through something. It seems that just when you think the struggles never gonna end, there comes a reprieve.

I really dislike the age three. Lucky for me, my youngest just turned 4. Good luck.

He is tired. He needs that nap. He is going to bed way too early for his age. Make some simple changes and he should fall back into his old routine.

Might not be sleep. My son still naps (but some days not for very long), but still went through the same thing at 3 1/2. It lasted about three months and he gradually grew out of it. I hope the same happens for you!

Will he stay in room and rest? Mught be terrible 3's. sorry!

I agree with the moms who say its an age thing not a sleep thing. My son is almost 3 and he only takes naps every couple of days. he also goes to bed around 6:30 or 7. However we have a rule that he is not allowed out of bed till mama is out of bed, and alot of times he will fall back to sleep.