Daytime nap and 'rest' tips needed

Yes, I know there have been umpteen threads about nap times, but here's another...

DS seems like he's ready to push back his nap time until lunch time or later. Usually he tells me he's ready for a nap and leads me to his cot so I can put him down around 11am. Lately he's still been acting tired but when nap time rolls around, he's not interested.:rolleyes: We've been having lunch first some days but I think he gets overtired and then won't nap at all. Is there anything I can do to make the transition to a later nap time easier? What should I do when he refuses to nap - how long do I wait before I offer again? Should I just put him down and leave? If we do get up, should it be rest time or play time? He's always been such a great sleeper, I'd love to keep that going for as long as I can! :lol:

My next question is, how do you 'do' a rest period for the times when DS won't sleep at all during the day? He won't lie down, sit still or let me leave him (even to go to another room), so I'm not sure how to make sure he has a 'rest' unless I put him in his cot and leave him (which I worry will create a bad association between his cot and nap/sleep time) or lie/sit and cuddle him the whole time (which I don't want to do). What kinds of activities should I encourage DS to do during his rest period? Where should it be? How long do I make him 'rest' for? etc Some tips would be great! ;)

With both my girls i transitioned them by moving lunch forward a bit, so lunch around 11:30 then nap after lunch (12ish) then i slowly moved lunch back to a normaly time and now DD2 goes down anywhere b/w 12:30 and 2ish.
I have never worked out a 'rest' pattern for them, some days i would put a DVD on with a snack and sit them on their little couch with a pillow and blanket but after about 5min or when the snack was finished they would be up and running around again or dancing to the movie.

I think it's all just a matter of trial and error, good luck with it all.

DS was up at 5:50am this morning (about an hour and a half earlier than usual, but it seems to be his new 'normal' wake up time), was absolutely shattered by 10:30am and asked to be put down. When we got there, he didn't want to go into his cot, but I ended up just leaving him (I told him he could have a 'rest') and he grizzled for about a minute before going straight to sleep. It seems the extra hour or so awake time is being added to the start of his day and not at lunch time! I really don't think I can keep him awake any longer, especially on swimming days.