Naptime . . . Is This the End?

Great suggestions here.

Yes, perhaps adjust the time he takes his nap....

Also, you said he's been waking up "screaming" in the middle of the night... this could be because he is having night mares or "night terrors." These things are purely developmental, normal, and begins at about this age.
If you look it up online and do Google searches on the topic, you will find lots of information.

You also mention you are pregnant and tired. By this age, when I was pregnant with my 2nd baby... I would literally tell my daughter that "Mommy has to rest... and take care of baby...." and I would enlist her "help" and literally lie down on the sofa, put her toys next to me, and she would "understand" and "let" me rest... she would even rub my tummy (her brother) to help me. It was also a great "bonding" time for us together, and she felt close to her baby brother this way.

Your son is also having LOTS of changes in his life now, because you are pregnant. It can create anxiety in the child and perhaps upset his usual sleeping pattern. This is normal. But, for us, we completely talked with my daughter about it and included her in everything as much as possible.... I even took her to my OB/BYN appointments and my Doctor would let her "help" by teaching her how to put the heart monitor on my belly during check ups. We also talked with her about how she will become a "sibling" and etc. ALL of this helped make her feel less "insecure" about the whole thing. It was fun for her, and it made her feel loved and "important." And by the time the baby came, she was completely secure and happy about it, with no anxiety....and she adjusted so great.

This age is an age of great changes for them anyway. So, on top of just his normal developmental things, this is just maybe "other" things that maybe are affecting him.
Just some other ideas,

all the best,
Susan

My daughter who will be 3 next month goes to bed at 8:30 pm and falls asleep by 9pm and gets up the next day 7-8 am and takes an 1-2 hr nap at 1:30-3:30 pm everyday. I do not let her sleep past 3:30 pm I wake her up.We always had a strict routine since about 4 months old.Hope this helps. L.:)

I think it depends on each child and the circumstances. My four year old still takes a nap most days for roughly 45 mintues. He sleeps a solid night. The Pre-Kindergarden's we checked out all still require naptime, so he takes them there also. While his naps are definitely usually on the shorter side now, he is much happier in the afternoons when he takes one. He is very grouchy when he doesn't take it. When he doesn't want to take one, we still try to do quiet time so he at least gets some time of rest. You may want to try that as an alternative.

Best of luck to you! And congratulations! I'm likewise expecting in April! :O)

Hello,

My daughter will be 4 years old in dec, and she still takes a daily nap. If she doesnt wake up within 2 hrs, I will wake her up to make sure she will be able to sleep through the night. The problem may not be how long your son is sleeping but what time he takes his nap, you may want to try and have him take his nap a little earlier.

J., my son is 3 (4 in January) and we removed his naps about 3 months ago and we have not regretted it at all. Like you my son would take a 2-3 hour nap (sleeping very hard) and would not go to sleep at night till very late. The good news on our side was that he wouldn't wake up till 8 or 9 in the morning; however, it made it very difficult for school days. So the preschool teacher recommended no naps (or if he was really tired no more than 1 hour). He now goes to sleep at a reasonable time (8 or 8:30) and wakes up much happier at 7 am. He is much happier during the day and after the first week or so no one missed his naps (especially him!). You may want to try a shorter nap time, instead of foregoing naps altogether since James is a little younger and may still need a little more sleep. Wish you lots of luck!