How can I get my toddler to nap longer?

Saw this over at Babycenter while looking for tips and ideas for my lil boy and thought this is very helpful!

Know your toddler's sleep patterns. If you put your toddler down before he's ready, he may just catnap. If you put him down too late, he may not sleep well because he's overtired.

Every toddler has his own sleep schedule. Most toddlers start out taking morning and afternoon naps of about an hour each, then transition to one longer afternoon nap of two hours or more. Others don't nap at all but go down earlier for the night. Both scenarios are completely normal. Use trial and error to figure out when your toddler's ideal nap times are, then try to stick to them.

Rethink your nap-time routine. Some toddlers who wake up early from their nap will go back to sleep with a little encouragement, such as a loving pat. But if your toddler's waking up cranky and staying awake, the problem might be that he doesn't know how to fall back asleep on his own.

Think about how he's going down for his nap. Do you rock him, nurse him, or let him nod off in your arms? Helping him find ways to soothe himself to sleep as part of your nap-time routine may solve the problem.

Make sure your toddler's napping place is quiet, dark, cool, and comfortable. If he's sleeping on a mat in the living room rather than in his bedroom with the shades drawn, it's likely that his nap won't last as long. In general, children nap best in the same place where they sleep at night.

Consider dropping a nap. True, moving from two naps to one means your toddler is sleeping less overall during the day, but the remaining nap is likely to be longer. If your toddler's waking up early from his morning or afternoon snooze, that may be a clue he's ready to switch to a single nap. Most toddlers make the transition between 12 and 18 months.