How to get out of contact naps with toddler?

My 16 (almost 17) month old toddler still exclusively contact naps. He has never been a good daytime crib sleeper. Even when he was a baby he only really napped if it was a contact nap, car nap, or in his stroller. I’d really like to stop contact napping so that I can do other things while he sleeps, but I’m just at a loss as to how to make that happen.

He won’t go down “drowsy but awake” EVER. Even at nights he has to be fully asleep when I put him in his crib. He immediately starts crying if he is awake or wakes up, and being in the room but not holding him does nothing to help with the waterworks.

I’m against sleep training and CIO, and honestly for naps I fully believe my kiddo is capable of crying for two hours of sleep and not actually napping. I probably should’ve tried changing it up sooner, but I’m a SAHM/and single parent much of the time (husband travels regularly for work) and his naps are the only real break I get during the day so I’ve been dragging my feet about facing down consecutive days of no nap.

All that said, with the heat and him getting bigger, he really isn’t taking long enough naps anymore. I know he’d sleep better in his crib.

Anyone go through something similar? How did you successfully transfer to crib naps?