Successful Naptimes

Naptimes have always been a struggle in our house. From the time Wyatt was born until he was almost 3 and I had two other babies I would drive them around in the car until they all went to sleep and then carefully and quietly bring them in the house, just praying that they wouldn't wake up during the transition to their bed. After almost 3 years of that routine I realized that I just couldn't keep doing it anymore. So, I would put them in their room (they all share a room) and hope for the best. Most days they would start playing together and not go to sleep. So, I would end up disciplining and sitting in their room making them be quiet until they all fell asleep. This is just how things have been at our house and I didn't know what else to do, but I also knew that I hated it and it wasn't working.
Last week I received a book that my wonderful husband ordered for me and it has changed our naptimes! The book is called Managers Of Their Homes. It is a Christian book geared at homeschooling families, but you don't have to be a homeschooling family to benefit from it (we are sending our kids to public school). The book is all about schedules for you and your children, but it also gives lots of tips on how to make your lives run smoothly. One of the tips in the book is to put your children down for naps in different rooms (if they share a room at night). This way they can't play with their siblings and they're more likely to rest. I decided to give it a shot last Monday and I cannot tell you the difference it has made. Reece still sleeps in the crib in their room, but now Seth sleeps on the bed in my room and Wyatt sleeps on the couch. Seriously, I put them all down in their naptime sleeping spots and they are all asleep with in 10 minutes.
Another great thing about this little set up is that it keeps me from falling asleep in their room while I try to get them to sleep and because Wyatt is on the couch it keeps me from plopping down in front of the TV. So, I am getting a lot more done while they nap too.
I highly recommend the book to anyone needing some more structure and sanity in their home. It really is wonderful.