The Elusive Naptime

Lately, a lot of people have been asking how in the world I manage to get all three kids down for naps together.  Most of my friends only have their toddlers or infants home with them during the day, since many kids go to Mothers Day Out or pre-school somewhere.  My kids span from 3 months to 3 years, and they're all home with me.  All. Day. Long. 

I love it, truly I do, but grocery shopping, doctor's visits, and naptime can get a little crazy.  But since I plan on homeschooling, I'm in it for the long haul, and I've got to think longterm with how I'm going to make life work with all of my littles at home with me.

While it's doesn't require any magic to take naps together, it does require some planning.  But it's totally worth it for my sanity. 

Here are the logistics and details to consider:

• Andrew is 21 months.  He needs a nap.
• Isabelle is almost 4.  She naps once or twice a week.
• Alexandre is 3 months.  He needs a nap, but his are shorter and (gasp!) unscheduled.  He can nap on the fly.  And yeah, I know I'm slacking and need to have some sort of routine for my baby, but life has been crazy.  He's fat and happy, so that's all that matters to me at this point. 

With all that in consideration, I've determined that Andrew's schedule dictates naptime.

At some point after lunch, we sit down for story time.  One or both of the older kids will pick out a story or two and we read together.  I put Andrew down in his crib.  After that, Isabelle goes to her room for what I like to call her theoretical naptime.  She likes to declare "But I don't want a nap, Mommy!"  And then I remind her (it's like a script of written dialoge that we say every day):

"You don't have to nap.  But you do have to stay in your room and play quietly while your brothers sleep.  You're tired and you need rest."  And so does mommy.

Sometimes, like yesterday, we hit the jackpot and she takes a nap.  But most of the time, she has birthday parties for her stuffed animals in her bed or makes up some crazy game with her toys.  She usually stays in bed. 

When she first started skipping naps from time to time, when she was 2, our rule was that she had to stay in bed, and she got in trouble if she didn't.  Sometimes I would read a book or work on my Bible study on the floor of her bedroom while she played in her bed, just to make sure she didn't get up.  But now that she's older, I've relaxed that rule and the new rule is that she must stay in her room.  I provide consequences every time she gets out of her room. 

She stays in her room for the duration of naptime, which is two hours.  If her brother sleeps longer or doesn't go to sleep quickly, then I bring her a fun toy and ask her to continue playing quietly while her brother sleeps.  This is a special toy, like her LeapPad, her toy laptop, lacing cards (to practice fine motor skills), or magnetic dress up dolls, something I don't let her have for the rest of the day.  Or we do schoolwork during this time.  She loves school.  Often, I might bring a game to her room for us to play together, something like memory that's hard to play when Andrew is running around.  This makes for great one-on-one time while the boys sleep.  But our goal is to keep the house quiet while the little ones nap. 

As for Alexandre, my 3 month old, well he and I also enjoy some one-on-one time while the others nap.  We make googly eyes at each other or play pat-a-cake.  And then he falls asleep again.  I love this easy stage of babyhood. 

And Mommy?  Mommy reads, naps, works on Bible study, does laundry, catches up on the phone with a friend, meal plans, starts dinner, blogs, plays around on Facebook, reads her favorite blogs, or shops for Christmas gifts online.  I try not to spend too much time cleaning.  I need some rest or play time to help me recharge for the rest of the day.  And sometimes, every so often, I play Angry Birds.  True story.

How do you make naptime work?  And more importantly, how do you spend your naptime?