Naptime routines

How to get four children down for nap at the same time? When it happens easily it's wonderful. : ) A tummy full of fun, nutritious food really helps; so does routine. The older children look forward to their rest period after a morning full of activity! They often set the pace and example for the younger ones. With tiny babies (all of ours are toddlers right now), the schedule follows more of their natural patterns of eat, sleep, wake, eat, sleep, wake, every hour or two. Our regular naptime for the older children is right after lunch. We clean them up, read a story, set up their naptime area, pull down all the blinds, change their diapers and put them to rest. Sometimes they rest, sometimes they play for a while. Hopefully they don't wake the other children! : ) I check the wakeful ones on occasion to see how they're doing but generally don't interact much - this is naptime, not playtime with Kathy, after all!

When all is quiet I take the opportunity to have a cup of tea, wash the lunch and breakfast dishes, tidy up, and catch up on anecdotal records and paperwork. In a few minutes it's time to get them up, change diapers, and start the learn/play cycle all over again!