Napping Together?!

[Bookworm]

Okay, so I am in a bit of a dilemma now. I have almost two year old twin boys who I have napping in the same room. However, I can no longer allow this to continue. They talk and jump around in their playpens keeping each other up and it is totally driving me crazy. The only way I can get them to sleep is by standing in the room until they sleep. Usually only takes a few minutes, but a total pain in the butt as my own two children don't sleep and my almost 2 year old son always tries to follow me into their room. All the other children sleep in seperate rooms. The problem is that even if I split the twins up, one of them will need to sleep with someone else.

So, I have been toying with the idea of having all my dck's sleep in the same room. I have one full time girl (15 months), the twins and a 15 month boy twice a week. I may also have a 11 month old start at the end of this month for 3 days a week. This will give me my bedrooms back, and hopefully, allow me to get the twins to be quiet (Oh I hope God).
I figure if I ship my kids off to my mothers (she lives two doors down) during nap time for a week, that I can get the others to follow the new sleep routine.

For those of you who have all the kids sleep in one room...what tips do you have for me. I'm thinking of adding a sound machine or music or something so if someone does make a little noise, it won't be soo disruptive.

Am I crazy for even attempting this with my twins????

TIA

[apples and bananas]

Oh, I love the idea of getting my bedrooms back. I have a playroom on my main level that I sleep 2 in right now and 2 upstairs. I'd love to have them all in one room, but their sleep paterns don't allow it, they'd wake each other up.

I had twin girls once. They were amazing though. They slept in 2 seperate play pens in the same room and if one woke up the other would sleep through it.

I don't think you're crazy. I think that anything can be accomplished with consistency and patience. The question is... how much patience do you have and how badly do you want the rooms back?

If you do bring everyone together I would probably ease them in one or 2 at a time. And maybe on light days when you don't have everyone. And mentally prepare yourself for some days without a proper break, it will make it easier when things go drastically wrong.

However, it may be a breeze and everyone may do really well. You just don't know until you try right?

Good luck! I hope it works out for you. You 've made me contimplate it myself. I would love to wake up and not trip over a playpen. lol

[Dreamalittledream]

Oh me too! I too have a playpen in every room! I did try putting my best 2 sleepers in the same room once...they giggled and talked for an hour; I had to keep going in and finally separated them again. I commend those that are able to gt everyone to nap well (some on cots too!).

[Momof4]

My children all nap in two rooms, my living room/daycare room and my dining room. I have to set up the playpens before nap and take them down after nap but it's good exercise, hehe. My computer is in the daycare room where 3 or 4 of the children sleep depending on who is having a 'loud' stage. The loud ones are in the dining room and right now that's just my newest baby.

I sit at the computer and eat my lunch and check my emails and our private city forum in the pitch black room waiting for the children to fall asleep, then I leave so I don't bother them after they have all fallen asleep. Because I'm right here I can shush or deal with any child who is learning that naptime is for quiet and sleep. It works because when I put 5 children to bed now they are all asleep within about 10 minutes of each other, even the new baby who started in Sept.

I believe children are healthier and happier when they have routines. It isn't an accident that my dckids all fall asleep at the same time. Their bodies are used to the way our day transitions, from busy morning to lunch to circle time to naptime and so on.

[Lou]

This is something I will be implementing after I'm back from my mat leave! I would like our upstairs to be for family only, andit will be so nice to clear out the playpens!
I have my basement playroom divided so that it's 3/4 playroom and 1/4 sleep area for the 3 yrs olds (right now I have 2 2yrs olds that sleep upstairs in our bedrooms). Starting the day they return from my mat leave, they will ALL be sleeping in the sleep area of the basement, so they will not be disturbed by a screaming baby, lol. I hope it works out! Right now, I have excellent sleepers though so I'm not *too* worried about it. Good luck!!!!

[loulou]

My DCK's all nap in 2 rooms. Livingroom and playroom. I put them down one at a time though. So the 2 that sleep in the playpen I put one down, 5 min later bring down the other. The ones in the livingroom 2 go down, then the last does. Takes a while to get the swing of things but consistency pays off!

[apples and bananas]

For all of you brave soles that have kids in the same room I commend you! I have 2 in the same room. One on a cot and one in a playpen. The are both amazingly good sleepers. My fear of having them all in the same room is that if one wakes early doesn't that screw up the remainder of the nap for everyone else?

How do you handle it if one wakes up early?

[mimi]

Since I started 7 yrs ago, all the kids have slept in the same room. Each has their own playpen and they sleep in the playpen until they don't nap anymore. Then they move on to quiet time in the playroom. When I announce "sleepy time" and sing the song the kids run to the nap room and stand by their beds. Parents are disbelieving of the fact that they all sleep together in this room. The room is completely dark and they all fall asleep almost immediately. I'm not kidding! A gentle and then stern reminder for the newbies that it is sleepy time and that quiets the child. Even the transitioning ones. The parents think I'm lying when I tell them xxxx slept well as xxxx may not sleep well at home. I think they take comfort in the fact they are all together, they hear me walking about and the room is dark. I have never had a child complain about being scared in the dark. (I used to be so I would never let a child suffer this fear here) If I would have a screamer or an unwell child, I keep them in the livingroom on the couch for me to comfort and keep an eye on them.

[Momof4]

For all of you brave soles that have kids in the same room I commend you! I have 2 in the same room. One on a cot and one in a playpen. The are both amazingly good sleepers. My fear of having them all in the same room is that if one wakes early doesn't that screw up the remainder of the nap for everyone else?

How do you handle it if one wakes up early?

That's why my new baby is out in the dining room and the other 4 have been in the living room. All the established kids sleep 2-3 hours and the new baby sleeps 1 1/2-2 hours. I put a fan in the door between the two rooms for white noise so the 4 children don't hear him babbling away to himself now that he has finally stopped screaming and it's working great. The fan is pointed away from the children by the way.

[Other Mummy]

My crew sleeps in 3 separate rooms. The nap room, the media/den area, and our main bedroom upstairs. I have my 23 DCG sleep in a playpen in our bedroom, my 2 DCB's 2.5 and 3 sleep in the media/den area and my part time DCG who's 3.5 sleeps in the actual nap room along with a new DCB that started today. He's 21 mo.

My DCK's all sleep. Even the newbies. But as you know, DCK's days are filled with a lot of activity both mentally and physically. I sometimes have to remind someone not to disturb their friends sleep. Then I give the stink eye. that usually works. Usually someone is asking for a nap by 12:30, after lunch