First off, never make "bed" a punishment or a time-out spot. If you tell a child that their behavior is bad and that they have to go to bed, it will be a punishment time and they won't understand "going to bed, to sleep for the night" or even a nap, they will feel like they are being punished.
Storytime does work. If they have a regular routine, eat, bath and then jammies and bedtime with a story. They will begin to get sleepy with the routine and fall asleep on cue.
You can stay in the room with them for a several days or weeks until the routine is set.
Make sure there are no distractions, no tv, or phone calls to make you removed from the routine until the child is comfortable with knowing that he cannot get up, or no drinks or bathroom runs to stall the process.
