The Dreamtime Blog
Bedtime story ideas
& sleep tips for parents
Better bedtimes, happier mornings.
Practical guides on bedtime routines, storytelling, and raising well-rested children.
How to Help Your Child Learn to Tell Time Using Bedtime as Your Secret Tool
Bedtime is the perfect low-pressure moment to teach children about time — from understanding "10 minutes" to reading a clock. Here's how to weave simple, playful time-telling lessons into your existing routine without adding a single extra minute to bedtime.
How to Choose the Right Bedtime Story Voice: Should You Do Character Voices or Not?
Wondering if you need to do silly voices to be a "good" storyteller at bedtime? Here's what actually matters for engagement, comprehension, and connection — plus simple ways to add variety without the performance pressure.
How to Help Your Child Stop Rushing Through Bedtime Stories to Get to "The Good Part" (Sleep)
If your child skims pages, demands you "skip to the end," or treats storytime as a hurdle before sleep rather than something to savour, you're not alone. Here's why it happens and how to help your child slow down and actually enjoy the story again.
How to Help Your Child Stop Waking Up Grumpy (And Start the Day Well)
If mornings in your house involve tears, tantrums, or a child who simply won't get out of bed, the problem might actually start the night before. Here's why kids wake up grumpy and the practical, evidence-based fixes that help mornings go smoothly.
How to Help Your Child Stop Talking Themselves Awake at Bedtime
Some children fall quiet at bedtime, but others seem to get more chatty the moment the lights go off, asking questions, narrating their day, or inventing entire conversations. Here's why it happens and how to gently guide your child from chatter to calm.
How to Help Your Child Stop Using Bedtime as a Stage for Big Feelings (Tantrums, Tears and Meltdowns Explained)
Bedtime meltdowns can feel like they come out of nowhere, but they're rarely really about pyjamas or the "wrong" cup. Here's why big emotions surge at the end of the day and a practical, step-by-step approach to help your child (and you) get through it calmly.
How to Help Your Child Stop Bringing Every Toy to Bed With Them
If bedtime has turned into a nightly negotiation over which stuffed animals, action figures, and random toys get to sleep in the bed, you're not alone. Here's why children do this and how to gently set limits without a fight.
How to Handle Bedtime When Your Child Refuses to Wear Pyjamas (Or Any Particular Item of Clothing)
When bedtime turns into a wardrobe negotiation every single night, it's rarely about the pyjamas. Here's why clothing battles happen at bedtime and practical ways to defuse them without a fight.
How to Help Your Child Stop Negotiating Bedtime Like a Tiny Lawyer
If bedtime in your house has turned into a courtroom drama, complete with counter-offers and appeals, you're not alone. Here's why children negotiate at bedtime and how to hold the line with warmth instead of frustration.
How to Help Your Child Stop Asking for Water, Snacks, and the Toilet After Lights Out
Endless requests for water, snacks, or "one more wee" after lights out can turn bedtime into a nightly negotiation. Here's why these post-lights-out requests happen and a practical, step-by-step plan to reduce them for good.
How to Help Your Child Stop Fighting Sleep When They're Overexcited (Birthdays, Holidays & Big Days Out)
Big days like birthdays, holidays, and school trips leave kids buzzing long after lights out. Here's why overexcitement hijacks sleep and a practical, step-by-step approach to help your child come back down to earth at bedtime.
How to Choose the Right Bedtime Story Length for Your Child's Attention Span
Too short and your child feels short-changed; too long and they're wriggling before the middle. Here's how to match story length to your child's real attention span, at every age and energy level.