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 Cope With Bedtime When They're Feeling Left Out or Excluded
When your child has had a day where they felt left out or excluded, bedtime can feel impossibly hard — for them and for you. Here's how to use those quiet evening hours to help them feel seen, supported, and safe again.
How to Help Your Child Feel Excited About Tomorrow (Using the Power of Bedtime)
Bedtime isn't just about winding down — it's one of the best moments in the day to help your child end on a high note and wake up looking forward to what's next. Here's how to use those quiet evening minutes to build genuine optimism and excitement in young children.
How to Use Bedtime to Help Your Child Develop a Growth Mindset (Without Them Even Noticing)
Bedtime isn't just for winding down — it's one of the most powerful windows of the day for shaping how your child thinks about challenges, mistakes, and their own potential. Here's how to use those quiet evening moments to nurture a growth mindset in children aged 2–10.
How to Help Your Child Cope With Bedtime When They're Going Through a Big Friendship Problem
When your child is hurting over a falling-out with a friend, bedtime can feel impossible — for both of you. Here's how to use the quiet of the evening to help them process, heal, and drift off feeling safe.
How to Use Bedtime Stories to Help Your Child Build Confidence (And Why It Works)
Bedtime stories aren't just a lovely wind-down ritual — they're one of the most powerful tools parents have for quietly building a child's self-belief. Here's how to use storytime to nurture confidence, one night at a time.
How to Handle Bedtime When Your Child Has Just Started School (And Everything Feels New)
Starting school is one of the biggest transitions in a young child's life — and bedtime is often where all those big feelings come flooding out. Here's how to make evenings calmer, more connected, and genuinely restful during those first weeks and months.
How to Use Bedtime Stories to Help Children Through Grief and Loss
When a child is grieving — whether they've lost a pet, a grandparent, or something else they love — bedtime can feel especially hard. Here's how to use the quiet power of story to help them process loss, feel safe, and find their way through.
How to Handle Bedtime When Your Child Is Going Through a Regression (And Why It Happens)
Sleep regressions can blindside even the most seasoned parents — just when bedtime felt settled, everything unravels. Here's why they happen at every age, and exactly what you can do to get through them with your sanity intact.
How to Handle Bedtime When You Have More Than One Child at Different Sleep Stages
When your children need to go to bed at different times — and want completely different things from the experience — bedtime can feel like juggling with your eyes closed. Here's how to make it work for everyone, every night.
How to Help Your Child Cope With Bedtime During a Period of Illness (Yours or Theirs)
Illness throws even the most reliable bedtime routine completely off course. Whether your child is unwell or you are, here's how to keep bedtime gentle, reassuring, and workable — for everyone.
How to Help Your Child Cope With Bedtime When They're Sharing a Room With a Sibling
Sharing a bedroom can be wonderful for siblings — and an absolute bedtime nightmare. If one child is keeping the other awake, here's how to make room-sharing work for everyone.
How to Handle Bedtime When You Have a Highly Sensitive Child
Highly sensitive children often find bedtime the hardest part of the day — overwhelmed by noise, light, big feelings, and the weight of everything that happened. Here's what's really going on, and how to make nights calmer and more connected for both of you.