Bedtime guides for parents
A calm 30-minute bedtime routine for toddlers
A simple, repeatable 30-minute toddler bedtime routine that actually winds a child down — with timings, and what to avoid.
Screen-free bedtime: what to use instead of a tablet
Practical ways to replace tablet time at bedtime, why screens make settling harder, and what to use instead.
How long should a bedtime story be?
The right bedtime story length for toddlers, preschoolers and older children — and why shorter is usually better.
The benefits of audio stories for children
What children gain from listening to stories instead of watching them — imagination, vocabulary, attention and calmer bedtimes.
Personalized bedtime stories with your child's name
Why personalized bedtime stories hold a child's attention, and how to create one starring your own child by name.
Bedtime stories for a child who won't sleep
What to do when your child won't settle at bedtime — how to pick and read a story that calms rather than stirs them up.
Classic fairy tales for kids: which ones suit bedtime
A guide to classic fairy tales for children — which ones suit bedtime, which need softening, and where to listen free.
How to read bedtime stories when you're away
Ways for a travelling or separated parent to still be part of bedtime — recordings, calls, and cloned-voice narration.
Where to start
If bedtime is currently a battle, start with the 30-minute routine. Almost every settling problem improves once the same five things happen in the same order every night — the predictability itself is what signals sleep, far more than any individual activity.
If the fight is specifically about a tablet, read screen-free bedtime. The useful insight there is that the problem isn't mainly blue light: it's that screens are interactive and never end, so there's no natural stopping point. Replacing the screen works better than removing it.
If your child simply won't settle no matter what, the won't-sleep guide helps you work out whether you're dealing with a child who isn't tired yet, one who is overtired, or one who wants more of you — because the fix for each is different, and the wrong fix makes it worse.
A few things that hold true across all of these
- Consistency beats quality. A rushed version of the usual routine works better than a lovely different one.
- Shorter is usually better. Five to ten minutes of story suits most children; long stories build momentum when you want calm.
- Delivery matters more than content. Slowing down and dropping your volume does more for sleep than changing the book.
- Decide before you start. Say how many stories out loud up front, so bedtime doesn't become a negotiation.
- Let them lie down first. Story after they're horizontal and the lights are low, not before.
Reading vs listening
Both matter and they do different jobs. Sitting together with a book adds closeness and print awareness. Listening lets a child close their eyes and build the pictures themselves, which is why it works better for the final wind-down. Most families end up doing books earlier in the evening and audio last — see the benefits of audio stories for what the difference actually buys you.
Need a story to play tonight?
Sleepfox narrates every story aloud, dims the screen, and fades out with a gentle sleep timer. A brand-new story is added free every night.
Get Sleepfox on Google PlayFree stories to go with the guides
- Short stories under five minutes — for late or difficult nights.
- Stories for toddlers (1–3)
- Stories for ages 4–6
- Classic fairy tales, softened for bedtime
- All free bedtime stories