Stories & tips for little readers
Notes on personalized storytelling, bedtime reading, and making books your child will keep.
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How to keep bedtime calm when your family is traveling
A hotel room, a strange crib, a new time zone — travel upends most of bedtime’s usual props. Here’s what actually keeps it steady, and it isn’t the room.
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What to do when your child is afraid of the dark at bedtime
A child who slept fine last month is suddenly scared of the dark. Here’s why that happens between two and six, and how to help without leaving a light on for years.
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Why your toddler keeps waking up at 5am, and what actually helps
A 5am wake-up rarely gets fixed by an earlier bedtime. Here’s what to check first, and what to do in the room when it happens again tomorrow.
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How many bedtime stories is enough
One story or three? A calm, practical answer to how many bedtime stories a night is actually enough — and why the number matters less than you think.
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Surviving the clock change with your toddler’s sleep
Daylight savings toddler sleep, solved before it happens: how to shift the clock gradually so a five a.m. wake-up doesn’t become your new normal.
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Bedtime when siblings share a room
One is ready for lights out, the other wants to talk for another hour. A practical guide to bedtime when your kids share a room.
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Screen-free wind-down ideas that don’t end in a meltdown
Taking the tablet away an hour before bed rarely goes smoothly on its own. Here are wind-down ideas that give kids something better to do instead.
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Night terrors vs. nightmares — how to tell which one woke your child
A screaming, thrashing child who won’t wake up is a night terror, not a nightmare — and the two need almost opposite responses. Here’s how to tell them apart.
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When to move your toddler from crib to bed (and how to do it well)
There is no age that makes it time — there are signs. Here is what actually signals readiness, and how to make the switch without losing sleep for a month.
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How to make bedtime the best part of the day
Most bedtime advice is damage control — how to get through it faster. This is the opposite: how to make the last half hour the part everyone actually looks forward to.
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“One more story”: why children stall at bedtime, and what actually works
Bedtime stalling is rarely about the story. It is about the goodbye. Here is how to give the ending a shape your child can predict — and stop negotiating in the doorway.
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How to read aloud to a child who won’t sit still
A wiggly child during story time isn’t a child who dislikes books. Short bursts, busy hands, and letting them move are usually the fix.
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How to survive the 4 month sleep regression
Your easy sleeper is suddenly up every 45 minutes. Here is what is actually happening at 4 months, and how to help your baby settle back down.
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How to build a bedtime routine for toddlers that actually sticks
A workable bedtime routine for toddlers has four or five steps, the same order every night, and starts before the meltdown does. Here is how to build one.
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Why kids love being the star of the story
Children pay closest attention when they recognize themselves. Why personalized stories land so hard — and how to use that at bedtime.
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How to pick the perfect theme for your child
Bedtime calm, big-day courage, or full-on adventure? A guide to choosing a story theme that matches the moment your child is in.
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