Advice for parents This relaxes their mind and body soothes their brain’s chemical response to anxiety and encourages resilience and belief in their own strength to cope with bad dreams When you read this book together your child will feel listened to understood and safe This helps them to learn an important lesson that you can resolve worries together If you’re concerned about your child’s sleep over a sustained period speak to your pediatrician or there are lots of counselors and therapists who deal with children’s sleep problems Always make sure anyone you consult is registered with a recognized professional body Dr Sharie Coombes When young children have bad dreams their whole routine and yours can become troubled After one bad night children may assume that they will start having bad dreams every night which is a pretty scary thought for anyone They are learning new patterns every day and don’t yet have the experience to know which are true like rain is always wet and which are false like nightmares always happen when you go to sleep Tricky bedtimes are caused by your child’s brain trying to manage this new belief that sleep is unsafe Resisting bedtime is your child’s way of letting you know what they’re feeling when they can’t put it into words Thankfully it can be fairly straightforward to tackle this belief reassure your child and get back into your normal bedtime routine The story in Sleep Tight Little Knight works with your child’s brain to cast doubt on the false belief It harnesses their imagination to work through a psychological grounding technique of being in the moment and understanding that they are safe
Grounding technique Finally ask your child to imagine a peaceful place either real or imaginary where they feel safe Talk about it together using your child’s ideas asking them to describe the details If you’re using the story to structure this activity pause wherever you see the speech bubble to encourage your child to join in with the Little Knight They can follow the instructions by pointing out things on the pages or in the room around them Following these steps every night will help your child retrain their brain to associate bedtimes with a sense of comfort and safety This should help your child feel resilient and able to manage their worries about bedtime more easily This grounding technique can be done on its own or alongside this book Make sure the hour before bed is calm and comfortable keeping lights dim and avoiding screens A warm drink a nice bath and cozy cuddles all make for better sleep First ask your child to take three deep breaths Do this slowly together making the out breath a little bit longer than the in breath Next ask your child to pick three things they can see Ask them to describe the details of each thing is it big small colorful or dark Then ask your child to pick three things they can hear and describe them You can help them with a few prompts is the sound loud quiet squeaky or rumbling Ask your child to pick three things they can feel such as blankets teddy bears or a breeze from a window Again encourage them to describe each thing
