If your child's current bedtime routine involves a tablet, you are not alone. Screens are easy, reliable, and buy you ten minutes of peace. But the blue light they emit suppresses melatonin, the hormone that tells the brain it is time to sleep.
The trick is finding screen-free alternatives that are just as easy for you and just as engaging for them.
1. Audio stories
A narrated bedtime story gives children something to focus on without any screen. They can lie in bed, eyes closed, and let the story carry them to sleep. This is what Lullaby was built for: a personalised audio story every night, ready in under a minute, with no screen required after you press play.
2. The gratitude game
Ask your child to name three good things from their day. For younger children, prompt them: "What made you laugh today?" or "Who did you play with?" This shifts their mind from the energy of the day to calm reflection.
3. Breathing buddies
Give your child a stuffed animal to place on their tummy. Ask them to breathe in slowly and watch the toy rise, then breathe out and watch it fall. Three to five breaths is usually enough to noticeably slow their heart rate.
4. The body scan
Starting from their toes, ask your child to squeeze and then relax each body part. "Squeeze your toes really tight... now let them go soft." Work up to their head. Most children are half asleep by the time you reach their knees.
5. Story cubes or prompt cards
Keep a jar of simple story prompts by the bed. Pull one out and make up a short tale together. "A penguin who lost his hat" or "The day it rained marshmallows." This exercises imagination without any screen.
Building the routine
The key is consistency. Pick two or three of these and do them in the same order each night. Within a week, the routine itself becomes a sleep cue. Your child's brain learns: first we do breathing, then we listen to a story, then we sleep.
The wind-down does not need to be long. Fifteen minutes is plenty. And on the nights when you are too tired to do it all, even one audio story on its own does the job.