Sleepy Time podcast: bedtime meditation and relaxation techniques for kids

We also have the most soothing voice as our narrator - Gemma David of The Quiet Heart has soft warm tones to calm the most excitable or anxious child. (Just don't listen to Gemma if you're driving!)

Listen to our Sleepy Time trailer to find out more...

Over the next 8 weeks, we will be releasing 8 podcasts (4 for each of these age groups), giving children as young as toddlers the toolkit to enable them to drift contentedly off to sleep with breathing/soothing techniques, calming visualisations, meditations and sensory bedtime stories.

Listen to Episode 1 now - on iTunes and Spotify

Sleepy Time podcast episodes

The Sleepy Time podcasts include different techniques that can help your child to sleep better in a number of situations.

Episode 1: Settling down to sleep for 2 to 5 year olds

Episode 2: Getting back to sleep for 2 to 5 year olds

Episode 3: Breathing techniques for 2 to 5 year olds

Episode 4: Calming story techniques for 2 to 5 year olds

Episode 5: Settling down to sleep for 5 to 8 year olds

Episode 6: Building your mind garden for 5 to 8 year olds

Episode 7: Calming story techniques for 5 to 8 year olds

Episode 8: Story techniques for 5 to 8 year olds – Sun 5 April

Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Acast

It's not just us who are excited about Sleepy Time...

Sleep expert and regular Baby Show speaker Lucy Shrimpton, aka the Sleep Nanny, says of the Sleepy Time podcast:

The Sleepy Time Podcast is a brilliant way to relax the busy minds of children. It offers a calming voice that brings focus and helps children to put worries, excitement or other distractions aside. I can see how this will be a great sleep aid for those who need to unwind and bring calm to bedtime settling for many parents.

The Sleepy Time podcast: why we all need this

The idea of a UK podcast to help children sleep soundly was inspired by the experiences of our own MadeForMums team. But we wanted to be sure it wasn't just us who couldn't find a good sleep podcast solution for young children.

So we presented the idea to mums in our Facebook community to see if they thought they’d find these helpful - and lots said they absolutely would.

"My daughter wakes every night crying and takes a while to settle back to sleep," Claire A told us. "Tried lots of tricks but no luck yet. A special story about going to sleep might help her."

And Kayleigh A commented, "Fantastic idea! My smaller ones sometimes really struggle to wind down at bedtimes - anything that could help them would be very welcome."

Creating the Sleepy Time podcast team

Luckily for us, we have a mindfulness expert close at hand in the form of In the Moment magazine Digital Editor Sarah Orme, and together we quickly realised that there was a gap in the market.

"While there were several sleep and meditation podcasts aimed at adults, there was very little available for children," explains Sarah. "We also wanted to create a podcast that was tailored to suit a UK audience, as many of the existing sleep podcasts were based in the US.

'The meditations are a great way to introduce children to the concept of mindfulness at an early age, helping them to learn how to settle down for sleep and form positive habits."

While there were several sleep and meditation podcasts aimed at adults, there was very little available for children. We also wanted to create a podcast that was tailored to suit a UK audience, as many of the existing sleep podcasts were based in the US.

Sarah used her expertise to build an incredible team: Suzy Reading, a Chartered Psychologist and Coach, who wrote the scripts, and Gemma David of The Quiet Heart, who voices the podcasts.

In addition, award-winning podcast producer Ben Youatt assisted in all technical aspects of the podcast.

Speaking about how much she loved working on the project, Suzy tells MadeForMums: "We're all aware of the importance of sleep for mental, emotional and physical health, and as a parent myself, I know how challenging bedtime and sleep can be.

"I jumped at the chance to share my soothing toolkit, a variety of:

relaxation
mindfulness
visualisation
breathing and stretching

- something for everyone!"

I hope this empowers your whole family, paving the way for a more peaceful bedtime and better quality sleep.

Where to hear the Sleepy time podcasts

The Sleepy Time podcasts are hosted by Acast but you can listen to them wherever you get your podcasts.

About the experts: Suzy Reading and Gemma David

Suzy, who wrote the scripts for the Sleepy Time podcasts, is a mother of 2, an author, Chartered Psychologist and Coach. She specialises in self-care, helping people manage their stress, emotions, and energetic bank balance.

It was her life experience of motherhood colliding with the terminal illness of her father that sparked her passion for self-care which she now teaches to her clients, young and old, to cope during periods of stress, loss and change and to boost their resilience in the face of future challenges.

Suzy is on the editorial board for Motherdom Magazine, the Psychology Expert for wellbeing brand Neom Organics and is a founding member of the ‘Nourish’ app.

Books by Suzy Reading:

Join Suzy’s Wellbeing Community on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter

Gemma David

Gemma has a private clinic in Bristol were she practices Chinese medicine, yoga and meditation.

She runs and takes part in retreats across the UK and writes meditations for the Insight Timer meditation app and In The Moment magazine.

Pics: Courtesy Suzy Reading / Sarah Orme

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Tara BreathnachContent Editor and Social Media Producer

Tara is mum to 1 daughter, Bodhi Rae, and has worked as Content Editor and Social Media Producer at MadeForMums since 2015