What to Do When You Dread Your Bed
Can bedtime feel peaceful instead of scary? Yes—and this award-winning workbook helps kids sleep soundly and confidently.
For many kids, bedtime is anything but relaxing. Noises, shadows, scary thoughts, and restless bodies can turn nighttime into a stressful experience. But sleep doesn’t have to be a struggle. With the right tools, kids can learn to calm their minds, feel safe, and drift off with ease.
What to Do When You Dread Your Bed is a comforting, interactive guide that helps kids understand their sleep-related fears and build healthy bedtime habits. Through engaging activities, colorful illustrations, and expert strategies, this workbook empowers children to take charge of their nighttime routine and get the rest they need.
Whether your child needs help calming a busy brain or facing nighttime fears, this book offers a safe, empowering path to better sleep—like magic.
Key features:
- perfect for kids ages 6–12 who struggle with sleep anxiety, bedtime resistance, or nighttime fears
- uses proven cognitive-behavioral techniques to help kids manage worries and build calming routines
- addresses common sleep challenges like fear of the dark, overthinking, and dependence on parents
- includes a supportive guide for parents and caregivers to help children feel secure and confident
- part of the trusted What-to-Do Guides for Kids series—used by parents, educators, and therapists for over 20 years
- award-winning resource—Recipient of the iParenting Media Award, Mom’s Choice Gold Award, and Young Voices Silver Award
- created by Magination Press, the children’s imprint of APA—leaders in children’s mental health and well-being
Dawn Huebner, PhD, is a clinical psychologist in Exeter, New Hampshire, specializing in the treatment of children and their parents.
The whimsical art of Bonnie Matthews appears in many children's books and magazines. She lives in Baltimore.
- iParenting Media Award Winner!
- Mom's Choice Award 2009 Gold Recipient for Self Improvement (Ages 9–12)
- 2009 Young Voices Award, Children's Interactive (Silver)
Dr. Huebner has written a fun, invaluable book for parents and their children who dread going to bed. Her use of magic tricks and games to help children overcome their bedtime fears are engaging and unique. A 'must have' guide for parents and children who want to improve and create healthier sleep habits.
—Kim West, LCSW-C, The Sleep Lady®, author of Good Night, Sleep Tight
What to Do When You Dread Your Bed is a lifesaver for parents and children struggling with bedtime anxiety. Full of practical solutions for a range of sleep problems, as well as creative (and fun!) problem-solving suggestions, this guide will turn bedtime tears and fears into sweet dreams and peaceful, restful nights.
—Judith Owens, MD, director, Pediatric Sleep Disorders Clinic, Hasbro Children's Hospital, Providence, Rhode Island; co-author of Take Charge of Your Child's Sleep: The All-in-One Guide to Solving Sleep Problems in Kids and Teens
