The Best Products To Help Kids Sleep, According to Actual Parents

A Sound Machine That Tells Bedtime Stories

Plenty of parents, including Heather Sears of A Well Paced Life, swear by a sound machine for sleepy kids. “My girls have a sound machine, and my son just needs a backscratch & scalp massage!” Sears laughs. “They become more relaxed when I read a book to them at bedtime as well.” 

This sound machine from Hatch is high-tech: In addition to soothing sounds it tells bedtime stories, plays lullabies and even guides kids through mindfulness meditations (with a Hatch+ membership at an additionally fee) — and it provides a calming nightlight and a time-to-rise light that you can program to change color when it’s okay for kids to get up. Like, you know, at 9am maybe? No?

A Natural Sleep Supplement

Melatonin — the naturally occuring hormone often used as a sleep supplement — has been a subject of controversy, especially for use by kids. The jury is still out, even for The Sleep Foundation, but in the meantime, Hiya Kids Bedtime Essentials is a melatonin-free supplement that’s highly effective and won’t require tons of sleuthing on a parent’s part. That’s because it’s clean, vegan, GMO-free and sugar-free, too. It’s the good-for-you supplement you’ve been looking for to help kids wind down at night.

Hiya was founded by two dads who were fed up with the kids’ vitamin and supplement market being saturated with icky ingredietns. Hiya Kids Bedtime Essentials isn’t a sleep aid in the traditonal sense of the word. Instead of making little ones drowsy, the ingredients simply help them overcome over-stimulation from the day — and nowadays, they get stimulated more than ever by both in-person and digital activities (yes, I’m looking at you, tablet).

Kids Bedtime Essentials uses wholesome ingredients like L-theanine to support restful sleep, vitamin B6 for brain health and marine magnesium to soothe the nervous system. Just one yummy chewable at night is all it takes — and yes, they can even take it after they brush their teeth.

Best of all? You can save 50 percent on your first order. Score!

A Playful Sleep Mask

Ah, who doesn’t love a sleep mask? Well, maybe some finicky kids. “This is a good item for older kids, but I find my 10-year-old loves her sleep mask,” says Tom Ryan. We recommend this unicorn sleep mask for blocking out light while kinf of playing dress-up at the same time. Removing outside stimulation so your kid actually goes to sleep on time may sound mythical, but this adorable Kate Aspen find makes it a reality.

A Snuggly Friend

“I also have a baby daughter who’s a bit too young to benefit from the weighted blanket, but a sleeptime essential for her is her Slumberkins snuggler,” Burns continues. She advocates the Slumberkins Alpaca Snuggler for a comforting sleep.

“These are super-soft stuffed animals (although their bodies are flat so they’re also kind of half-blanket??) that come with their own board books to teach babies and kids social-emotional skills like relaxation, meditation, security, empathy, and more.” 

A Meditation & Sound Device

This turtle-shaped meditation and sound device can be placed on your kid’s nightstand or right beside them as they drift off to sleep. It comes pre-loaded with nine kid-friendly meditations and sleep soundtracks, and is easy to use. It’s a great, screen-free way for your little to get in the habit of meditating and soothing themself to sleep with calming sounds.

A Baby Air Purifier

This FDA-cleared air purifier captures 99.97 percent of particles and pollutants, so especially if you live in a city, or have pets, having one of these in every room is a must. Especially during flu season. The Molekule mini purifier is small enough and quiet enough to be nearly undetectible (unlike other models, this one is whisper-quiet). It also has a handle, so it’s easily portable.

Pretty, Cozy Sheets

Brooklinen is known for its high-quality yet affordable sheets, and the brand’s Classic Percale Core Sheets Set is one of Ryan’s favorites. “These are quality and relatively affordable sheets. They are offered in a bunch of fun and different patterns, and I let my kids pick out the pattern they want for their beds,” he says. The entire set, in Twin, is on sale for less than $100.

A Chamomile Nighttime Lotion

This soothing scented lotion is packed with tried-and-true botanical extracts like chamomile, edlerflower and valerian root, which are beneficial for sleep. It’s safe for even the most sensitive skin, and made without phthalates, parabens, petrolatum, synthetic fragrances, and common allergens. “This is magic at bed time!” raved one parent’s Amazon review. 

Bath Bombs

Of course, there’s yet another way to transmit those oh-so-relaxing essential oils: During bathtime. And Frida Baby’s bath bombs for kids make wind-down time before bed more chill than ever, with a fun fizzy addition to your child’s nightly bath ritual. The eucalyptus scent will soothe buzzy brains and bodies alike and prep them for sweet dreams.

A Toddler Pillow

Ryan believes that cozy bedding creates healthy habits. “I wanted my kids to develop a positive association with their bed,” he says, and an organic, breathable, comfy pillow designed specifically for tiny heads to rest will definitely do the trick. This one by Avocado is so top-tier, it’s won awards — and the Sleep Foundation calls it the best pillow for toddlers.

A Woven Weighted Blanket

This chunky blanket that reminds us of Neopolitan ice cream is the Nappling by Bearaby, and Ryan recommends it as a soothing layer for sleep. “Weighted blankets are great at reducing anxiety and giving kids that sense of being hugged in their bed,” he says. “The Nappling is woven, so it provides weight without added warmth.” The six-pound Nappling was voted one of the best weighted blankets by the Sleep Foundation.

A Duvet-Style Weighted Blanket

“My 4-year-old son has autism, so the tactile benefits of a weighted blanket are huge,” says mom, writer and farmer Lily Burns. “It helps him feel secure and gives him the stimulation he needs. But, spoiler: As with many sensory tools that help kids with autism, they’re super useful for neurotypical kids too! I sent one to my neurotypical nephew and it helps him sleep better, too.” This one can double as a comforter (no pun intended).

A ‘Sky’ Full of Stars

Or, if you’re feeling a bit tech-phobic these days (we feel that!), there’s always the O.G. route: Create a full-on solar system in your kids’ room with the help of good old-fashioned glow-in-the-dark star stickers. This specific set is super-bright and nontoxic to boot.

A Hippo Light Toy

Of course, if a full-on globe star projector is a bit too dramatic, you can always err on the side of cute with this VTech Baby Lil’ Critters Soothing Starlight Hippo. “We were gifted this hippo light toy from VTech, and it’s a miracle,” says Jana of Good Life Xplorers.

“It plays music or noise and lights up on a sensor when the child cries to soothe them back to sleep. After a while it turns back to sleep mode. My son is a light sleeper so when he wakes up during the night, if he doesn’t have the hippo, he won’t go back to sleep without a parent. We love this toy so much and think it’s so indispensable to our own sleep that I gift it to all my pregnant friends and will sacrifice space in my luggage to take it with us on every trip. It has been to four different continents. That is how much we love it!”

A Fan That Lulls Them to Sleep

But for naps on the go, you don’t want to have to plug in — so a chargeable, portable sound machine is perfect. Adaptive Sound Technologies specializes in sleep technology, and its LectroFan Alpha does a bang-up job of soothing kids and babies to sleep, anywhere. More lightweight than your average sound machine, this little fan charges via USB and comes with white noise, pink noise, surf sounds, heartbeat, and more.

Blackout Curtains

“My youngest child is a teen, and a healthy sleeping schedule is a struggle,” says Jenn Slavich of Home By Jenn. “With finals (during school) and all of the homework, some nights are harder than others because her mind won’t shut off because of all of the work she has to do. We don’t have one hack, we have two: We installed blackout curtains in her room so she can get a few extra hours of sleep.”