Has your kid is now immune to Samuel L. Jackson screaming, “go the f–k to sleep?” Has the eternal bedtime struggle has returned? There’s an app for that. When your bedtime stories don’t do the trick, consider letting your iPhone intervene. These top sleep apps and meditation apps for kids soothe kids to sleep with white noise, a calming meditation, or some classic nursery rhymes. Whether your baby needs white noise or your toddler needs a bedtime meditation or even some calming sleep music, there’s a sleep aid that can help. Because when the kids are well-rested, everyone fairs better.
READ MORE: The Fatherly Guide to Sleep
Headspace For Kids
A meditation app might sound like some Eat, Pray, Love BS, but there’s nothing ridiculous about a mentally mindful, calm kid. Headspace now offers kiddie editions of its popular breathing and visualization exercises. There’s an entire sleep section of sleep meditations, soundtracks, and white noise. Customized for kids five and under, six-to-eight, and nine-to-12, former Buddhist monk and professional calm person Andy Puddicombe will talk some sense into your preschooler.
Free (iOS) (Android) (Amazon)
Sleep Hero
Stop the lullaby karaoke-on-demand and just get the Sleep Hero app. You can select from a list of pre-recorded sounds, or upload your own nursery rhymes, songs, and stories. When your baby starts wailing, the sleep app responds by playing your selections. One downside: If they start getting bored listening to the same tracks over and over again, there’s pressure on you to record a follow-up album. And you know those are never as good as the debut.
About $2.78 (iOS)
RELATED: Does Meditation Work for Kids?
Baby Shusher
Babies respond well to being shushed. Also, the Baby Shusher doesn’t do its white noise thing in the same passive-aggressive manner that you do. Go and save your breath because the meditation app will go lung-for-lung to match your baby’s volume when they start crying. You can also record your own shushes.
$4.99 (iOS)
Sleepy Sounds
Remember those Pink Floyd laser shows at your local planetarium? If you can, this sleep app will bring back memories. Sleepy Sounds not only lets you play lullabies and soothing nature sounds on a loop, but it also displays an animated mobile to light up your kid’s room. Whether or not the music syncs up with The Wizard of Oz remains to be seen.
Free (iOS) (Android)
Sleep Meditations for Kids
If you can’t decide between a story or meditation app, this could be the app for you. Yoga and Montessori teacher Christaine Kerr, founder of Calm for Kids, leads takes your kid through a story meditation with soft music playing in the background. It’s meant for kids ages 12 and below, but you may find yourself falling asleep to the app, too.
Free (iOS)
Nighty Night
Designed by Oscar-nominated animator and illustrator Heidi Wittlinger, Nighty Night is a narrated story app about what barnyard animals do when the lights go out. (Like stage an allegory about the 1917 Russian Revolution?) As your kids watch the animals fall asleep in their stalls, they’ll hopefully follow suit. And, just like on a real farm, they’ll also be up with the rooster.
$3.99 (iOS) (Android) (Amazon)
Novel Effect
Everyone knows books would be better if music played behind the narration just like the movies. Well, practice your best Don LaFontaine, because this sleep app plays original music and sound effects to go along with select children’s books. Just choose a book in the app and start reading. Its voice recognition software will pick up where you are in the story and start playing tunes. Books on the app include Where the Wild Things Are, Cat in the Hat, and Alexander and the Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day.
Free (iOS)
Moshi
This all in one app contains soothing audio stories (with narrators like Goldie Hawn), meditations, music, and white noise. Each audio journey is carefully designed with sleep in mind. As stories progress, they’re read slower and sleepier and background noise quiets, and music tracks gently fade to avoid abrupt silence. It’s free to download, and a premium subscription unlocks new and additional content and allows users to download tracks and use the app on up to three devices.
Daniel Tiger’s Night and Day
Bedtime preparation is about routine. This sleep app from PBS Kids helps your kid develop the habit of getting ready to sleep and go to school in the morning. With songs and games, your kid helps Daniel Tiger take a bath, brush his teeth, and pick out what PJs to wear before he hits the sack. There’s also a calming bedtime story, told and sang to your kid as they assist Daniel with floating through the clouds.
$2.99 (iOS)(Android) (Amazon)
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