Small Hours Press
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A field guide for tired parents · ages 3–5

Bedtime that stops
being a battle, starting tonight.

The Preschooler's Sleep Secret — The Core Playbook — gives you the exact 5-step routine behind a published study of 405 families, plus The Complete Interactive System to run it at home tonight.

Get the system — $19 Instant PDF download · Read on any device
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The Core Playbook
The
Preschooler's
Sleep Secret
Small Hours Press
Complete Interactive System
Sweet
Slumber
System
5-STEP ROUTINE · 405 FAMILIES STUDIED · 8 CHAPTERS · 28 PAGES · 5 PRINTABLES INCLUDED · INSTANT PDF DOWNLOAD · READ ON ANY DEVICE · 5-STEP ROUTINE · 405 FAMILIES STUDIED · 8 CHAPTERS · 28 PAGES · 5 PRINTABLES INCLUDED · INSTANT PDF DOWNLOAD · READ ON ANY DEVICE ·
// The 8:05 PM problem

You're not doing it wrong.

"It is 8:05 PM and bedtime has turned into a negotiation. One more drink. One more trip to the bathroom. One more story."

Sleep researchers have found that bedtime struggles in early childhood are genuinely common — and when left unaddressed, they tend to persist rather than resolve on their own. What changes it isn't willpower. It's understanding what's actually driving the resistance.

"One more story!" "I’m not tired." "There’s a monster in here." "Stay with me." "Can I sleep in your bed?" "I need water, again."
// The method

The 5-step Sweet Slumber Routine.

Published research, applied
A randomized study of 0 mothers found this exact sequence helped children fall asleep faster, wake less, and sleep more continuously.
1
Warm-down bath
A warm bath or washcloth rinse starts the body’s natural pre-sleep cooling process.
2
Cozy change
Into pajamas — a concrete, repeated cue that sleep is next.
3
Calm connection
Ten undivided minutes together, so they’re not stalling later for attention.
4
Tuck-in ritual
Same words, same order, every night. The repetition is the point.
5
Exit strategy
Leave with calm confidence — no renegotiating from the doorway.
// Inside the book

8 chapters. 28 pages. Zero fluff.

A sneak peek at three spreads from The Preschooler's Sleep Secret.

Chapter 1 · pg 5
Why bedtime feels like a battle
“It is 8:05 PM and bedtime has turned into a negotiation. One more drink. One more trip to the bathroom. One more story. You are torn between frustration and guilt, and by the time your child is finally still, you are too wired to enjoy the quiet you fought for. If this feels familiar, you are not imagining the difficulty, and you are not doing it wrong.”
The Preschooler's Sleep Secret
Chapter 3 · pg 10–12
The 5-Step Sweet Slumber Routine
“A fixed, short, repeatable sequence of a warm bath, a change into pajamas, a quiet one-on-one activity, and a consistent closing ritual. That exact structure was the one shown to reduce how long children took to fall asleep and how often they woke overnight.” 1. Warm-down bath or wash — lowers core temperature 2. Cozy change — concrete cue that sleep is next 3. Calm connection — ten undivided minutes 4. Tuck-in ritual — same words, same order 5. Exit strategy — leave with calm confidence
The Preschooler's Sleep Secret
Chapter 5 · pg 17–22
Troubleshooting the most common saboteurs
“Even a solid routine hits bumps. Every family does. What matters is recognizing the pattern quickly and having a specific response ready, rather than improvising at 8:30 PM when you are already tired.” The curtain call kid · The frightened child · The overtired paradox · The inconsistency trap · The early riser · The big change · The anxious or sensory-sensitive child · When to call your pediatrician — with a script for each.
The Preschooler's Sleep Secret
// Table of contents

See exactly what's inside.

8 chapters, 28 pages, The Core Playbook in full — no padding, no filler chapters.

The Preschooler's Sleep Secret · The Core Playbook
1 Why bedtime feels like a battle pg 5
2 The preschooler sleep cycle, explained pg 7
3 The 5-Step Sweet Slumber Routine pg 10
4 Why consistency beats willpower pg 13
5 Troubleshooting the most common saboteurs pg 17
6 Naps, early risers & time changes pg 23
7 When routine isn’t enough — working with your pediatrician pg 25
8 Keeping it going after week three pg 27
// The companion system

Print it. Tape it up. Use it tonight.

The Complete Interactive System turns the Playbook's method into pages you actually use at bedtime.

Printable
Printable 1 / 5
The Sweet Slumber Routine Chart
“One box per step, every night. Let your child hold the pen or the sticker.” 1. Warm-down bath or wash 2. Cozy change 3. Calm connection 4. Tuck-in ritual 5. Exit strategy Print it, tape it up, check it off.
The Complete Interactive System
Printable
Printable 2 / 5
The Bedtime Scripts Card
Exact lines for the six standoffs that come up most — say them calmly, say them the same way every time, and do not negotiate from the doorway. “One more story!” → “We read two stories tonight, like always. I will see you in the morning.” “There’s a monster in here.” → “I hear that you are scared. You are safe in your room, and I am right outside.”
The Complete Interactive System
Printable
Printable 4 / 5
Troubleshooting Quick-Reference
“Check it before you improvise.” Repeated requests after lights-out → Set one last call, then walk back calmly, every time, no exceptions. Fear of the dark or monsters → Validate the feeling, add a comfort object and dim nightlight. Hard to fall asleep despite being exhausted → Likely overtired. Move bedtime earlier, not later.
The Complete Interactive System
// What changes

What families notice once the routine sticks.

"
I stopped trying to win bedtime and started trying to make it predictable instead. That was the actual fix.
— Parent of a four-year-old
"
The second I let her pick the pajamas, the fight over everything else at bedtime mostly disappeared.
— Parent of a four-year-old
"
Once we switched to tagless pajamas and white noise, half the nightly stalling just stopped.
— Parent of a five-year-old

Illustrative reader quotes representative of feedback patterns described in the book — not independently verified testimonials.

The complete system

Get the Complete Sweet Slumber System — $19

The Core Playbook ($20 Value)
The 28-page guide breaking down preschooler behavioral psychology, the 5 core sleep steps, and the structural science.
The Bedtime Stand-Off Scripts Card ($15 Value)
Pocket-sized, exact verbal lines to deliver calmly when they request “one more drink,” refuse the bath, or creep out of bed at midnight.
The Sweet Slumber Routine Chart ($10 Value)
A beautiful, high-clarity visual checklist for your child so the routine becomes the authority figure, not you.
Total value: $45 · Today: $19
$19 $45
One-time secure purchase. Lifetime access. No recurring fees or accounts required.
The 14-Day Rest-Easy Guarantee
Try the 5-step Sweet Slumber Routine for two full weeks. No profound shift in your bedtime battles? Reply to your receipt email and we'll issue a prompt, courtesy refund of your $19 — no hoops, no hard feelings, and you keep the digital materials.
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// Questions

Before you download.

Is this a physical book? +

No — it’s an instant digital download. You get the full Core Playbook and the Complete Interactive System as PDFs, readable on your phone, tablet, or printed at home.

What age range is this for? +

The method is built specifically for children ages three to five, with adjustments noted for each end of that range.

Is this medical advice? +

No. It’s educational, drawn from published sleep research and pediatric guidance. Chapter Five flags exactly when a sleep issue needs your pediatrician instead of a routine.

How long until we see a difference? +

Most families notice a real difference within two to three weeks of holding the routine steady, in line with the research the method is based on.

What’s actually in the toolkit? +

A routine chart, a bedtime scripts card, a sleep environment checklist, a troubleshooting quick-reference, and a weekly win tracker — five pages, designed to print.

Tonight can be different.

Get the Core Playbook and the Complete Interactive System, right now, for one price.

Get the system — $19 →