Sammy the Squirrel
A magical way to help your child fall asleep at bedtime
Meg Zweiback
www.BringingUpKids.com
So much advice, so little time. When you are tired and your child is overtired,
bedtime can take a long, long time. Here is a three step plan for helping your little
one fall asleep night after night.
Step One:
Plan for an earlier bedtime. Overtired children have trouble falling asleep and
staying asleep. The right bedtime for your child is the time that provides enough
hours of sleep so that he wakes up on his own cheerful and refreshed the next
morning.
Step Two:
Begin a consistent routine a half hour before bedtime. Playtime should be over
before the routine. Extra stories? Have them earlier, so that you can limit the
“just one more” bedtime struggle.
Step Three:
Tell your child this bedtime story using your own creativity. The story uses principles of attachment, mindfulness, and hypnosis, that will gently lull your child into
sleep. As you tell the story night after night and soothe your child with these
rhythmic, evocative, and soothing words she will learn how to quiet herself with
rhythmic breathing and relaxing sensations. You may find that the same story
will help you sleep as well.
This story works best if you tell it in your own way. You might begin by reading it
out loud to yourself. You can then change the language so that it feels just right.
Of course you will change the name and animal to what might appeal to your
child. Other variations are suggested to make the story feel personal.
Meg Zweiback, CPNP, MPH
www.BringingUpKids.com
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The story is told using words and phrases that encourage a gradually slower
pace, gentle breathing, muscle relaxation, and words that suggest comfort and
deepening on the way to sleep. Some of the phrases will engage your child’s
sensory imagination so that he can create an experience that goes beyond the
words you say.
Many of these words are in bold italics because they tend to be especially
soothing. Notice these words so that you can repeat them in your own story. As
you tell your story remember that it is a quiet journey, not an adventure. Use your
most gentle, rhythmic tones, and remember that repetition is comforting.
Some children will want a longer version of the story, and you can add on to the
basic story line. Just be sure to make the story repetitive so that your child
doesn’t need to stay awake to find out what happens next!
I’ve left blank spaces in the book because some children like to draw pictures for
their own version of the story!
Meg Zweiback, CPNP, MPH
www.BringingUpKids.com
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SAMMY (OR SAMANTHA) THE SQUIRREL
Now I’m going to tell you a story about Sammy the Squirrel (or Rebecca the Raccoon, or Benny the Bear, of Max the Monkey)
As you know, every day is a busy day for Sammy the Squirrel. He has fun with
his friends, he goes to his preschool, and he plays outside. He loves to play with
his toy trucks and . . . (choose what your child does). Some days Sammy is so
busy he doesn’t have much time to rest, so that after dinner he’s very ready to
slow down and get calm and comfortable for the night.
Sammy loves to get calm and comfortable, That is when he can have quiet
time with his (mom, dad, sister, grandma--whoever is with him at bedtime.) He
loves to have quiet time and to listen to his special falling asleep story. At
bedtime he loves to have a gentle cuddle and hugs before he gets into his
cozy bed.
Sammy is so tired and sleepy after his busy day. He loves to get comfortable
and cozy and to settle into sleep. Sometimes Sammy is so very very tired
that he needs extra help to get comfortable and cozy and so that he can fall
asleep. He likes it when his (parent) helps him to slow himself down and get
comfortable and to do all the things he knows how to do to drift into sleep.
Sammy loves it when his (parent) tells him a special story.
Meg Zweiback, CPNP, MPH
www.BringingUpKids.com
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Every night when Sammy is in his pjs and has his blanket and pillow in just the
right place, his (parent) helps him to pretend that he is taking a walk to the special remembering place where he can see everything that happened that day.
When Sammy goes to his special remembering place he can see himself playing with his friends in the park, reading stories with his big brother, . .(any enjoyable activities, repeat this line a few times with favorite activities)
He always likes to see his friend Emily, his teacher Tom, his grandma, . .(people
or things that are important to him)
When Sammy is remembering his day he likes to remember all the good feelings he has had. Sometimes Sammy likes to close his eyes and remember
how he could see (example), hear (example) feel (example) and smell (example). When Sammy is remembering he feels calm and happy. Sammy loves the
way he can let his busy mind drift happily through all the nice things he is remembering.
Meg Zweiback, CPNP, MPH
www.BringingUpKids.com
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Sammy’s (parent) tells Sammy that he can imagine himself in places that he’s
been or wants to imagine being. One of Sammy’s favorite stories is about taking
a walk into the (park, woods, beach). It always feels so nice to walk along, (looking at the trees and the flowers, feeling the sand between his toes, enjoying the
ups and downs of the trail, hearing the birds sing, hearing the wind in the trees,
smelling the leaves and flowers, hearing waves, feeling the spray and rush of water, feeling the breeze on his face, feeling the warm sun on his back, even hearing nice music in his imagination as he walks along.) As Sammy walks he starts
to slow down. After a little while he walks a little slower, and then even more
slowly.
Sammy starts to feel his body beginning to get a little tired and then he walks
even more slowly. At first he he might go uphill a little, and then he might notice
that he is on a path that heads downward to a gentle valley, where it gets easier and easier to walk and feel comfortable going downward at his own slow
pace.
Sometimes the path goes up again a little more and then down again even
deeper, and then up again and down again, and Sammy can feel how his
breathing starts to slowly match the way he is walking. Up and down, slower
and slower, until he feels as though he is walking as easily as he can. He is walking so easily it feels like he is a bird gliding in the sky or a little fish swimming
smoothly in the water. He feels so happy to be going further and deeper and
longer on his walk just enjoying how good it feels to be moving slowly and
easily at just the pace that feels right.
Meg Zweiback, CPNP, MPH
www.BringingUpKids.com
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After a while Sammy decides to take a little rest, and he looks around for a place
that will feel just right. Sure enough, he finds just the place. He knows it is just
the right place for him because he sees his favorite (book, pillow, stuffed animal)
right there in a nest just Sammy’s size and shape that looks like it has been
waiting for him all along.
Sammy curls up in the cozy nest. He can hear the wind around him making gentle sounds hush, hush, hush. The sun feels warm and gentle as he nestles
into just the right place. He can feel his breathing getting calm and slow. He
sees the sun slowly go deeper and the sky gets darker. Sammy loves the
feeling of being so comfortable that he wants to go to sleep, just then.
Sometimes Sammy likes to listen to his (parent) tell the story about his walk
again and again. He likes to imagine himself finding nests that are just like his
favorite nests. Sometimes the nests are a different color or hold a different pillow, and he finds something special and delightful about each one. He always
finds a nest that is comfortable and cozy and he loves how calm he feels
when he nestles into the space that is just right for him and goes to sleep for
the night.
Sammy knows that when he goes to sleep he’ll hold on to all his lovely feelings
all through the night. His (parent) will be close by, keeping him safe. And soon,
it will be another day.
Meg Zweiback, CPNP, MPH
www.BringingUpKids.com
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