Free resource

Getting Bedtime Right

A 1.5 hour presentation from Dr. Gordon Neufeld on Making sense of bedtime and its challenges with a focus on implications & practices

Bedtime isn’t just about sleep — it’s about attachment, separation, and the emotional well-being of our children. In this insightful and moving 90-minute presentation, Dr. Gordon Neufeld unpacks the developmental and emotional significance of bedtime from an attachment-based perspective.

Learn why getting bedtime right matters not only for peaceful nights but for helping children navigate the many separations life brings. Explore why common sleep training methods often miss the mark, and discover the gentle power of bridging, play, and even lullabies to ease your child into rest.

This free presentation is one of the prerequisites for the Special Certificate of Studies on sleep and bedtime issues. A must-watch for parents, educators, and professionals who want to deepen their understanding of child development and attachment.

Getting bedtime right is a big deal if one still has young children. It sets the stage for both parents and children for dealing with the myriad of separations a child faces in life. Of course, as we all know, sleep and bedtime problems can plague us at any age. Addressing them is much easier when there is an understanding of the issues involved. Amazingly, the lessons of bedtime can help guide us in how to face separation throughout life, even at the end.

In the beginning, there is bedtime. In the end, there is deathtime. In the middle, there are all the other separations we face along the way. There could be no greater investment in the emotional health and well-being of our loved ones than to get this right, right from the beginning, if possible.

Our free resources come with a 30-Day Study Pass

We want our free resources to be truly used—not just stored for “someday.” That’s why each one comes with a 30-Day Study Pass: a gentle nudge to begin now, while the invitation is fresh. We’ve found that when there’s a natural time frame, people are more likely to dive in and benefit from the resource.

Invitation to support the Neufeld Institue (Optional):

This resource is freely offered to you as part of our commitment to making sense of children accessible to all who care for them. The Neufeld Institute is a Canadian non-profit society and charitable organization, and much of what we create is sustained by those who value our work.

If our work resonates with you, and you’d like to contribute, we’d be grateful for any amount you choose to give — it helps us keep going and continue sharing these insights more widely.

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