📖 Overview
What to Expect at Bedtime is a children's board book that guides young readers through the bedtime routine. The book follows a sequence of events from bath time to lights out.
The narrative features simple text paired with illustrations of diverse families preparing their children for sleep. Each section presents a common bedtime activity, moving step-by-step through the evening schedule.
The story focuses on creating structure and predictability around bedtime, with an emphasis on establishing consistent routines. It incorporates elements that parents can use to make bedtime smoother and more enjoyable.
This addition to the What to Expect series approaches nighttime challenges through a lens of comfort and gentle encouragement. The book serves as both a teaching tool and a way to normalize bedtime transitions for young children.
👀 Reviews
There are not enough internet reviews to create a summary of this book. Instead, here is a summary of reviews of Heidi Murkoff's overall work:
Readers consistently cite Murkoff's month-by-month pregnancy breakdown and Q&A format as helpful features. Parents appreciate the detailed information about fetal development, common symptoms, and potential complications.
Liked:
- Clear explanations of medical terms
- Comprehensive coverage of pregnancy topics
- Inclusive of different pregnancy experiences
- Regular updates with new medical information
- Accessible writing style
Disliked:
- Some readers find the tone anxiety-inducing
- Information can feel overwhelming
- Covers worst-case scenarios that worry first-time mothers
- Some medical recommendations considered outdated
- Repetitive content across chapters
Review Statistics:
Amazon: 4.7/5 from 22,000+ reviews
Goodreads: 3.8/5 from 250,000+ reviews
WhatToExpect.com: 4.5/5 from 15,000+ reviews
"Like having a knowledgeable friend guide you through pregnancy," writes one Amazon reviewer. Another notes: "Too much focus on what could go wrong." Multiple readers mention consulting the book "daily during pregnancy" while others suggest "skimming for relevant sections to avoid anxiety."
📚 Similar books
The Baby Sleep Book by William Sears, Martha Sears, Robert Sears, and James Sears
This book presents sleep solutions for children from birth through adolescence based on attachment parenting principles.
Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Marc Weissbluth The book explains sleep cycles and provides age-based sleep strategies for children from newborn to adolescent stages.
On Becoming Baby Wise by Gary Ezzo, Robert Bucknam This guide outlines a sleep training method that coordinates feeding times with wake and sleep cycles.
The No-Cry Sleep Solution by Elizabeth Pantley The book presents step-by-step techniques to help children sleep through the night without using cry-it-out methods.
Solve Your Child's Sleep Problems by Richard Ferber This sleep training manual explains common sleep issues and provides methods to address sleep disorders in children.
Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Marc Weissbluth The book explains sleep cycles and provides age-based sleep strategies for children from newborn to adolescent stages.
On Becoming Baby Wise by Gary Ezzo, Robert Bucknam This guide outlines a sleep training method that coordinates feeding times with wake and sleep cycles.
The No-Cry Sleep Solution by Elizabeth Pantley The book presents step-by-step techniques to help children sleep through the night without using cry-it-out methods.
Solve Your Child's Sleep Problems by Richard Ferber This sleep training manual explains common sleep issues and provides methods to address sleep disorders in children.
🤔 Interesting facts
🌙 Author Heidi Murkoff is best known for creating the "What to Expect" series, including the pregnancy bible "What to Expect When You're Expecting," which has sold over 42 million copies worldwide.
🛏️ The bedtime routine strategies discussed in the book are based on research showing that consistent nighttime rituals can reduce sleep onset time by up to 37% in young children.
✨ The book is part of a specialized series focusing on toddlers and preschoolers, using the same trusted, parent-friendly approach that made the original "What to Expect" books successful.
💤 Sleep problems affect up to 40% of children under age 5, making bedtime guidance one of the most sought-after topics for parents of young children.
📚 Like other books in the series, it uses a question-and-answer format that mirrors real parents' most common bedtime concerns and challenges, making it easy to find specific solutions.