Screen-free bedtime · Ages 1 to 12

Personalized bedtime stories your kid stars in

  1. 1Add your kid's name and they become the hero.
  2. 2You pick a life lesson, like sharing.
  3. 3Press play, lock the screen and watch them fall asleep in their own story.
Make my kid's first story

One-time payment · Money-back guarantee

4.91 from 134 present parents
8:40
Playing fromTim's stories
★ Starring Tim
Tim and Pickle on a Rescue MissionLife lesson: brave in the dark
1:19-8:41
A small child on the sofa stares into a glowing tablet while a drained parent scrolls their phone at the other end, the reading lamp off and a picture book left closed between them

Too tired for a story. Too guilty for a cartoon.

Dinner ran long, bath ran longer, and the moment you sit down, your phone is already in your hand. Making up or reading another story feels impossible. So it's "not tonight, buddy," and a dopamine-fueled cartoon does bedtime.

Jaka and his son TimSame at our house.— Jaka, Tim's dad

You care. You're just tired. And your phone feed and their cartoons are made for the same thing: to keep you watching. So right when kids should calm down, the screen gets them more excited.

Bedtime Hero is the quiet opposite: a calm 8-minute story, audio only, starring your child. You stay close. It does the making up and the telling.

How it works

Meet Tim. My son. Tim, grinning with a missing front tooth
He's 5 and not a fan of the dark. So I made him a story.

  1. 1Tim picked a little green dinosaur and the backyard at night.

  2. 2His mom picked the life lesson: being brave in the dark.

  3. 8:40
    Playing fromTim's stories
    ★ Starring Tim
    Tim and Pickle on a Rescue MissionLife lesson: brave in the dark
    1:19-8:41
    NarratorMom's voice

    3The app made Tim's story. His mom pressed play and locked the phone.

What parents say

★★★★★
"Two kids, one of me after 8 pm. I used to bargain my way out of story time. Now I lie down with Theo, the story plays, and I rest my eyes. I'm still there. I'm just not performing."
Megan R.Mom of Theo (4) and June (1)
★★★★★
"Ava doesn't ask for 'a story' anymore. She asks for 'my story.' Her newest one is her, a three-legged cat and the bottom of the sea. She's heard it every night this week, and she still called her grandpa to tell him the whole plot. Twice."
Jess T.Mom of Ava (5)
★★★★★
"Bedtime used to be 'one more episode,' then a meltdown. Now cartoons end at dinner, and bedtime is lights off, Mateo's story on. He stopped arguing after a week. His sister pretends she isn't listening. She is."
Daniel K.Dad of Mateo (7) and Sofia (9)
★★★★★
"Sam's teacher said he'd been left out at recess. He didn't say a word. That night I picked 'being left out' and didn't say why. When it ended, in the dark, he said, 'That happened to me today.' We talked until he fell asleep."
Priya S.Mom of Sam (9) and Anika (6)
★★★★★
"Recording my voice sounded cringey, so I skipped it. The narrator is warm, and Ella cares more about being in the story than who tells it. My wife recorded hers before a work trip, so Ella still heard Mom. I'm sticking with the narrator."
Ben A.Dad of Ella (6)

A story instead of a screen

Stories starring your child. Pay once, keep them forever.

Choose how many stories
Make my kid's first story

Love it, or get your money back

  • 8-minute stories made for your child, from their picks, each with a life lesson you choose
  • Yours to keep, with unlimited replays, every night they ask
  • Your own voice, or our warm narrator. Record 30 seconds and they hear you even on nights you're away
  • Every story as an e-book, so you can read it to them yourself, on your phone, iPad or an e-reader
  • Siblings can share, each story stars one of them
  • Audio only. The screen goes dark
  • Works on any device: iPhone, iPad, Android or computer
100% money-back guarantee

Love the first story, or get your money backNot the cozy bedtime story you hoped for? Email us and we'll refund your whole pack. No questions asked.

Questions parents ask

How many stories do we get?

As many as you pick: 1, 3 or 7. With more than one child, you can split them, and each story stars one of them by name. Stories never expire, and any story can be replayed as often as you like, and younger kids often ask for the same one night after night.

How long is each story?

About 8 minutes: long enough to settle down and drift off, short enough for a sleepy kid. The demo on this page is a 2-minute preview of Tim's.

What does my child see during the story?

Nothing to watch. The screen goes dark and the story plays as audio only. No video, no animation.

Does it work on my phone? Do I need to download an app?

It works on any phone, iPhone or Android, and on tablets too. It's a web app, so there's nothing to install from an app store: open it in your browser and, if you like, add it to your home screen. Press play, lock the phone, and the story keeps playing.

What ages is it for?

Ages 1 to 12. Every story is written for your child's age, so a 2-year-old and a 10-year-old get very different stories. With the youngest, you do the picking.

What kind of life lessons?

Everyday ones: sharing, being brave in the dark, a new baby, saying sorry. For older kids: being left out, losing a game, nerves before a test. You pick it, alone or with your child, and it comes through the story, never as a lecture.

Can it be in my voice? Do I have to?

Only if you want. A warm narrator can tell every story. For nights you're away, or because it's the voice they know, read a few sentences off the screen: about 30 seconds, nothing to memorize. Stories then play in a voice that sounds like yours.

Can I read the story to them myself?

Yes. Every story also comes as an e-book you can read aloud. Open it on your phone or iPad, or send it to an e-reader like a Kindle, where there's no bright screen at bedtime.

Is it made with AI?

Yes, and that's how every story can star your child. AI writes each one from your picks, the life lesson and your child's age, within rules we set: gentle, calm, nothing scary, always ending in sleep.

Is it a subscription?

No. You pay once for 1, 3 or 7 stories. Nothing renews and there's nothing to cancel. The stories are yours to keep and replay, and if you want more, you can get another pack anytime.

What if my kid doesn't like it?

Then you get your money back. If your first story isn't the cozy bedtime story you hoped for, email us and we'll refund your whole pack, no questions asked. Every story is checked by hand before it reaches you, and if one still misses, we want to know.

Tonight, you don't have to make it up.

Lie down next to them. For 8 minutes, Bedtime Hero makes it up and tells it, with your child in it and a small life lesson at the end. The rest, you've already got.

Make my kid's first story
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