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If you’d told eight-year-old me (summer of ’89, hair sticking up from too much sea air and an ice lolly in each hand) that one day I’d be working in marketing, writing about teddy bears… I’d probably have laughed and run back to building my sandcastle. Yet here I am, a web and marketing manager, with a desk full of reports, colour swatches, and one slightly scruffy teddy called Oliver keeping me company.

Oliver isn’t a Heartbeat Bear - he’s been with me since childhood, long before we made them - but I love him all the same. He’s a reminder of how a bear can become part of your life story, and why I believe so strongly in what we do now.

These days, my daughter is 13, but I still remember those toddler bedtimes so clearly. Back then, there were no tablets glowing in the dark, no desperate “just one more video” stalling tactics. We had a well-worn rocking chair in her room where we’d sit together before bed - me reading or softly chatting, her cuddled up with a bear or blanket. It was a ritual that helped us both slow down after busy days.

Why No-Screen Time is Making a Comeback

Parents are starting to embrace calmer, screen-free moments before sleep. Instead of tablets or TVs, it’s about bringing the lights down, the voices soft, and finding ways to help little ones relax without a glowing rectangle in sight. The shift is backed by studies showing better sleep quality and calmer evenings - but more than that, it’s about creating moments.

Where Heartbeat Bears Come In

Our Heartbeat Bears are designed to slot neatly into this sort of bedtime. They’re cuddly soft toys with a hidden twist - inside each one is a 20-second recorder that you can personalise. Record your voice reading a favourite bedtime line, singing a lullaby, or simply saying “I love you” - and you can change it whenever you want.

They’re labelled for ages 3+, so while it’s fine to use them as part of your bedtime routine, once your child’s asleep it’s best to take the bear out of the bed and leave it somewhere safe in the room. That way, you’ve got the comfort of those cuddles and the reassurance of your voice, without any risk.

Making it Part of the Routine

When my daughter was little, I could easily imagine how a Heartbeat Bear would have slotted into our rocking chair routine:

• Pre-bed cuddle corner - ten minutes before lights out, sit together in a favourite cosy spot and let your child hug their Heartbeat Bear while you play the recording.
• Custom goodnight messages - change the recording now and then so your child has something new to look forward to. It can be as simple as “Goodnight, sleep tight” or as silly as “Watch out for the tickle monster dreams!”
• Wind-down time for you too - those last moments before bed can be just as calming for the parent as they are for the child.

The Magic of Bears

Oliver might not have a recording inside him, but he still brings me comfort, even all these years later. That’s the magic of bears - it’s not about the tech, it’s about the connection. In a world full of pings, swipes, and endless scrolling, a bear with a friendly face and a familiar voice feels like a little antidote.