A small jar or box stays by the bed. When a worry arrives at bedtime, the child names it — out loud or written on a slip of paper — and puts it in the jar. The jar holds it overnight. Tomorrow, if it still matters, they take it out. The jar does not solve the worry; it moves it from inside the child to somewhere outside them, which is enough to make sleep possible.

What you need

small jar or box

How to do it

1"This jar holds worries at bedtime. Do you want to put this one in?"
2When a worry arrives: "Do you want to put it in for tonight?" Don't push. Let them decide.
3They name it aloud or write it on a slip and put it in. Either way, it's moved.
4"It'll be there in the morning if you need it." Turn the light off. The jar holds it now.

Variations

**Korb-Tür:** If they refuse to use the jar: "Okay, no jar tonight." Don't push. The jar only works if they choose it.
**Ausstieg:** "It'll be there in the morning if you need it." Turn the light off. The jar holds it now. Don't solve the worry at bedtime.

💡 Parent tip

Don't solve the worry at bedtime. 'Let's think about it now' keeps the child in a problem-solving mode that prevents sleep. 'It's in the jar' is enough. If it matters tomorrow morning, you can open the jar together then.

What your child develops

Externalisation of anxiety — giving a worry a physical location outside the body is a well-researched cognitive technique
Symbolic containment — the jar works not because it does anything but because the ritual of placing creates a felt sense of transfer
Agency over worry — deciding to put something in the jar is an action, which is more regulating than passive worry