How Dark Should My Child’s Bedroom Really Be?
Does this sound familiar:
The sleep books I read say the baby’s room needs to be so dark that I can’t see my hand in front of my face. But my mother-in-law says “I’m making a big deal out of nothing” and insists that baby “should learn to sleep in any kind of light.” And one of my friends insists that her 1-year-old is afraid of the dark and sleeps perfectly under a night-light simulation of the universe.
Jump to Bedroom Darkness Scale
So what the heck do I do for my own child??
Okay, I totally made up the last one. A simulation of the universe would be so cool. But in my professional opinion, I don’t recommend it for sleep.
And here’s why …
Why Adults Use Nightlights
To see. Duh. ;)
But it’s a little more than that, right?
To get up to use the restroom in the middle of the night, we need a little light to see by. So maybe we have a nightlight in the hallway.
Or maybe you get a little freaked out by the dark - I mean, you are the adult now, right? It’s now your job to keep your family safe, and the dark can hold unknowns. (Okay, this is totally me. Lol. Maybe you don’t feel this way!)
Or perhaps you want to keep a little light on to help orient yourself in the middle of the night when you wake up.
All very valid reasons to want to use a nightlight.
Why Nightlights Are Bad for Sleep
Now, all that being said, here’s a conflicting viewpoint on nightlights: nightlights actually make it harder to sleep! And when we fall asleep anyway, they can make us have poor quality sleep.
And here’s why: nightlights - and lights in general - inhibit (i.e., stop,) our production of melatonin. Melatonin is a chemical in our brain that makes us feel sleepy. We need to have enough of it in our brains each night to both fall asleep and stay asleep.
Back when electric lights weren’t even a thing, it wasn’t as big of a deal. The lights go down, you may use a candle to see by for a little while, but then you put it out when you get in bed.
Now-a-days we use electric lights from dawn to dusk and beyond. And that light - from our overhead lights to our tvs and tablets and phones to our nightlights - actually inhibit our melatonin production. And most especially, blue lights and cool-toned lights - like those from phones, tablets, etc. - inhibit melatonin production the most.
Okay, But What About Safety
Agreed! Valid point.
For safety - meaning, for those of use who are old enough to need to see in the night to walk to the bathroom, check that the house is safe, etc. - nightlights are necessary.
When able, keep these nightlights in the hall/bathroom and not in your sleep-space. If you need a nightlight in your own room for you to maneuver around safely, try to find one that you can access from your bed so you can turn it on when you need it and off when you’re back in bed.
And stick to warm tones - reds and deep oranges - these will inhibit melatonin production the least.
But My Child is Afraid of the Dark!
If your child is under 1-year-old, this is unlikely. Unless your child has experienced a severe trauma and the darkness can trigger the fear, children this young typically aren’t scared of the dark. They may be unnerved by a change in their environment, especially if you are usually with them when they fall asleep, and all of a sudden, they don’t see you.
But in these cases, you can use special strategies to assure them that you are still there and haven’t left the house.
If your child is older, for example, around 2- or 3-years-old, they may begin to feel scared of the dark. In these cases, if using a nightlight is the only solution, use a VERY dim, VERY warm-hued night light. No exceptions.
If a bright nightlight that projects stars on the ceiling helps them to see well enough to banish the darkness, then a simple dim, warm-hued light will banish the darkness as well - AND they will be less stimulated and have more melatonin.
Pitch-Black Dark Really is the Best
The darker it is, the better your child will sleep. Really and truly.
Here’s a visual of how dark to keep your child’s room:
How to Optimize the Darkness
Over the years, I’ve discovered a few priceless tricks to keep your baby’s room as dark as possible, as well as which nightlights optimize the whole warm-hue and dimness needs.
Here are some of our favorites:
2) Dimmable Nightlight -
And when you’re on a trip and need to keep it super dark, here’s what we use:
2) Pack-n-Play Shade - (make sure your child is safe in this - i.e., that they will not pull it down on themselves)
The Moral of the Story
In the end, we want to keep our kiddos’ sleeping environments as dark as possible. The darker, the better. If they’re older (2 yrs +) and absolutely must have a nightlight, keep it warm-hued and verrrry dim.
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