Your Baby’s Nursery Should Be THIS Dark

How dark should your baby’s nursery be?

So dark you can’t see your hand in front of your face!

Try blackout curtains, room darkening shades, or whatever can completely block out the light. If you need to order something specific for the room, you can temporarily tape some paper or tack up a sheet over the area.

If there are any small lights from devices such as baby monitors or chargers, put a piece of tape over the lights.

Why? Our eyes process light and send signals to the brain which promote the production of hormones that tell us to be alert or sleepy. As adults we can “override” this process with coffee, Red Bull and Netflix, but our baby’s natural process should be protected for healthy sleep.

During the day, you don’t necessarily need to have a pitch black nursery for naps. However, if your baby struggles with short naps or resisting naps, go ahead and provide that same dark environment for nap time as well as bedtime.

Now of course you don’t want to trip and fall on your face when you go in for a night feed. Use a red nightlight for after-hours feeds and diaper changes. Red light doesn’t disrupt sleep to the degree of other types of light. For a toddler who can’t sleep without a nightlight, red is the best option for this as well. Read my post all about why you should have a red light bulb in your baby’s room!

Be sure to follow The Baby Is Asleep on Instagram for pediatric sleep education!

Do you need a super easy to follow daily nap schedule for your baby or toddler? Click the image below for my free sleep schedule generator according to age!