Use of a Night Light During Baby’s Sleep Time

A newborn baby does not need to have a night light to sleep well.  Tiny babies can sleep well anywhere, at any time of the day or night. It is only as they get older that some toddlers develop a fear of the darkness and need a night light. But many nurseries are not completely dark anyway, there are frequently street lights close by that shine in through the curtains and traffic lights may also flash by.

However, using a night light rather than a bright light for the night feed can often help baby to settle down more easily afterwards. By remaining in a dim light full wakefulness will hopefully, be prevented. However, do what works best for you as the mother, and baby will soon adjust to it.

Even after baby does not have a night feed it can often be a help to the parents to have a nightlight for when they check up on baby. Switching the main light on would be more likely to waken baby, while having a dim light will ensure that he remains happily asleep. If baby tends to waken and cry through the night, using a night light may just settle him down.

Some mothers inadvertently cause their toddlers to be afraid of the dark and so they need a night light. How do they do this? Firstly, by making sure that the lights are switched on in every room as soon as it starts to get dark – and by never walking around the yard in the dusk with their child. By allowing the child to experience safe darkness right from the start, he will get used to it and realise that there is nothing to fear.

A child who does not like it when the light is first switched off at bedtime can be encouraged to wait a little while until his eyes adjust to the sudden darkness. Point out how much lighter it seems then and ask him to identify objects such as furniture and toys in the room. He will then realise that it is not as dark as he first thought.

A night light is of more use when a small child is learning to get up through the night to go to the bathroom by himself. In this case it can be used to show the way, but is often of more use in the darkened hall rather than the bedroom.

However, if your child frequently suffers from nightmares or night terrors, using a night light may help. Eventually children grow out of such childish fears and will not need the light as they get older. It will certainly not hurt him to have it if it is needed, but often it is used because the mother does not like the idea of baby being left in the dark – when baby couldn’t really care less.

Motherhood is very often a matter of trial and error. While it helps to read what others do, it may not always work for you and your baby. The only way to find out is to try it.