Lots of parents assume that a night light is one of those baby essentials that every nursery requires. After all, a well-placed night light can reduce the fumbling usually associated with middle-of-the-night diaper changes and feedings. But is a night light distracting to your baby? Do you really need one? What kind of night light should you buy? Keep reading for our baby night light do’s and don’ts, as well as a list of our top 5 favorite baby night lights!

Baby Night Light Do’s and Don’ts

1. DO place the light close the areas of the room that you’ll need to use at night, but DON’T place the light too close to your child’s sleeping area.
2. DO ensure that the light is low-wattage and dim enough that it won’t disturb your child’s sleep.
3. DON’T use a night light that casts cool, blue-toned light, but DO use one that casts warm, red- or yellow-toned light.
4. DON’T assume you or your baby will need a night light; you might not!
5. DO try a night light as your baby grows, if he suddenly develops nighttime fears or separation anxiety.

1. DO place the light near areas you’ll use, but DON’T place it too close to your child’s sleeping area.

When your baby is young, the night light is really more for you than for him; it can really help facilitate middle-of-the-night diaper changes and night feedings. So place the night light near the areas of your baby’s nursery that YOU will use, like the changing table or the glider. But be sure not to place it too close to your baby’s sleeping area, as even dim, soft light can be distracting for some babies and can interfere with sleep.

2. DO ensure the light is low-wattage and dim.

This probably goes without saying, but you don’t want your night light to be too bright! 4-7 watts is typical for most night lights. You’ll also want to be sure that the light itself is shaded and diffuse, so that your baby isn’t disturbed by any harsh glare.

3. DON’T use a light that has blue tones, but DO use one that casts warm red or yellow tones.

Fun fact: did you know that blue light is bad for sleep? It’s true! Blue light interferes with the body’s production of melatonin, a natural, sleep-inducing hormone. This is one huge reason why we never recommend keeping a TV in your child’s room, and why many experts advise that children should stop all screen time a few hours before bed. So avoid blue-toned night lights; instead, opt for night lights that give off warm, red- or yellow-toned light.

4. DON’T assume you and your baby need a night light.

It’s interesting – a lot of parents assume that a night light is necessary, but this isn’t always the case. For one thing, some babies really are distracted by night lights and have trouble falling asleep in a room that has any light at all (baby temperament has a lot to do with this). And if the light turns on and off by itself (when it senses daylight, for example, or when it senses motion), that might be doubly-distracting for your child. And don’t assume you need one, either; lots of parents have told us that leaving the nursery door cracked open and using the light from the hallway for diaper changes and feedings works just fine.

5. DO try a night light as your baby grows, especially if he develops nighttime fears.

You may find you can do without a night light at first, but as your baby grows, a night light might become useful. Some parents find, for instance, their children get anxious about being left alone in the dark as they grow older; this is probably natural nighttime fears mixed with some separation anxiety. A night light can really help in instances like this; it can provide a little reassurance and comfort in the middle of the night. Nighttime fears can become a real problem during the toddler years, too, so even if you manage without a nightlight for a while, don’t hesitate to try one out if your two-year old is suddenly afraid of the dark.

Our Top 5 Night Light Recommendations

Greenic Dusk-to-Dawn LED Nightlight (in Amber)

This night light is super basic, but also super effective! It casts just enough diffuse light to help you find your way around for diaper changes and feedings, but not so much that it’ll make it hard for your baby to sleep. Just be sure to buy one in a warm color; we like the amber-colored one best.

Albrillo Baby Night Light

  The Albrillo Night Light is a customizable light with a rechargeable battery that lasts 200 or 6 hours in dimmest or brightest settings, respectively. And, the bottom button disables touch control and boosts brightness by 30% for outdoor visibility, if you like to go camping and the like. What we really love is that you can touch the top for half a second to enter night light mode for breastfeeding at night, for example, or you can tap the logo twice to set a 1-hour timer to comfort your toddler to sleep. This way, your toddler has a night light as he goes to sleep, but it won’t wake him in the middle of the night.

Bubzi Co. Penguin Plush & Projector

This adorable little elephant doubles as a night light and a lullaby player; it plays 10 different lullabies and projects a beautiful, soft starlight scene for a total of 30 minutes before automatically shutting off. This could work as a great bedtime routine tool; to signal to your baby that your routine is over and that it’s time to go to sleep, simply turn on this little plush owl. Note that some babies might find the starlight scene distracting; however, the projected image doesn’t move, so it should work for most babies. The added benefit here is that this little plush owl is portable; it runs on batteries, meaning you can easily move it around your home (from pack-n-play to crib, perhaps), or take it on the go. Best of all – by purchasing this Bubzi Co. product, you’re giving back! A percentage of every Bubzi Co. purchase is donated to Postpartum Support International, an organization that helps new moms look after their perinatal mental health.

Space / Animal Projector Night Light

This may or may not make a good baby night light; the moving stars or animals and multi-colored lights might prove too distracting. However, your toddler might really love it! This projector offers soft light that’ll keep your toddler feeling comfortable and secure, and it also projects a rotating scene that could be just the thing to keep an antsy toddler interested (and in bed!). If you have a jack-in-the-box toddler who is constantly popping out of bed or who finds bedtime boring, this nightlight might be a great choice. In addition, this could be another great bedtime routine ender – if you consistently end your routine by turning on the projector, it could send a strong signal to your toddler that it’s time to settle in and go to sleep.

Munchkin Light My Way Nightlight

Oh my GOSH, is this thing adorable! This portable little nightlight (another owl!) could work well for babies and for toddlers. It casts a nice warm glow, and it’s also small and portable, meaning it’ll travel well. What’s more, this light automatically shuts off after 15 minutes – but if your toddler wakes in the night and wants her night light on, she can simply press a button for another 15 minutes of light. Extra bonus – your toddler can carry this with her for middle-of-the-night trips to the potty! And you can easily move it around your baby’s room as needed.

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As you may know, an overtired child can ruin even the happiest of vacations in a snap. (Just visit Disney World and you’ll see what I mean….soooooo many crying and exhausted children in the Happiest Place on Earth!)

But what if I told you that you didn’t have to sacrifice vacation fun in order to keep your child sleeping well? And vice versa: you don’t have to sacrifice your child’s sleep in order to have fun during vacation. You can have the best of both worlds!

Now, keep in mind, your child’s sleep during vacation likely won’t be picture-perfect. You will have to make some sacrifices, and you can probably expect sleep that is a little more fragmented and disrupted than usual. But hey – I bet you’ll take that any day over non-existing sleep that leads to cranky overtiredness, right?

Vacation with Baby and/or Toddler: 9 Tips To Preserve Sleep AND Have Fun

1. Catch up on sleep before vacation. Ensure that the few days leading up to your vacation are relaxed and slow-paced. Make sure naps are happening at home, in your child’s crib or bed, and that bedtime is happening like clockwork. This will allow your child to get good and rested before you leave.
2. Book sleep-friendly accommodations, if possible. Where you will be staying on vacation will mean a lot in terms of how well your child does or does not sleep. Booking a house, where your child can have her own room, may be easiest. However, a hotel suite that has two bedrooms can work just as well. That said, if you have to share a sleeping area with your child on vacation, you can make that work (more on that later in the post).
3. Be prepared to do the time-zone dance, if necessary. If you’ll be crossing time zones, it may affect sleep. If the time change is just an hour, you may be fine, but if it’s more than that, you may need to do the “time zone dance”! You’ll need to modify your child’s schedule in advance of leaving and then modify it again when you get home; it makes extra work, yes, but it’ll make everyone a lot happier while you are on vacation. As for how to do this time-zone dance – we LOVE this post on the topic. We adore this family (they are former clients of ours), and they are experts on traveling with a baby in tow.
4. Bring lots of comfort objects from home. You should absolutely plan to pack your child’s lovey, but don’t forget things like a favorite crib sheet, favorite PJs, a few special bedtime books, etc. If your child has a nightlight that’s part of the bedtime routine, bring that. And don’t forget any white noise machines and blackout blinds that will make your child’s sleeping area very sleep-friendly.
5. Room-share like a pro. If you have to share a room with your baby during vacation, you can make it work. The biggest step will be to use white noise to block out any ambient sounds and blackout shades to block out light. Additionally, it can help to create some kind of temporary room divider that will section off your side of the room from your baby’s. A portable coat rack (like this one) + an extra hotel blanket can achieve this well. Expand the coat rack, throw the blanket over it, and you have a room divider!
6. Try to plan excursions around naps (if you can – don’t stress if you can’t). Don’t be a slave to your child’s usual schedule, but certainly take it into account when planning activities. If your toddler takes one afternoon nap, try to plan an outing in the morning, or during mid-afternoon. If your child takes two naps, try to squeeze an excursion in around lunchtime.

Build in “lazy” breaks in the midst of your activities. You may be able to go-go-go, but your child likely cannot! As a general rule, plan for one big activity per day, or two smaller outings. But also be sure to schedule in some lazy mornings or afternoons (or even days, depending on how long your trip is) so that the whole family can sleep in, nap, and generally relax.

7. Be flexible – tired will happen! Your best-laid plans will not equal perfect sleep. The truth is, vacation means a different daily schedule and different surroundings, and that will spell disrupted sleep. If you do your homework and plan well, you can minimize sleep damage, but do be prepared for some fussiness, a late nap, some late bedtimes, etc.
8. Book a few “getting back on track” days after you get home. Believe it or not, vacation doesn’t end when you come home. The aftermath of vacation can stick around in the form of whacked-out sleep schedules! That’s why we recommend taking a few days after you get home to get back to normal. Try to make sure you can be home during these days, so that you don’t have any errands or outings that can further-disrupt sleep.
9. And of course, as a last tip – don’t forget to HAVE FUN! When you take a vacation with your baby or toddler, it’s a time to enjoy your family. So don’t get too focused on sleep, lest it suck the enjoyment out of your travels!

The post Vacation With Baby/Toddler: How To Preserve Sleep AND Have Fun! appeared first on The Baby Sleep Site - Baby / Toddler Sleep Consultants.

The holidays are almost upon us, parents! And while the fun of holiday gifts and treats and parties and family time is certainly exciting, I know exactly what a lot of you are worrying over right about now: “How are all the late nights and schedule disruptions and long days spent at Grandma’s going to affect my little one’s sleep?”

Not to worry, parents – we have done a ton of writing on this very topic! And to make your holiday preparations even easier, we’ve compiled all of those past articles here. Think of this as your one-stop holiday sleep guide!

Traveling With A Baby or Toddler: Your Holiday Sleep Guide

Take a look at the articles below, and get insights on everything from how to help your baby nap in an unfamiliar place to info on dealing with jet lag to managing schedule disruptions due to special events. Take a look!

• How The Holidays May Impact Your Baby’s Sleep

Learn how holiday traveling, special occasions, loads of treats, and different-than-usual daytime and nighttime schedules will impact your little one’s sleep.

• Traveling On Long Trips With A Baby Or Toddler

Read tips on how to promote sleep during long road or airplane trips, as well as info on how to make the trip go more smoothly for everyone!

• 11 Holiday Sleep Tips

This one outlines info on both managing sleep during traveling, AND how to handle holiday visitors who may unintentionally ruin your little one’s sleep schedule.

• Should You Keep Your Baby or Toddler Up Late For Holiday Events?

The title of this one says it all! Learn what we think about keeping your baby or toddler up late for special holiday parties and events.

• Dealing With Jet Lag

No, this article doesn’t come from our site – but it’s written by a family that we just love! We did a sleep consultation with them awhile back, and totally admire their commitment to traveling with kids. Read info on how to deal with jet lag and time changes (along with a host of other things) when traveling with little ones.

Prep For Holiday Sleep Challenges With The Baby Sleep Site^®

Sleep challenges do NOT have to make your holidays less merry – we can help! Let us create a Personalized Sleep Plan™ for you, which will outline exactly how you can preserve your little one’s sleep during your holiday travels. We’ll tell you exactly how to manage naps and bedtime, how to deal with schedule disruptions, and what to do when holiday fun starts to mess with your little one’s usual sleep patterns.

Browse our list of consultation package options here.

Once you make your choice and purchase, you will immediately receive an e-mail with your Helpdesk login information. You’ll be able to log in and get started right away!

Want more information about how personalized help works? Check out our FAQ page here, and get answers.

Ask your holiday sleep questions and share your holiday sleep tips below, and let’s get the conversation started!

 
Our VIP Members Area is packed with exclusive content and resources: e-Books, assessments, detailed case studies, expert advice, peer support, and more. It actually costs less to join than buying products separately! As a VIP member, you’ll also enjoy a weekly chat with an expert sleep consultant.
 
If you’re looking for ways to get your baby or toddler into a healthy sleeping routine during the day, I encourage you to explore Mastering Naps and Schedules, a comprehensive guide to napping routines, nap transitions, and all the other important “how-tos” of good baby sleep. With over 45 sample sleep schedules and planning worksheets, Mastering Naps and Schedules is a hands-on tool ideal for any parenting style.
 
For those persistent nighttime struggles, check out The 3 Step System to Help Your Baby Sleep. Using the same unique approach and practical tools for success, this e-book helps you and your baby sleep through the night.
 
 
For those persistent toddler sleep struggles, check out The 5 Step System to Help Your Toddler Sleep. Using the same unique approach and practical tools for success, this e-book helps you and your toddler sleep through the night and enjoy a better daytime schedule.
 

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With the holidays upon us, many parents wonder and worry about their baby or toddler’s sleep, particularly during visits from family or holiday traveling. Here are several things to keep in mind for this holiday season.

Jump to Visitors | Jump to Travel

Baby Sleep and Traveling

First and foremost, the holidays and traveling, in general, is a time to have fun and enjoy yourselves! So, try not to worry too much about baby sleep and schedules when you are supposed to be relaxing and having fun. I do have some tips to make things easier, though, especially if you have a baby or toddler who gets very cranky without adequate sleep.

• Before you travel, make sure you have a well-established nap and bedtime routine. This will make it easier, when you are traveling, to have your baby or toddler know what to expect, even though they are not at home.

• You might consider adding a specific baby sleep CD to your routines now before you travel, so that you can play it at your location, and your baby will associate it with sleep, even when you aren’t at home.

• Consider introducing a baby lovey before your trip for added comfort in a “foreign” place. A simple baby blanket or sleep sack with lovey attached are nice choices. You may be interested in learning when your baby can use a pillow. If you have a newborn, you can try to swaddle your baby for added comfort and check out my other newborn sleep tips.

• Depending on the age of your baby, you may want to sleep on a receiving blanket so it smells like you and give it to your baby when she sleeps. Your scent will help her feel you near, even if you are in another room.

• If you are traveling time zones, try to get onto the normal clock schedule as soon as you can, within reason. If you are traveling too late at night, allow one day of sleeping in and off-schedule naps, but then try to get back on schedule the following day. If you travel early enough, stick to the regular schedule right away for an easier transition across time zones and battling jet lag.

• Stick to schedule as much as you can without sacrificing fun on your trip, but once you get back home, try to get back to your normal rules as quickly as you can for a smoother and faster transition back home. Otherwise, parents often complain that several weeks later they are still feeling the effects of their traveling. If your baby has trouble getting back on schedule after a week or two, you might consider shifting schedules.

• Make sure you have a good place for your baby or toddler to sleep. Here are several good options for travel cribs and co-sleepers: Travel Bassinet or Fold N’ Go Travel Bassinet. If you have a toddler, you may want to get a portable child bed or if you have a bed at your travel location, you may want to purchase a portable bed rail.

• If you are sleep training, you will likely need to abandon your efforts until you get back home. Consistency is key and with schedules being out of whack and being in a different place, you won’t likely have a lot of success. If you’ve already sleep trained (or will by the time you travel), things might not be perfect during your travels, but once you get back it usually only takes a few days to get back to normal (provided you go back to your “sleep rules”).

Baby Sleep and Holiday Visitors

The most difficult part of holiday visitors is that everyone wants the babies or young children to stay up when they should be sleeping, so they can visit with them. This is especially true of those traveling far distances. I do not have profound advice for tackling this, except that it is YOU that will need to deal with the aftermath.

For those who have children who do not get cranky, this will probably be a non-issue and you can be as flexible as you want to be. But, for those of us who have kids that get very cranky, we might not be able to be that flexible. For me, when my eldest son (the one this website was inspired by) got off schedule even once or just a little bit, it took us a week or more to get back on track. I am not exaggerating! So, we had to really decide which events were worthy of getting him off track. Here are a few simple tips:

• Explain to your visitors that you understand how limited their time is with your child, but that his sleep needs have to be a priority because of his behavior, happiness, and well-being.

• Try to involve visitors like grandma and grandpa in the nap or bedtime routines. If your kids are like my son, this might not be as easy as it sounds. My older son just loooves mommy to read his books or tell him stories and often does not appreciate the concept that I’m always here, but grandma isn’t. My other son, who is just 9 months old, has stranger anxiety. But, I do the best I can, even if I have to be in the room while grandma reads to one of them.

• Try to plan ahead by having visitors come over after at least the first nap because typically that’s the most important. That way, if the rest of the day doesn’t go exactly as planned, she might not be as overtired, at least.

Whether you are traveling for the holidays or staying home and expecting visitors, I hope this article can help you get through them with as little tears as possible (yours and your kids).

Do you have any tips to share? Any questions I can answer?

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