Having a baby is one of the most exciting and overwhelming experiences, and getting their nursery and your whole home set up can be both challenging and fun! Choosing the right baby night light is one important task when furnishing your home. Not only do they make nighttime enough for late-night nursing sessions or diaper changes, but they can also ensure that you and your baby get a good night’s sleep to keep you energized for another play day.
So, should you use a nightlight in baby’s room? Yes, you do, and in this blog post, you’ll discover everything about selecting the best night light for your infant—from light’s link to biology, different types of lights, and some tips to have better sleep. We’ll also suggest some adorable options that perfectly complement any sleeping space!
Circadian Rhythm and Melatonin Facts
To begin your journey, let us first learn about the Circadian Rhythm and melatonin and how they affect your baby’s sleep.
Circadian Rhythm
Think of the Circadian Rhythm as a biological clock operating for 24 hours to regulate wakefulness and drowsiness. The Circadian Rhythm is imprinted deep into every person’s DNA, so cells and organs are governed by it.
Research about the body’s Circadian Rhythm shows that when there is light, the Period and Cryptochrome genes are produced less, waking the body and keeping it alert to keep up with a day’s errands. As the night approaches or the light dims, the body produces more of these genes, making it easy to fall asleep. This rhythm affects babies, children, and adults.
Melatonin
Connected to the Circadian Rhythm is the body’s production of melatonin. When dim lights trigger melatonin production, the body feels sleepy. Meanwhile, melatonin production decreases when the body is exposed to light, causing the body to feel alert and awake.
The disturbance of melatonin production can cause sleep problems, which babies experience that affect their moods throughout the day. Long-term sleep disruption can also halt their growth and development. And it can affect caregivers and parents like you too!
If your baby does not have enough sleep, you need to care for them more with their throwing tantrums. When your baby doesn’t sleep well, so will you.
Why Your Color Choice Matters For Your Baby Night Light
Light, the Circadian Rhythm, and melatonin are intertwined. To ensure you have enough melatonin production to keep up with your baby’s Circadian Rhythm, having the correct light and night light for sleep time helps a lot.
Keep reading! We’ll get you prepared with the best night light color for baby so you’ll know what to use and what not to use in your baby’s room
Awakening Bright White
The biggest no-no to night light choice is white light. Because it is bright, it inhibits the production of melatonin. Yet, ironically, this light type is the most commonly used illumination source inside the house. Hence, you need warmer lights for areas where you and your little one hang out—especially their sleeping rooms.
Soothing Red Light
Red is a warm color that helps induce a child’s sleep. If red doesn’t seem suitable, you can go for warm yellow and orange too. Make sure not to illuminate the room and keep the baby’s bed area darker.
Run Away From Blue Light
Blue is as disruptive to the Circadian Rhythm and melatonin production as white light, so they are the colors to avoid during the night. The blue light mimics the light from the sun during the day, confusing your baby’s body that it is waking time, not the time to sleep.
Yes To Natural Night Light
There are a lot of advantages to relying on a natural night light. First, you get the light free of charge as it is nature-provided. Then, it has the right level of dimness. Nevertheless, natural night light coming from the moon and the sky aren’t always reliable, especially when it is cloudy.
Temporary Total Darkness
If you want your child to get ready for sleep, turn off all the lights. They’ll focus on drowsing off when they have nothing to see. Total darkness is not practical to maintain all night as you need to check your baby, change diapers, or have night feedings now and then. Hence, you still need to invest in warm lights as a compliment.
Enchanting Designs For Night Light For Baby
You now know the specifics about night light colors and their effects. So we can discuss the most adorable night light sources you can choose from. Aside from adding a glow to your home and baby’s nursery or toddler’s room, these night lights can complement your home aesthetics.
Fairy Lights
Isn’t it a magical experience having your bundle of joy around the house? This magical feeling can also transcend into their nursery decorations. Use fairy lights to decorate the ceiling or walls in your baby’s nursery room. Make sure to pick warm yellow or orange for a gentle glow.
Warm-Colored LED Night Light
An LED night light isn’t only for restaurants, shops, and parties; they are also cute decorations and best night lights for your child’s room. You will not run out of designs for an LED night light because they are customizable. Choose from rainbows, unicorns, clouds, moon, sun, stars, and more to decorate your baby’s room. Inspiring texts about babies and kids are a great idea too.
Lampshades
A vintage lampshade will be a perfect fit if you want to go classic or if your home and child’s room interior design is rustic or Scandinavian. When you hang out with your baby in the living room at night, turning on the lampshade only can condition them for bedtime.
Meanwhile, when you use this as a night light source, their rooms won’t have harsh light from a bulb but a soft one from a lampshade.
Battery-Operated Owl Night Light, Candles, and Lamps
Other adorable best night light sources are candles, lamps, and cute lights like a night owl with rechargeable battery. Long ago, children would have lamps and candles in their rooms at night, and you can still bring them today with battery-operated ones.
Meanwhile, if you want to emanate child-friendliness in your home, battery-operated lights with cute shapes of animals and cartoon characters are widely available.
More Tips For Better Sleep
You are now ready to shop for the best night light for your baby. Here are some tried and tested tips you can follow to ensure your baby dozes off as planned.
- Light where they are needed: Be practical with light positioning, and put it in areas where you need illumination at night. You can put it in the changing table area to have light when changing diapers at night. You can also put it near the bathroom for toddlers who need to pee or poop at night.
- Give a chance to natural light: There are nights when the moon glows, and the stars shine. Save electricity by letting natural light peep through your bedroom or your baby’s nursery room.
- Put lights away from your child: Make sure not to put the light close to your baby. Even if you are using warm light, some children are so sensitive to light that their sleep is disrupted because they are exposed to it.
- Do daytime naps right: You can also have dim light even during the day, especially when it is your little one’s nap time. Freedom from harsh daylight can make the doze off quicker and have a good nap every time.
- Control screen time: Mobile phones, computers, and tablets are a part of your child’s entertainment and learning, but make sure not to expose them before bedtime to keep bedtime routines smooth.
Night Light For Baby From Ashtonbee
Understanding light and how it affects your baby’s sleep is important for all parents to help ensure their little ones get the best possible rest. Night lights, circadian rhythm, and melatonin each play an integral part in dictating when and how well our bodies sleep, so knowing which light will produce the desired effect is key to a good night’s sleep—for both you and your baby!
And if you are looking for night lights and other sleep-time must-haves for your little one, look no further than the supplies we have here at Ashtonbee. So feel free to browse our products and get your baby’s needs!
