07/06/2017
Your Baby and Sleep.
"Lights push your child's biological 'go' button," says Elizabeth Pantley, author of The No-Cry Sleep Solution. On the flip side, darkness triggers the brain to release melatonin, a key sleep hormone.
So, to help your baby sleep better and to develop healthy sleep patterns;
Use light strategically.
- Keep your baby's days bright and his nights dark and he'll quickly figure out when it's time to sleep.
- During the day, allow plenty of sunlight into the house or take him outside.
- Put your baby down for daytime naps in a well-lit room (unless he has trouble falling asleep at nap time).
- To induce nighttime sleepiness, consider installing dimmers on the lights in your baby's room, but also in other rooms where you both spend lots of time.
- Lower the lights in the evening (up to two hours before bedtime) to set the mood.
- It's fine to use a night-light in his room, but choose a small, dim one that stays cool to the touch. (Don't plug it in near bedding or drapes.)
- If your child wakes up during the night, don't turn on the lights or carry him into a brightly lit room. The shift from dark to light tells his brain it's go time. Instead, soothe him back to sleep in his dark bedroom.
- If early morning sunlight prompts your child to wake too early, or if he has trouble napping in the afternoon, consider installing room-darkening shades.
