I ask the question to every prospective client, "How dark is your child's room? on a scale of 1-10?"
The most common answer is somewhere between a 6-8/10.
8 out of 10 seems pretty good, right?
For some, it may be okay.
Though if your child is having trouble with short naps, and early mornings (in the summer...), then you may need to increase the darkness level. Light is so stimulating to our brains. It causes us to wake up, feel energized, and determine the difference between days and nights. For babies, their brains are also stimulated by light, just like us. The challenge is if they are having a daytime nap, which can be harder to come by normally, and there is light present, connecting sleep cycles can be really difficult. Babies and young toddlers need daytime sleep, and making their environment conducive is helpful. ..... I also get the follow-up question of, "Won't they think it's nighttime?" Good question! The answer is, no:) Our bodies produce various hormones throughout the day that help us stay awake, and then at night, to help us fall into a good, long nighttime sleep (thanks to our body's natural melatonin!). Our bodies also develop a natural circadian rhythm that is linked to sunlight activity, and human habits, etc. ...... So, we circle back to the original question, how dark is your child's room? Below I've attached a chart that can help you understand what I mean by a 'dark room'.
Ideally, we are aiming for a 10. Garbage bags over the windows, a sheet over the top of the curtain rod are all very effective and inexpensive.
.... I hope this helps & maybe it gave you a small project to work on:) If your child isn't sleeping well, despite making the small changes that I've talked about through various emails, blog posts, and social media posts, send me a message through my website contact form and let me know what's going on! Sometimes, it's a small thing, sometimes it's a big thing. I'm here to help, either way! Here for you, Melody Patton
