Dim light and consistent noise levels might help babies and toddlers go to sleep and stay asleep.
To help your child sleep better, reduce sudden noises and morning light and noise.
White noise or soft music can help with settling.
Do babies sleep better in the dark?
A dim environment often helps babies and toddlers settle. That’s because a dim or darker room means less stimulation, which can help your child feel calm and tells them that it’s time for rest.
Can babies sleep if it’s too light?
Babies and toddlers can sleep if it’s light. But once your child is in bed, they might sleep better if the amount of light in the room stays the same while they’re asleep.
Try dimming the lights as you get your child ready for bed. In the daytime, closing blinds or curtains can help.
If your child feels scared about going to bed or being in the dark, they might feel calmer and settle better if they have a night-light.
A dim night-light can also be helpful if you need to feed or settle your child at night. It can help you see what you’re doing without stimulating your child.
What about red light for babies?
There’s currently no good-quality evidence to say that red light helps babies sleep.
What if it’s too bright for sleep in the morning?
You might be able to help your child sleep longer in the morning by blocking out morning brightness with closed windows and doors, window coverings and so on.
This might also help to muffle the sounds of traffic or early risers.
Can babies sleep if it’s noisy?
Some children can settle for sleep and stay asleep with some background noise. Others prefer a quiet environment. And children often wake easily to sudden noises or to changes in the amount of background noise.
This means it might be easier for your child to go to sleep and stay asleep when you keep noise levels consistent. To block out sudden noises, you can try:
hanging heavier curtains or a blanket over windows
putting a draft blocker under the door.
Soft music, rain sounds and other low-level noise can help some children fall asleep. It can also block out sudden noises and help children stay asleep or soothe them if they wake.
What about white noise for babies?
White noise might soothe your child if they wake easily. White noise can also block out sudden noises.
If you use a device to produce soft music, white noise or rain sounds, place it well away from your baby’s ears and keep the volume low. This protects your child’s hearing. And be aware that your child might come to depend on these sounds to get to sleep and stay asleep. You can look into phasing out sleep habits if this becomes an issue.
Our content is regularly reviewed for quality and currency. The last review of this article was by Associate Professor Romi Rimmer, consultant paediatrician, The Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne. Scientific Advisory Board review was provided by Associate Professor Jill Sewell AM.
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