Sometimes it is hard to understand why your baby is not falling asleep. A common mistake made by parents is not making the baby’s bedroom dark enough. The light can trigger a response in the brain which tells the baby it needs to wake up. It disrupts melatonin production which makes it harder to fall or stay asleep. In this article, we will give some tips for darkening the nursery.
- Seek for potential light sources
- Use black paper or foil on the window
- Additional tips
Seek for potential light sources
Check out the nursery for sneaky light sources which you might have missed. To do a thorough check, go into your child’s room, close the door behind you and wait a minute before your eyes have adjusted. Then look around. Is the sun sneaking under the blinds? Is there a digital clock emitting light soft light that might keep the baby awake?
Stick black paper or foil on the windows
If you are really out of any other options, you could always consider sticking black paper to the windows. Just ordinary black paper can do the job. However, you’ll need to tape the paper against the window, which can leave nasty glue marks when you will remove it. Another option is thin black foil. Some of it will stick to the window without using any adhesive due to the static nature of the foil. In this case, just cut the foil in the right size and shape and press it against the window, and you are done!
Additional tips
If the extra light is coming from the curtains, hang a thick blanket over it. If you have blinds, make sure there are no gaps that light can peek through. To make these gaps smaller, you can tape cardboard over the blind panes to block out any additional sunshine. Do you have the habit to leave the hall light on in the evening? Even the small strings of light that peek under or on the sides of the door can keep your kid awake at night. Make a new habit of turning it off!