Is It a Good Idea to Have a Night-light in a Toddler’s Room?

Using a nightlight in a toddler room can be good or bad depending on the situation!

Night lights can be extremely helpful to relieve fear and feed your baby at night. But constant exposure to it is not a good idea at all.

If you know the pros, cons and the right way to use a night light, you can definitely maintain a healthy environment with no issues.

At the end of this article, you should be able to decide what’s better for your child.

The Upsides of Using Nightlight

Keeps Kids Calm and Minimize Fear

Nightlights can be great for toddlers to sleep as they help to see in the dark. Some children might develop fear of the dark and if the the lights are off, they will become anxious even more.

That’s not something you want. A little bit of light can keep them calm and know that there is nothing unusual roaming around his room.

Help With Potty Training

If your child is getting his potty training lessons, you don’t want to disrupt the process. A nightlight can show him the way and encourage him to go to the toilet without the help of elders.

Some children simply avoid the late night toilet trips just because they are afraid of the dark. And holding the excretion can cause constipation in the long run.

Makes Night Time Feeding Easy

If you need to breastfeed your baby at night, a nightlight can be extremely helpful. The usual lights can be too bright and disrupt your baby’s sleep.

Using the smartphone light is an option but it can become a pain holding it too long. You can also use it to monitor your baby in the middle of the night.

Compliments the Decor of the Room

Toddler nightlights come in various shapes and figures. Adding one to the nursery can complement the decor of the room.

Your child will find them very attractive. And.. it will provide that cute look every children’s room should have.

The Troubles With Nightlight

Might Trigger Poor Quality Sleep

Artificial lighting of the room before bedtime can impact the melatonin in children. This is the hormone responsible for making us feel sleepy.

If you keep the nightlight turned on always, it can hamper your kid’s sleep cycle and can also make it harder for him to sleep.

This is not something detrimental but not a thing to ignore also.

Create Fear in Babies

Babies are too small to imagine a monster sleeping in the dark. So, there’s no point keeping a night light turned on the whole night. What you might as fear might be just separation anxiety.

In fact, the opposite might happen. So, don’t bother keeping the night for a newborn. Use it when it’s necessary.

Increase Dependability on Nightlight

You don’t want your toddler to become too dependent on light that he can’t sleep without it. This habit may continue deep into his adulthood.

Get him to learn that the light is only there to assist him and not a compulsory part of his sleeping.

Increase Electric Bills

When you have a refrigerator, fan, AC and other electronic devices at home that are constantly adding up electric bills, you don’t want any extra bills at all.

Nightlights don’t consume a whole lot of electricity but turning them on always can make a huge difference.

If you intend to use it, always keep other lights and devices off to make up for that loss.

Tips for Using Nightlight in the Best Way

#1- Wait for the Right Age

If your toddler hasn’t crossed the age mark of 2 or 3 years, you probably don’t need a nightlight. If you think your child has a fear of dark and there is no other way to solve that, then go for it.

For night time feeds and potty, you can buy a night light. But don’t use it without any need.

#2- Go for Light With Warmer Tone

If you have the option, find a red light or a light with a warmer tone. Red light doesn’t interfere with the melatonin levels and so your child can see in the dark as well as have a sound sleep.

Blue or white light is not recommended. They have a greater impact on sleep. Try avoiding such lights at all costs.

#3- Place it Away from the Bed

The best thing you can do is to create an indirect source of light. So, whether the light is blue or white, it won’t be much of an issue.

Place the night light far away from the bed in a corner. The light will illuminate the surrounding but won’t have any harsh impact over the eyes.

If the priority is seeing in the dark, this should solve it.

#4- Avoid Fancy Moving Lights

Some of the lights can be very fancy with lots of movements and color transitions. That’s a big no no for kids.

Yes, your kids can become attracted to those movements and want to stay in bed longer. Those movements will hamper sleep and put pressure on the eyeballs.

Look for stationary lights that have a constant color.

#5- Find Nightlights With a Dimmer

If you are lucky, you can find night lights with a dimmer feature. This will help to increase or decrease the intensity as needed.

For children who are afraid of the dark, start in the highest intensity mode. Then gradually decrease it to the level when no light or extremely low light is enough.

The Final Decision…

Night light is a life saver in certain situations as we discussed above. Fear of the dark is probably the number 1 reason why you need this device.

If you follow the tips and are able to maintain a low intensity, you can use a night light. But as soon as your child grows a bit and understands the surroundings, talk this out with him and find ways to take the light away.

Use it only if it’s needed— that’s the only advice you need!!