Your Baby’s Best Sleep happens in a room that is Cool, Dark and Quiet
Use light and dark to reinforce sleep and wake cycles. Keep lights dim for the 30 minutes before sleep, and during nighttime soothing, feeding or diaper changes. Light is a significant biological driver of the circadian rhythm, and can be used to help reset sleep and wake times in babies once sleep has consolidated, from about 5 months onward. Research suggests that exposure to light will suppress melatonin, the sleep-inducing hormone, just as darkness encourages release of melatonin, which encourages sleep.
Keep the lights dark from the desired bedtime, to the desired morning wake up time, to help reinforce the sleep cycle. If your child is waking too early, true room-darkening shades are important. Early morning light creeping in will encourage an earlier wake up time. If there’s enough light in the room to read by, it’s too light. Avoid gaps at the sides of shades that allow a strip of light at the edges. Using aluminum foil on the windows to block light may not be attractive, but it’s certainly effective.
Continuous White Noise is an underused sleep aid. Not just any white noise, but continuous white noise is essential because it helps muffle random sounds at the most vulnerable times: during light sleep stage. Rather than sound machines that shut off after an hour, make sure it plays all night. Position your sound machine between the baby and the noise. Determine if you’re most concerned about outside sounds, or household noises. When a baby is in a deep sleep, he might be oblivious to even a loud sound. When he is in a light sleep, even a quiet sound like a sneeze or a toilet flushing in another room might be enough to rouse him. Continuous white noise also serves as a sleep association that is easy for anyone to replicate and can travel when you do.
A Cool, Ventilated Room
A cool, dark and quiet room works best. When the season has warm days and cool nights, it’s reasonable to open the windows for fresh evening air. However, with the windows open, the birds and outdoor sounds will be even louder at 5 AM. A fan in the room to help circulate air is a good option if the windows are closed. Keep the room temperature at 64-69°F for sleep. During cooler months, keep feet warm at night. Remember: “warm feet for better sleep”. Don’t worry if your baby’s hands or face feel cool to the touch. Slip your hand under your baby’s shirt: if his tummy and chest are warm, he’s warm enough.