Does having a blacked out room actually help? This is a question I'm asked about frequently, here's my rationale and thoughts behind it.
Melatonin, the sleep hormone, is produced in the evening and is also enhanced in darkness. I generally recommend having a baby’s bedroom (or room that bubs is sleeping in) blacked out as even a small amount of light can be enough to tell the brain it’s time to wake up.
A super dark room can help prevent and resolve early morning waking as they will see the sunrise peeking up and around the curtains / blinds. It's also helpful for consolidating day nap sleep cycles as it reduces / removes the visual stimulation.
Once they're over 2.5 years old, they may want a night light or sleep clock to provide a little light at night time, and while having a super dark room certainly helps (especially for an early morning wake up) I don't recommend blacking it out beyond this age.
There are a couple of options how to darken your baby’s room. If you already have blackout curtains, using rolled up towels on top of the curtain rails can help stop the light sneaking in from there. Additionally, there are some great blackout products on the market that attach directly to the window and / or frame which completely stop the light coming through such as the Easynight blackout blind or Sleepy Sundays (static black out blind sold by Little Sleep Coach as seen in the picture - email to enquire).
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