Dark room?

[AngelaBelle]

Hi All

How dark do you all make the room for your little one's naps? Should the blind just be pulled down, or should I use blackout curtains and make it really dark to get the best result? I'm getting conflicting advice so would love some feedback please!

[Bex09]

Hi there, we used blackout blinds and drew the curtains too! My DD is spirited and the slightest bit of light or outline that she could see would distract her from falling asleep. She has got much better as she is older though. I think some LOs can handle a not so dark room better than others. In what way are you getting conflicting advice hun?

[creations]

I think it depends on the LO, so there is a high chance of conflicting advice depending what someone's personal experience is.

I never really wanted to go the blackout route as I worried he would then not be able to sleep in the pram/car etc or in any place where they was the smallest chink of light.  However, when I got the dreaded 40 min naps at around 4 months I was suddenly willing to try anything.  Up to then he had napped in a pretty bright room, but I covered all the windows with tin foil (cheapest way to discover if blackout works and also really well fitting compared to some blinds) in my attempt to beat the 40 min nap.  It made no difference whatsoever to his naps but I left the foil on because I was SO exhausted by those short naps that it actually helped ME catch a few zzzzzz with it being so dark

I do think it is about what suits the individual LO.

[~Sara~]

I agree that it depends on the LO.  I can't remember when exactly we started darkening DS's room, but it had to be DARK or else he'd hit that light sleep phase of his nap and *PING* his eyes would open wide.  We used tin foil on poster board (looked nicer on the outside than foil).  We still had to help him transition until he was 5.5mo, but it was worth it.  We darkened his room until he was past the year mark.  He's good now

[AngelaBelle]

Thanks for the replies!
Bex09, I've spoken to 2 sleep experts and one says to totally black out the room, and the other says to just pull the blind down and not make it totally dark or my DS might have trouble sleeping in the pram or car etc.
Sara, how long did it take you to transition your LO? And how did you do it? I'm having the 40 min nap dilemma so would appreciate some advice. And your LO no longer needs the dark room, is that correct? I'm worried if I start blackening the room, he'll need it forever!

[~Sara~]

He was a developmentally short napper from 3-5.5 months of age.  We used holding through the jolts starting at the 35/40 minute mark into his nap and past the light sleep phase and into the next deep sleep phase of the next sleep cycle.  So, yeah, minutes 35-1h for every nap except the catnap.  It wasn't fun, but he was my only LO at the time, so I had the time and energy to do that.  We also used the swaddle, white noise, and I still shielded his eyes when he was in REM so that there was no way he could see me.

No, he no longer needs his room darkened.  I mean, we shut his blinds; but he could probably sleep with them open, too.

The way I see room darkening is that it's part of their sleeping environment.  Just like temperature or white noise.  We as adults have preferences, so why is it bad for our kids?  I know some people who can sleep anywhere and others who need their own bed.  Some have to have their covers just so.  Some have to have it dark...so, if your LO likes to sleep in a dark room, I think that's okay   If you're worried it's a huge issue, then you can always try to make it less dark as time goes on.  If you notice that it helps him take longer naps now, wait a few months, try just closing the blinds...baby steps.

[AngelaBelle]

Thanks again for replying Sara!
Do you mind if I ask a couple more questions? Was your LO a self-settler? Max used to be before the 45 min nap issue started, but after we started going in to pat him back off to sleep, he started expecting it to actually get to sleep. Now we're trying to get him self settle again in the hope that he'll resettle easier. Wish us luck!
Where did you hold your LO to get through the jolts? I've been trying to hold his chest and legs but then I don't have a free hand to shield his eyes.
Did he start taking longer naps at 5.5 months? How did you know he could do it on his own?
How long did you use the swaddle for? We're still using it, not looking forward to having to stop it!
Sorry for all the questions but I'm struggling with this nap issue, and need all the help I can get!

[~Sara~]

Yes, he was a self-settler during all of this.  We'd swaddle him, sing a little song, say our key phrase, and do maybe a couple of pats...then he'd go to sleep the rest of the way on his own.  But, he'd still wake up at the 45 minute mark even though he could put himself to sleep at the beginning of the nap.  Is that what you're saying your LO does?  Or does he not even self-settle at the beginning of the naps any more?  Just throwing this out there, but make sure he's not actually taking undertired naps.

With httj, I placed my right elbow by his toes with my whole forearm laying on top of his body and hand on his chest (where his arms/hands were), my left hand shielded his eyes.  This is part of the reason why we still used the swaddle at this point.  It was our httj friend, lol!

Yes, he started taking longer naps at 5.5 months.  One day, he just slept through the transition and I just forgot to go in there.  It was great.  We weaned the swaddle shortly thereafter because he kept waking up at night for no other reason than to be reswaddled.  We spent 3 days weaning it, put him in a sleep sack, and he's been a 100% independent sleeper ever since.

HTH a bit!

[AngelaBelle]

Hi Sara

Max doesn't self settle at the beginning of his naps anymore. He used to until the nap trouble started and I think because he got used to us going in to resettle him (by patting and shushing), he expected that at the beginning too. So we're trying to teach him to self settle again, hoping that will help him resettle easier.
I'm not looking forward to the time we have to wean him off the swaddle but I know it's inevitable.
Thanks for your replies, I really appreciate it!

[~Sara~]

How long has it been since his A times have been increased?  I think it's worth making sure that he's not going down for them undertired.  Stick with the shh/pat at the beginning of the naps, decreasing how much you do it every couple of days.  If he used to be able to self-settle, that's a good sign that he'll get back there soon.

The swaddle weaning scared me, too.  You have to get yourself mentally prepared to go through some rough days.