What’s the Best Nightlight for Nursing?

You may be wondering if a nightlight is even necessary. If you’ve never had to wake several times a night to feed a baby, you might be in the dark on this one (in the dark, get it?).

After stubbing your toe on the corner of the bed or dresser a few dozen times, you’ll likely see the benefit of having a nightlight in the nursery. Let’s not forget trying to change a dirty diaper in darkness. It’s a mess. You’re groggy, the baby is fussing, and it can be chaos until you get the hang of your nighttime routine. 

Of course, there is also the added benefit of night lights being transitional. Meaning, your toddler will appreciate the soft glow of a light in their bedroom or the comfort of a portable light as they make the nightly shuffle to slip into their parents’ bed. 

What makes a good nursing/feeding light?

In the most basic breakdown of what makes a decent nightlight, it needs to provide enough light to navigate the room without being bright enough to blind the both of you and thus rendering the return to sleep impossible. 

Your nightlight should also be practical. Who wants to fumble with twelve different buttons or accidentally drop your heavy portable nightlight on your toe during the hazy stroll to the crib? 

A good night light fits your feeding needs, whether that be portable, easily switched on, or plugged into an outlet and lit all night. Brightness, bulb type, softness, and timers will also be worth checking out. 

The sound of silence

Silence is golden. Nightlights with loud switches or jarring music are typically not great choices. Ideally, you’ll want to nurse your baby right back to sleep, not leave them wanting to play at 3 A.M. Bottom line, excitement is not the name of the game for night feedings. Tools that create a soothing environment, however, can be very beneficial. 

Some night lights are equipped with sound machines. That can be a helpful feature if white noise is effective in soothing your baby. It’s a good idea to test out the features and listen to the subtleness of the noise. If it comes blaring through the speaker, it’s probably not ideal. 

It can also be a good idea to examine how much effort it takes to turn on or off. If you have to spend more than a few seconds fiddling with the controls while your baby cries, there might be a better choice. Remote control or cell phone programmed lights can be convenient choices if they’re easy to program and use. However, if you have to scroll through a Rolodex of settings, the blue light on your device can make falling back to sleep a challenge. So, it could be a good idea to check out the program before committing, if possible. 

Don’t get a projector

Remember the bit about not wanting to excite the baby into playtime in the middle of the night? That’s why a projector night light is not highly advised. 

Babies love light shows, but during a late-night feeding, you’ll want to take care of business and move on. Your baby is learning what nighttime is all about too, so exciting them too much can confuse their sleep cycles. Also, a “boring” dim light won’t be disruptive to their sleep if you decide to leave it on in the room. 

To recap, just because a light can display rotating stars and play an accompanying Mozart melody, does not make it the magic ticket for faster settling and longer sleep. 

Portability

A nightlight that can be moved about the house easily definitely has appeal. Chances are, you’ll be testing out nursing positions and figuring out what system works for you and your baby for a few weeks until everything really clicks. 

Also, if someone else decides they would like to bottle feed to give mom a bit of rest, a portable night light can easily be carried into the living room. If you’re trying to transition a baby into sleeping in their own room, portability could be a useful feature. 

And again, once your baby is a toddler, the ability to move your light from room to room could be a useful feature. After all, they may decide they need a night light in whatever pillow fort they’ve cozied up in for nap time or to ward away the new emergence of night terrors. 

What light color is best?

Red or orange night lights are best for returning to sleep. (Science tidbit: many professions utilize red light to maintain night vision). So red light is not only less disruptive to you and your baby’s sleep, it won’t deplete your vision for your midnight stroll to the kitchen. 

Avoid bright white or blue lights as they are counterproductive to sleep. That’s why experts encourage putting down electronic devices before bed which can disrupt melatonin production and natural sleep rhythms. 

Does a nursery need a permanent night light?

The need for a nightlight is fairly individual. Yes, having a light near nighttime essentials is helpful. Feeding and changing in pitch darkness isn’t beneficial if you can’t get the job done.

Some experts suggest that using a nightlight helps with visual development as your baby studies their surroundings while falling asleep and being able to see your baby can put your anxious parenting mind at ease. 

On the other hand, If your baby is getting day and night mixed up, you could try ditching the nightlight when you don’t need it for feeding or changing. 

The use of a night light is specific to your needs and not a huge commitment. So, while your infant may not benefit from its use, your toddler could really enjoy having the subtle glow of a light in their room. Kids are always changing and the need/use of a night light is one of the easiest assessments you’ll probably have to make as a parent. 

Where to place a night light?

Too much stimulation is only going to complicate the resettling process for both of you. So, you probably won’t want a bright light within inches of your infant’s sleep space. If you’re opting for an outlet plugin, it might be helpful to place it in a lower outlet, so you can avoid too much light shining in your faces during feeding. 

If it’s not plugged into an outlet, try putting the nightlight within arm’s reach when you enter the room so you can easily switch it on. It could also be a good idea to consider its use. Will you need it for changing or just a subtle light while you rock your baby back to sleep? A portable nightlight can be placed wherever convenient.  

It’s worth noting that placing it near the bedding or curtains is not advised. Fire hazards are real and should always be considered. 

Here’s a peek into the nighttime breastfeeding/changing routine of a newborn with momTara Henderson:

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