In the early years with my boys, I used various triple-layer blind and curtain systems and copious duct tape to blackout their bedrooms, until I chanced upon a single blind that actually worked (Blocblinds by the way!).

Here's why darkness is best for sleep.

In the early weeks and months, newborns have an incredibly high sleep drive and different sleep phases to us. Rather than taking cues from light or darkness, they're guided by hunger, waking to feed and sleeping when sated. Infants don't develop their internal clocks until at least around 8-10 weeks. At around 3 months begins a stage of rapid development, with sleep requirements reducing, awake time during the day increasing, circadian rhythms developing and babies becoming biologically ready to sleep for longer periods and more responsive to routines. This means you have a stronger influence on when sleep occurs and can help create the right sleep environment to enable your baby to fall asleep, and fall back to sleep, more easily.

Sunlight triggers the brain to release cortisol and serotonin, which makes us feel alert, and this is why exposure to light in the morning synchronises our bodies with the 24-hour day. In darkness, our eyes send messages to the brain to secrete melatonin, which makes us feel drowsy. We need melatonin to fall asleep but also to stay asleep. Being in control of the light that comes into the room, rather than going by sunlight, can make a big difference to sleep patterns, especially in the summer months. Similarly, some colours of night lights (white, blue, yellow, green etc), monitors that glow or light shows may inhibit melatonin secretion, so these are best avoided. If your toddler or older child requests some light in the room, choose a soft red one, which is the other end of the spectrum to blue light. This won’t program their brain for a daytime level of alertness.

Sleep pressure is at its highest point in the day at bedtime, especially following the sequence of cues of a regular bedtime routine, like winding down with a bath and massage, into night clothes and milk. However, during the day, it can be harder for babies and toddlers to transition from social play in a bright space to 'nap-time', especially as their awake time increases. Equally, if your baby or toddler continually wakes after 30-45 mins, it really helps to have a dark room so there's a cue to return to sleep.

Before you embark on a sleep plan, get a good level of blackout in your child’s room. A good test is if you can't see easily see each other’s faces in the room and light doesn't seep through or around curtains and blinds - whether it's at night-time, early in the morning or for naps during the day (from around 2 months+). It won't magically fix sleep issues, of course, if your child still

needs lots of input from you to fall asleep or routine timings aren't quite right for their age but, it can certainly help with settling and resettling. If your baby or toddler sleeps in your bedroom, it also means that they can't see you in bed, which is often one of the problems that arise when they discover standing up in the cot. Equally, when early morning hours are brighter between March to October, there's less chance they'll think 5.30am is an acceptable wake-up time!

You might be concerned that being stricter about darkness at home will create issues when you travel or go on holiday. These are actually occasions when babies and toddlers are most likely to be disturbed by noise/light or feel unsettled by a change of environment so, the darker, the better. Travel blackout blinds and breathable snooze shades are fairly inexpensive, easily portable and hassle-free, so well worth investing in to create the best environment for sleep, wherever you are.

As your child gets older, they stop needing to nap, they sleep more deeply and need less night-time sleep. This means blackouts may become less essential (particularly towards secondary age when bedtime shifts later and teens naturally want to sleep in later into the morning). However, a dark room is a good sleep practice for all ages.