As a holistic sleep coach, I often get asked about using night lights for toddlers and older children. Night lights, especially those that change colour to signal when it’s time to wake up, can be a great tool to combat early rising– but like many things, they don’t work for every family.
Why Night Lights Can Be Effective for Early Rising
For toddlers and older children who are still learning about time, night lights provide a clear, visual cue that’s easy for them to understand. They take the guesswork out of "Is it morning yet?" – a question many parents face, especially in the summer when the sun rises so early! Instead of constantly telling your little one, "It’s not morning yet," they can look at the light and know it’s still sleep time.
For many families, this means fewer early wake-ups, more consistent mornings, and a bit more rest for everyone.
Why They Might Not Work
But, as useful as they can be, night lights aren’t always the answer...
For some children, particularly those who are too young to grasp the concept of waiting for the light to change, it might not be effective. It’s also important to remember that a night light alone won’t solve sleep issues if your child is waking up because they’re anxious, uncomfortable, or in need of reassurance. In those cases, focusing on creating a calm, cosy sleep environment and offering comfort can be more beneficial than relying on the light alone.
It’s also important to remember that the boundary doesn’t have to be that they stay in bed until the light changes. For some children, it can be enough for them to stay in their room and quietly play with toys or look at books you’ve left out until the light turns green.
This way, they’re not disturbing the household but are still following a gentle morning routine that works for your family. The goal is to make it fit your unique circumstances.
Alternatives to a ‘sleep training’ night light
If a ‘sleep training’ (I don’t love that this is what they’re called!) night light isn’t your thing, you don’t need to invest in one to achieve a similar result.
You can use a simple plug-in lamp with a timer plug and set it to turn on at a specific time. Another option is to use a smart bulb that can be programmed with an app on your phone to switch on when it’s time for them to wake up.
Both options can achieve the same visual cue without needing a dedicated night light.
It's important to be mindful of the type of light used overnight. Blue light, which is emitted by many standard night lights and electronic devices, can inhibit melatonin production – the sleepy hormone that helps regulate our sleep-wake cycle. Exposure to blue light before or during sleep can make it harder for little ones (and adults!) to wind down and stay asleep.
For overnight lighting, it's best to opt for red or amber lights, as these have the least impact on melatonin production. These warmer tones are much gentler on the body’s natural sleep rhythms, creating a calmer, more sleep-friendly environment for your child.
My Recommended Night Lights & Sleep Tools (With a Small Thank You)
I’ve put together a few recommendations for night lights and sleep-friendly products that I’ve found helpful. These are affiliate links, which means I earn a small percentage if you choose to purchase through them – but I only share products I genuinely believe in and think could be useful for your family. It’s a small way to support my work, and I hope these suggestions help!
This is the one we use with our 3 year old and I love that it's a red colour for sleepy time and then green for wake up time
This one comes recommended form other mamas who say they love it because it's got great lasting batteries, soft and squishy to touch so very toddler friendly and really good quality. It's yellowy light overnight and blue for wake up time.
Many others have also mentioned the Yoto player has a nightlight that you can set the timer for too, but only the and or 3rd generation one (we have the mini and it doesn't have this feature). Obvious this is a bigger investment and you wouldn't get it just for the nightlight feature but I would highly recommend them - they're absolutely great for non screen activities and giving autonomy to your little one and some free time for you!!
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