So we are toying with the idea of properly setting up the kids room before bub comes to try and get them to actually sleep in there. So far we need to get another single bed, curtains, bedding and possibly a night light.
I've seen some really cool ones for sixty dollars with dimmable options and lights etc, but I am wondering if that is all just too stimulating? I would probably get one each for the kids too, so is that too much in the one room?
What has helped your kids stay in their beds all night?
I think dimmable would be good. We got the wall mounted lights from IKEA. The problem I had was finding a bulb that was dim enough for a night light. The one in DD's room was just way too bright and I ended up covering it with a folded up muslin wrap. We got the blue star one for DS's room & it is great. It is a dark blue plastic with little holes in it so not much light gets through. Bright enough to see but dim enough to not be stimulating. Both kids are now in the same room. DS sleeps through. I believe the light helped him as he was scared in the dark. DD sometimes sleeps through. I always leave it on too. I remember my parents always turning off my nightlight and lying awake for ages scared of the shadows but afraid to move to turn the light on it case something was there. I grew out it eventually!
Our last house we got the Ikea flower one, low watt light and DH wired it to a dimmer. Didn't 't overstimulate DD1 and she loved it. Since we moved here, we've just used a lamp with a low watt globe. She goes to bed at 7 and doesn't usually rouse until 7-8 the following morning.
Eta - The last couple of days we've used the star light like the PP and it lets out very soft light, it's great too.
Both boys have their bedside lamps on all night with a very low wattage globe. We have had phases where Moo is happy to have no light but he is back to sleeping with it on again.
Never used a night light in the kids room we have the night lights from IKEA that you can carry so if the kids wake up when sick or baby needs a feed I can see where I'm going
DD used to have a lamp with a low volt globe, and we then moved to just a basic supermarket stick in the wall one. ($10?) She wasn't too keen on the change initially, but the lamp light was too bright for DS (and us if we ended up in there).
She sleeps much better with the nightlight, and it is easy to transport if we are sleeping elsewhere.
We tried some projecting ones, but they were too stimulating.
She had a clock for awhile, but that got played with too much as well. I think she was too young for it at that stage.
She also had a small torch that she kept under her pillow.
We have always left her door open, and ours. When we wanted her to sleep in her room, we would walk her back and stay there awhile until she went back to sleep.
DS is now in DDs room, but wanders into ours at some point in the night. We will prob have to start walking him back again soon, cos he doesn't seem to want to stay there by himself yet.
BOth kids have a non-leakable drink bottle next to the bed, although i don't think DD touches her much, and DS only uses the one in our room.
we use one with DS. at the moment I am having trouble with him staying in his room but that's a whole different kettle of fish! we are using an egg we got from masters for $50 that changes colour. I don't find it very stimulating for him at all. I think at the moment we are going through a monsters phase!!
We use an LED battery candle from IKEAs Christmas range (originally bought for Carols in the Domain ) it's very dim, the batteries last months and we can easily take it with us if they boys sleep at Mums or we go on holidays.
dd2 has a great night light that we got from bunnings. Its a butterfly one, that has a heap of different colours and is dimmable. (its the cheap version of some other expensive ones that are popular now, but its exactly the same thing, just half the price )
She loves choosing her colour for the night, and I dim it down when I go to bed, or turn it off altogether. She either puts it on pink or purple every night, although sometimes we get the odd night of orange or white. (It has a lamp function so that when its on white its meant to be light enough to read by)
We use one that was $10 from Kmart, it's black with holes so looks like stars, y can turn on just the white light, or have changing colours, or both. Spock loves her 'stars' and we put them on each night and admire them. They are actually relaxing (I think). It's taking a beating though, but still works. Been meaning to see if they are still for sale to grab another one for when this one actually dies completely
DS used to use the light that was on his baby monitor - just a couple of little stars. He now has a glow light - you know, the ones with stars at night that gradually disappear til the 'sun comes up'. Not sure it was worth the super expense, but it's a nice amount of light. As PP have said, many night lights are just too bright! The very basic wall plug ones are the best, but our PowerPoint is on the floor here, so no good.
You can buy LED light bulbs now that have a controller to change both the brightness & colour of the light, and i think they have a timer too. You could put one of those into any lamp with a plain cream/white shade & it would look lovely
My plug-in-the-wall night light is on an extension cord, so we can move it around. We transitioned from the lamp, by putting the LED night light on top of the lamp shade.
What is it with power sockets that are so close to the floor that you often can't get the plug in? (There are not many things in the UK I rate above Aus, but powerpoint positioning in relation to floor is certainly preferable there :-) - it would always be above the skirting board in UK - maybe is to do with different construction here? as all of ours are very close to floor and often have to use an extension because can't get plug into wall)
Anyway back to the question, we have a stars one just a cheap one sounds like the one someone else mentioned - apart from glow from monitor that is all have ever used and these days we only use if asked for which is quite rare, and I try to switch off before we go to bed, because I actually think having a light on sometimes has caused us issues as if there is light there can be shadows, if it is dark there are none. I do find the stars one relaxing myself - but in terms of incentive to go to bed etc haven't really found anything to work for a sustained period apart from stories, or relaxation tracks on an MP3 player. It also depends how dark your room is, my kids room is not that dark (we don't use black out blinds etc) so the spring/summer days it often isn't dark enough for stars to look that good at bedtime.
Nightlight pros and cons and recommendations
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) it's very dim, the batteries last months and we can easily take it with us if they boys sleep at Mums or we go on holidays.
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