Our caregiver keeps the room pitch dark for every nap. He's 2 months old

mango_compass_448213 Sept 2026

Our caregiver has looked after several babies before ours, and she is firm that every nap should be in a dark room, curtains drawn, fan on, swaddled, same as at night. What I've read says the opposite for daytime: keep naps in normal light so a baby learns the difference between day and night. Right now our son sleeps reasonably at night, wakes twice for feeds, and the daytime naps are short whatever we do. So nothing is broken. I just don't want to overrule someone with years of hands-on experience because of something I read on my phone at midnight. What did day naps look like for you at this age, in practice? Dark room, or the living room with the TV on?

4 comments

amber_pebble_849113 Sept 2026
We did daytime naps in a dim room rather than a dark one, mainly because our daughter woke at every sound in the living room. Our paediatrician's only comment at that age was to keep the night feeds dark and boring and not to worry much about the day. If nights are going reasonably, I wouldn't change what the caregiver is doing. Is she the one doing nights as well?
bronze_diary_287213 Sept 2026
two kids, two completely different systems. the first one napped in the hall with the mixie going and slept fine at night. the second needed blackout curtains and still woke at 5. i don't think the room decided much either time. if the caregiver is otherwise good, this is not the hill.
- mango_compass_448213 Sept 2026
  Reassuring, and slightly annoying, because I was hoping someone would tell me there's a right answer. Typing this during the 2 am feed, in a very dark room.
lagoon_moon_496014 Sept 2026
Which articles? 'Naps in light' gets repeated everywhere without anyone saying how much light or for how long. Your nights are fine and short naps at two months are common. You'd be changing a setup that works to fix a problem you don't have.
teal_kite_632914 Sept 2026
I followed every rule about light and dark from the time she was born. Morning sun, dim evenings, the full list. She's ten months now and still wakes four times a night, so I'm not exactly proof that getting it right early works. If your son is only waking twice at two months, I'd leave the caregiver alone and enjoy it while it lasts.
- orchid_pebble_671514 Sept 2026
  Our daughter also woke a lot until about a year, and we never worked out whether anything we did in the early months made a difference. It was hard to separate the routine from the child. I'd not treat either the rules or the exceptions as proof of much. Hope the nights ease up for you soon.