Getting the bedroom right
Light, screens, white noise, temperature and what to keep out.
The short version
- Keep white noise well below maximum and place it far from the cot: measured sleep machines reached levels that may damage infant hearing.
- This is often the cheapest thing to try, and none of it needs a spare room or new equipment. A blanket at the window works.
- Keep the room your child falls asleep in the same as it will be at 2am: night light on at bedtime means on all night.
- Switch screens off 30 to 60 minutes before bed, or at the start of the routine, and keep them out of the bedroom.
- Aim for around 18°C, 16 to 20°C for babies. No caffeine within six hours of bed, and active play four to six hours before.
The rest of this page explains where this comes from. You do not have to read it tonight.
About 3 minutes to read
Getting the bedroom right
This is often the cheapest thing to try, and none of it needs a spare room or new equipment.
Light and dark
The Sleep Charity says a dark environment can help with melatonin production, and blackout blinds help with early waking in summer. If blinds are not something you can buy, a thick curtain, a blanket or a piece of card at the window does much the same job. Some children need a soft light on to feel safe, and that is fine: Cerebra suggests red-based lights where you can.
The consistency rule, which matters more than the brightness. Cerebra: make sure, as far as possible, that "the environment that your child falls asleep in is the same as it would be if they were then to wake during the night." If the night light is on when they fall asleep, leave it on all night. If music is playing as they drift off, they will look for it again at 2am.
Screens
NHS advice is to avoid screens 30 to 60 minutes before bed. The Sleep Charity switches them off at the start of the routine, roughly an hour before, and keeps TVs, consoles, tablets and phones out of the bedroom. Derbyshire NHS adds that this should not feel like a punishment: children need something to do instead.
The evidence: Carter and colleagues in JAMA Pediatrics, 2016, a meta-analysis of 17 studies covering 125,198 children. Using a device at bedtime was associated with roughly double the odds of not getting enough sleep, and with poorer sleep quality and more daytime sleepiness. Having one in the room unused was associated with similar effects. Two caveats: it covers ages 6 to 18, not babies and toddlers, and the studies were observational, so they show association, not proof.
White noise, and the hearing question
The Sleep Charity says white noise can mask background noise and may be useful. One safety finding comes first: Hugh and colleagues, in Pediatrics in 2014, measured 14 infant sleep machines. All 14 exceeded 50 decibels (dBA) at 30cm, the recommended nursery limit, and three exceeded 85 dBA, which over eight hours would breach adult workplace noise limits. They concluded the machines can produce sound levels that may damage infant hearing. BASIS adds a second risk: a machine loud enough to disturb your own sleep can prompt moving the baby out of your room sooner than planned, and room sharing is itself protective. So place it as far from the cot as the room allows, keep the volume well below maximum, do not run it loud all night, and follow the manufacturer's guidance.
Temperature, food and movement
- Room temperature. The Lullaby Trust gives 16 to 20°C for babies; The Sleep Charity suggests around 18°C for children generally.
- Caffeine. Cerebra advises none within 6 hours of bed, including chocolate as well as cola, tea and energy drinks.
- Trying to tire a child out just before bed often backfires. Cerebra explains that exercise raises the internal temperature of the body and can prevent us feeling drowsy at bedtime, so schedule active play 4 to 6 hours before bed.
- Try to keep the bedroom, and an early bedtime, out of discipline where you can. The Sleep Charity's advice is not to use either as a punishment, so that the room stays a place your child associates with rest.
Where this comes from
- Cerebra, Sleep Guide V4 (October 2025), for the environment consistency rule, caffeine and exercise timing, nap reduction by 5 minutes a week, the causes of early rising and the sleep restriction protocol.
- The Sleep Charity, bedtime routines and night terrors and nightmares, for light and dark, screens at the start of the routine, white noise, room temperature, decor, and never using the bedroom as a punishment.
- NHS, night terrors and nightmares, for the comparison between the two and scheduled awakening.
- Sheffield Children's NHS Foundation Trust, night terrors and sleepwalking, for not waking a child during a terror and for the physical safety measures.
- Cambridgeshire and Peterborough children's health, sleepwalking, nightmares and night terrors, for 1 in 4 children having at least one nightmare a week.
- NHS, separation anxiety, for the 6 months to 3 years age range and the practical steps.
- The Lullaby Trust, keeping a clear cot and room temperature, for the clear cot rule and 16 to 20°C.
- East London NHS Foundation Trust, Sleep Basics, for rapid return and white noise use.
- Derbyshire Family Health Service, sleep, for the same-words-every-night tip and the point about screens not feeling like a punishment.
- NHS, helping your baby to sleep, for the silent return and shifting bedtime gradually.
- Carter et al. 2016, JAMA Pediatrics, meta-analysis of 17 studies and 125,198 children aged 6 to 18, for the screens findings.
- Hugh et al. 2014, Pediatrics, for the measured output of 14 infant sleep machines and the hearing safety conclusion.
- Thorpe et al. 2015, Archives of Disease in Childhood, systematic review of 26 observational studies, for napping and night sleep beyond age 2.
- BASIS, sleep aids, for the caution about sleep machines disturbing parents and about products claiming deeper infant sleep.
- UNICEF UK Baby Friendly Initiative, co-sleeping and SIDS guide (October 2019), for night waking and feeding being normal and not modifiable in young babies. The responsive feeding quotes in the night feeds section are from UNICEF UK Baby Friendly Initiative parent guidance.
- Moore, Friman, Fruzzetti and MacAleese 2007, Journal of Pediatric Psychology 32(3):283-7: the randomised controlled trial of the bedtime pass, 19 children aged 3 to 6, maintained at 3-month follow-up. Also Friman et al. 1999, Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine 153(10):1027-9, and Freeman 2006, Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis 39(4):423-8.
- Mindell et al. 2006, Sleep, for bedtime problems in children aged 2 and over, the 20 to 30% prevalence, and the finding that positive reinforcement was never evaluated as the sole intervention.
Last checked 1 August 2026. This page is general information, not medical advice. If you are worried about your child, speak to your health visitor or GP.