Who wouldn’t want to buy one? The children are happy, the parents are happy and there are wonderful beautiful images of children sleeping soundly in their beds.
WHY is this adorable night light a PROBLEM?
1) The reality though is that this is a TOY! Your child is going to take LONGER to get to sleep at night by continuing to play with it. Instead of falling asleep within 5 to 20 minutes, the novelty of the toy is going to delay the journey into sleep.
2) How a child falls asleep, is how they get back to sleep. So, if they do fall asleep before the 20 minutes are up with the light on, part of their brain is going to be searching for it in the night. Chances are they are going to be up multiple times in the night. They and you might not realize that is why they are waking up … they may be saying that it is the need for the bathroom, water, or a bad dream but the real reason is the subconscious looking for the light to be on.
3) Light affects sleep. Studies have shown that even the tiny luminous rays of our alarm clocks can signal the pineal gland to release the awake hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol and suppress melatonin. Instead of your child getting what their bodies NEED every night which ranges from 10 to 12 hour stretch of uninterrupted sleep at night, these night light pillows could lead to early morning wake ups. I have yet to meet a parent excited about a child getting up before 6 am.
Don’t buy into the hype and save your $$.