Leaving light on for toddler to read

I know the real answer on this is to ask our pediatrician and we will
do so but I figured I might as well ask here, too.

Aula...

Our DS was afraid of the dark at that age and wanted us to leave his bedroom
light on. I did some research and found that there were studies indicating
that children under something like 3 or so should sleep in full dark as
their eyes needed time away from light in order to complete their
development. That is the very quick explanation of information which I no
longer have immediately at hand. You should definitely ask your
pediatrician. My situation was about 8 years ago so more information could
easily have come along. In the mean time, night lights, using a light with
a switch that dims it to complete or near complete shut off over a period of
ten or fifteen minutes can be helpful. Our solution was a small night light
out or direct line of sight of his bed and leaving the bathroom light on,
which was somewhat down the hallway. Good luck. These stages usually do
resolve before they move out. ;-)

Our toddler, who is still in a crib, sometimes likes to read (i.e.,
flip through and look at the pictures) a book after his bedtime story.
There is no reason to discourage that as far as we know and we actually
kind of want to encourage it, if anything. The question is what to do
about light. His overhead light is on a dimmer so I have been turning
that down (maybe 1/4 to 1/3 on but I know that is virtually meaningless
without knowing the dimmer and the light) and then turning it off
altogether after he has gone to sleep -- which he consistently does
without a problem. Our concerns are whether we could be damaging his
eyesight and whether we could be training him to need a light on in

JennP...

I wouldn't worry about it. I think there was some buzz about this several
years but supposedly it was bunk.

and whether we could be training him to need a light on in

order to fall asleep (although we do not do this every night so we are
not too concerned on that point). Any advice?

Ericka Kammerer...

Put the light on a timer.

Best wishes,
Ericka

Sue...

I can't see a problem with leaving the light on. I leave the light on for
two of my kids. There was a media hype not too long ago about lights and
ruining eyes, but it turned out to be bunk. During the study, they didn't
include how many family members had glasses. As far as needing the light on,
I can't see that it would be a problem either.

user...

How old is your toddler?

Both of my kids have flashlights with built-in timers. One button
turns the light on for about 2 minutes, and then it dims and turns
off by itself. Another press will keep it on for 2 more minutes.
The buttons can easilt be manipulated by a toddler - it requires
just a very light press.

Needless to say, it's absolutely perfect for "reading" in bed.

- Rich

JennP...

I wouldn't worry about this either. My son slept with a light on until he
was five. From what I can see of my neighbor's house at least one of their
kids sleep with a light on too. Maybe switch to one of those energy saving
light bulbs? HTH

enigma...

sounds like a good plan to me. my 5.5 year old reads &
listens to music after his bedtime story until he falls
asleep. then we turn the light & speakers off.
he doesn't *need* the light *or* the music, but he likes it &
he goes to sleep quickly most of the time (unless he snuck in
a nap in the car). anything that encourages reading is a
good thing, i think

Marie...

I actually do not see a problem with doing that. How many of us used
to sneak and read under our covers with dim lights? I used my
glow-worm :o) And I have read that it is a myth that reading with dim
light hurts your vision.
I think it's great for your son to enjoy reading alone and would
encourage it, also.
Marie