If your infant naps in crib, lights on or off?

My 4-month-old DD has been doing awesome at night. She sleeps 12-13 hours in her crib with one quick feeding usually in the middle. At night we keep her room dark and the sound machine on.

She currently naps in her swing in the living room (lights on, TV on etc.) and I'd like to transition her to her crib for naps.

My question is should I do it with the lights on or off? I'm afraid if I keep it dark and put the sound machine on (basically recreating her night time sleeping conditions), it's going to mess with how solid she sleeps at night. I'd like her to be able to differentiate nap time from bed time.

Does anyone do nap time with the lights on and sound machine off? Am I overthinking this?

Re: If your infant naps in crib, lights on or off?

We do naptime w the lights on so she knows the difference between nap and bedtime

Re: If your infant naps in crib, lights on or off?

DS naps in his crib with the sound machine on but the blinds open to let the light in.

Re: If your infant naps in crib, lights on or off?

Yes, I do think you're overthinking this and I can say this because 7 years and three kids later, I've overthought every decision every step of the way.

If anything, I'd be afraid she'd come to expect the lights on at night too. Anyway, never have my DC had an issue differentiating naps from bedtime and it's lights out day and night (anyway, it's never as dark even with shades drawn regardless...)

If your infant naps in crib, lights on or off?

lights out with room darkening shades

If your infant naps in crib, lights on or off?

Dd naps in her crib with the lights off, blinds closed, mobile on... Just like nighttime and she has zero problem knowing the difference between night and day... During the day, she wakes up after 1-1.5 hrs and is up... At night if she wakes up, she must see that it's still dark out and puts herself back to sleep.

Re: If your infant naps in crib, lights on or off?

I treated naps like any other sleep time...........Shades drawn, sound machine/music on, lights off. DD was an awesome napper and was/is a great sleeper at night so creating a quiet, dark nap environment was not an issue.

IMO, sleep time is sleep time. I don't see a need for them to differentiate between a nap or nighttime. As long as they are sleeping well at both times, it shouldn't matter.

Re: If your infant naps in crib, lights on or off?

Lights off. It's a signal that it's nap time.

Re: If your infant naps in crib, lights on or off?

I think if you are transitioning, you can leave the lights off but blinds open until the routine is set. Then, get the room as dark as possible.

I used to leave the lights on dim or blinds open with both kids until they were on a real nap schedule.

If your infant naps in crib, lights on or off?

We keep a lamp lighted dimmed at night. This way I can go in and peak on the twins. When I was keeping the lights off, they would wake up EVERYTIME i turned it on. Now we keep on full time

Re: If your infant naps in crib, lights on or off?

due to the fact that dd is a HORRIBLE sleeper, I've spent hours and hours googling things about infant sleep habits. from what I've read, there is a different area of the brain that controls nighttime sleep vs day time sleep. I believe it, due to dd's nap habits vs nighttime habits.
that said, BECAUSE dd is such a terrible/light sleeper, I keep the blinds closed, with a sheet over the window as well, lights off and the sound machine on veryyy loudly.
however, if your child will sleep in the light, with noise etc, I say do it - that way you kind of "condition" her to sleep in different settings, like if you are out, at someone else's house etc when she's older.
when I go to my parents house for the day, I need to bring her swaddle blanket, sound machine etc etc. it's annoying.

Re: If your infant naps in crib, lights on or off?

Lights off for us. No darkening shades or anything like that, I actually try to let a little natural light in the room. And I go on with my normal business in the house…music on in the living room which is very close to her room. But overall we follow the same routine for naps and bedtime….lights dimmed, read 3 books, then lights out, projector/music on, sleepsack on, lights off, goodnight I will see you in a little bit.

She does not go down easily but is getting better and better. We started crib naps around 7-8 weeks. Used to swaddle her and then went cold turkey no swaddle around 10-11 weeks.

Good luck!

Re: If your infant naps in crib, lights on or off?

If your infant naps in crib, lights on or off?

Lights on or lights off - depends on if there is any sunlight coming through the window. DS doesnt seem to care either way. Granted his not napping a lot in his crib or really at all...

If your infant naps in crib, lights on or off?

Nap time and Night time are treated basically the same way. The only difference was that during the day I put on the music from her Glowhorse and night time is a lullaby CD. Blinds are closed and lights are off.

Re: If your infant naps in crib, lights on or off?

Lights off. Blinds down sound machine on so I can be loud (vacuum etc)
Never interfered with bedtime

Re: If your infant naps in crib, lights on or off?

we do lights off and curtains closed -- but the curtains are white, so it doesn't really get dark in there. We do the same routine as bedtime, fan on and humidifier on.

Re: If your infant naps in crib, lights on or off?

lights are always on for naps...

Re: If your infant naps in crib, lights on or off?