Kids Night Lights

When I was a kid I always liked to fall asleep as I looked out the bedroom window at the Moon - it's probably why I got interested in astronomy later in life. In that respect, I think it's fair to say that the Moon is the ultimate night light.

From my astronomer's point of view (and as a big kid), any of the Moon night lights below would make a great addition to the bedroom... and you wouldn't need to wait for a clear night!

"Our findings suggest that the absence of a nightly period of full darkness in early childhood may be an important risk factor in the future development of near-sightedness."

This statement, from a professor at the Pennsylvania University in Philadelphia, is somewhat shocking. It implies that children who sleep with a light on are more likely to grow up short-sighted and having to wear glasses, than children who sleep in the dark. But, how accurate is it?

The research leading to this suggestion, published in the scientific journal Nature in 1999, surveyed the parents of 479 children aged 2 to 16. The survey asked whether their children's night-time preference was to (a) sleep with the bedroom light on, (b) sleep with a night light, or (c) sleep in darkness, at the time when the children were less than 2 years old.

Questions were also asked about the general lighting conditions in other rooms in the home, the lighting in day care and school settings, and the geographical region in which the children lived. This would factor in things like the relative proportions of light and dark during the 24 hour day, and the increased ambient night-time light levels associated with urban living.

From the survey, it was found that of the children sleeping with the bedroom light on before the age of two, 55% were myopic (short-sighted), whereas for those children who had slept with just a night light before the age of two, this figure decreased to 34%. Finally, for those children who had slept in darkness before the age of two, only 10% suffered short-sightedness. The belief behind these figures, was that light at night stimulated extra growth in the eyeball, which grows particularly quickly before the age of two (being why this cut-off age was chosen).

There's nothing like a soothing lullaby to get the little ones off to sleep. My favorite is Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. However, there are some more unusually-named lullabies from around the world.

From Brazil:
Boi da Cara Preta (Black Face Ox)
From Denmark:
Solen er så rød, mor (The Sun is so Red, Mother)
From Italy:
Fate la nanna, coscine di pollo (Go to Bed-byes, Little Chicken Legs)

Everyone knows that princesses need their beauty sleep, and the kids night lights available below might just help your little princess get hers.

The most famous version of the Sleeping Beauty story has almost certainly become the 1959 Walt Disney animated movie. But, did you know that the story was first published way back in 1697 by Charles Perrault, as the first story in the set known as Tales of Mother Goose?

After publication of the article in Nature, which suggested that night lights may be a contributing factor in causing myopia to develop in children, two other groups of researchers conducted follow-up studies.

A group from Ohio State University gathered similar data to the previous study, but from a larger sample of children. Of 1220 children (of average age 10), 22% who slept with room lights on before the age of two were myopic. This compared with 17% who slept with a night light and 20% who slept in darkness before the age of two. Clearly, this shows no connection whatsoever between night-time lighting while asleep during a child's first two years and the later development of near-sightedness. This was also the finding of an separate group from the New England College of Optometry in Boston, working independently on a study of 213 children.

Interestingly, both of these studies and subsequent research has found that children with near-sighted parents are far more likely to become near-sighted, than children whose parents are not near-sighted. This may be a trait passed down through the genes, or due to the finding that myopic parents are more likely to use night lighting themselves in order to see better - a factor which could well have affected the results of the first study, described in Part 1.

The advice by health professionals today is that parents should not worry. Children should not be forced to endure darkness at bedtime if they find it upsetting. A little ambient light is fine, perhaps on a timer or with a dimmer switch to turn the light off gradually.

The reality is that factors other than sleeping with a night light might be to blame for poor eyesight - for example, more time spent by children in front of the television or computer monitors. I think every parent would agree that you don't need a professor to tell you that!

Having mentioned Walt Disney's Sleeping Beauty above, let's not forget all the other great characters that kids have grown up to love.

From Mickey Mouse to Winnie the Pooh to Tinkerbell and to Buzz Lightyear, I salute you all for your outstanding entertainment and then say goodnight. I can always watch you again tomorrow...