The objective of the "Good Nite Lite" is to educate children to stay in bed until it is morning.
Children between the ages of 3 and 5 years of age are just starting to grasp the concept of day and night and how it relates to regularly scheduled rest.
The Good Nite Lite can assist children with better differentiating the concept of nighttime and daytime and reinforce the benefits of appropriate sleep patterns.
The Good Nite Lite device itself is an innovative combination of a traditional night light and a built in timer that changes the visual display characteristics to reinforce a regular sleep pattern.
Purpose:
Having a bright light, even a regular nightlight, on in a child's room inhibits teaching them that when it is dark, it is time for sleep and when it is light, its time to get up.
The objective is to educate children to associate light with the daytime activities, and darkness with nighttime and rest. Ideally, the night light would be on a timer such that the light will be bright while they first go to sleep, and automatically dim after a set time. The Good Nite Lite implements exactly this approach and, in addition, provides additional reinforcement that its time to rest by displaying an easily recognized "Moon" caricature. Children rapidly come to associate the dim unobtrusive moon image with the knowledge that it is still bedtime and they should go back to sleep.
At the time you choose in the morning, the Good Nite Lite will brighten and display a cheerful "Sun" caricature letting the child know that is time to wake up and permissible to get out of bed and start the days activities.
During the day, the Good Nite Lite automatically shuts itself off to eliminate any distractions and to conserve energy.
How large is the Good Nite Lite?
The Good Nite Lite measures 6" in diameter.
Can you set the timer for any time I choose?
From the Inventor: “Absolutely, there are preset times out of the box but the intent was to make it where the parents set the times they desire. The reason is to truly make this a behavioral device. My son would wake up at 5am everyday so the first day I would set for 5am to give him instant validation than I would move the time back in 15 minute increments until the desired time was achieved of 6am. By moving the time back slowly over a few days allowed him to grasp easier than sitting around for an hour thinking this is along time to wait...however in 15 minute increments they slowly start to see they may have woken up too early. My son initially would just get up and play in his room but after a few days he would just go back to sleep. The main goal was making sure they weren’t waking us up that early as well...
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Now my kids tell us when the moon comes on so it must be time for bed, no more negotiating on bed time either!!
Does it really work?
As with any education tool or aide, it will require consistency in order to create a routine. This will also depend on how responsive your child is to understanding Moon means rest and the Sun means it is okay to wake Mom and Dad.
How is it powered?
The Good Nite Lite plugs into the wall just like any typical night light would. The battery that it does come with only operates the timer which is used to program the time, moon, and sun but not the device itself.
I'm concerned about bright night lights. How bright is the Good Nite Lite?
The Good Nite Lite is designed to dim after the moon is illuminated for 1 hour. It will still have a soft glow in the room as it is designed to give a visual cue to whether stay in bed (moon glow) or get up (sun glow).
Will the Good Nite Lite work for children under 3?
It is never too early to start educating your child on better sleep patterns.
