The Rhythm We Forgot
As a new mum, I followed all the bedtime advice. I read the books, tried the routines, even went to sleep school where trained midwives guided me through gentle sleep training. It worked—for a while. But when my second child came along, everything unraveled. Suddenly, two kids weren’t sleeping. I was exhausted, confused, and my mental health was fraying.
It wasn’t until I discovered the role of light—not just soft night lights, but the full spectrum of light throughout the day—that everything changed. The results? Truly life-changing.
We pour our energy into fixing bedtime. There’s no shortage of books, blogs, gadgets and debates. I tried most of them. We co-slept. We invested in night lights, rockers, heart-beat mimicking snuggle toys. We did the bath soaks, storybooks, white noise, baby massage. And while they can help, they’re often just a gentle landing at the end of an overstimulating day.
Because quality sleep—the deep, healing kind—doesn’t begin at bedtime.
Great sleep starts in the morning.
Turns out, sleep hygiene isn’t just about nighttime. It’s about rhythm. And when we support our child’s full-day rhythm, everything changes.
1. Get Outside Early (Yes, Really Early)
Morning light is the single most powerful tool for setting our internal clock. Exposure to natural light within the first 30–60 minutes after waking helps signal to the brain: It’s time to be alert now, and we’ll rest later.
Sunlight in the morning—especially natural blue light—hits receptors in the eyes that signal to the brain: it’s daytime. This resets the body’s master clock (called the suprachiasmatic nucleus), which controls the circadian rhythm. It starts a countdown: about 12–14 hours after this daylight is received, your child’s circadian rhythms know it’s time to release melatonin—the hormone that makes them sleepy.
(To be clear: when I talk about melatonin here, I mean your child’s natural – endogenous- melatonin—the kind their body is designed to produce on its own in response to light cues and rhythm. Supplementing with melatonin can carry risks, especially in children.)
Morning light exposure also regulates cortisol (the hormone that helps us feel awake and alert). You may know of cortisol as a stress hormone, but a smooth cortisol rise in the morning is healthy, natural and helps avoid erratic surges later in the day—the kind that can cause crankiness or hyperactivity around bedtime.
Don’t Forget Infrared
What’s more, natural morning light contains gentle infrared wavelengths. Infrared is deeply healing—it warms the body, improves circulation, and can support mitochondrial repair and nervous system regulation. While we often hear about infrared saunas as a high-end wellness trend, you don’t need a fancy device to get these benefits. Morning light has it built in—especially in the first and last hours of sunlight.
Our Family Ritual
I discovered this myself when I started going outside each morning to drink a cup of tea and wake naturally before the rest of the household stirred. It was just a few minutes, but I noticed my mood lifted—and so did my sleep. It became deeper, longer, and my sleep tracking app even showed dramatically higher sleep quality.
Naturally, my kids began to join me when they woke up. Now it’s a daily ritual. They come looking for Mumma, we snuggle up under a blanket and watch the kookaburras conuct their own raucous morning ritual. That one small change—to light, to rhythm, to presence in the morning—has transformed our evenings. We sleep better. We feel better. And the whole day flows more smoothly. Great sleep starts in the morning.
Try This Tomorrow:
• 10 minutes on the balcony with breakfast or a coffee
• Leave a few minutes early and incorporate a short walk to school
• If you’re not rushing off to work and daycare, get out the picnic rug and enjoy some books in the morning sun.
It doesn’t have to be perfect—just consistent. This one rhythm cue can change everything.
OK, I’m Sold. What Else Can I Try?
Movement: Let kids climb, run, and dig. Physical play discharges stress and keeps cortisol in check. The more outdoor play, the better. But all movement counts.
Nutrition: Prioritise protein at breakfast and lunch. Avoid sugar crashes that disrupt their rhythm. Try eating the final meal before the sun goes down. Bonus points if you watch the sunset while you eat!
Screens + Stimulation: Dim the lights and turn off screens 60–90 minutes before bed. Replace screen-based entertainment with slow, calming routines. Sit by a fire or light a candle. Tell some stories or listen to calming music.
Rhythm is the Real Sleep Solution
No one thing fixes sleep. But rhythm—and being aligned to our ancestral habits and the natural world in which we evolved—makes all the difference. We evolved to be outdoors nearly all the time. We are meant to move, and to eat real, natural food during daylight hours. Our bodies still remember and respond to these natural rhythms.
Sure, classic baby bedtime routines are helpful. But they’re only one piece of the puzzle.
Great sleep starts in the morning. The rhythm of the day that builds through movement, anchors through meals, and winds down with calm cues? That’s what tells the body it’s safe to let go.
And that’s when real sleep begins.
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