Should newborns sleep in darkness at night?

For newborns, sleeping in dim light at night is ideal — not total darkness, but a nightlight or soft light from the hallway is enough. There are two important reasons: first, total darkness doesn't disturb the baby's environmental awareness and helps establish the night-day cycle; second, during nighttime feeding and diaper changes, you can complete these tasks without exposing their eyes to sudden bright light. So "total darkness" isn't a requirement, but the sleep area shouldn't be as bright as daytime. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends babies sleep in their own bed on a firm mattress without pillows, blankets, or stuffed animals to reduce sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) risk — safe sleep environment takes priority over lighting level.