Sound levels can be reduced by talking quietly, closing doors and portholes gently, not dropping things on top of the incubator, turning down machine alarms and phone ring levels, and turning off radios. The sound that seems to impress preemies the most is the sound of your own voice. Providing a tape recording of you talking and reading to your infant may be one way to provide sound that will calm your baby. Keep in mind, however, that for the very small preemie, extra sound when other things are going on may be disturbing. It is important, therefore, to watch your baby when you turn on the tape to be sure that he or she likes it.
Studies done with animals show that bright light can damage the cells in the eye.
Although not yet proven, constant bright lighting may increase this risk. Constant levels of light may slow the normal development of sleep-wake cycles. Preemies that have been in nurseries where the lighting is dimmed at night advance more quickly in their sleep-wake patterns. This means that they begin to spend more time during each sleep period in deep sleep and less time in light sleep sooner than babies kept in constant light. Light can affect the level of arousal of your baby.