Natural Variations in Environmental Illumination in a Newborn Nursery

Measurements of the natural variation in environmental lighting depending on the amount of sunlight, visibility, the time of day, and the location of the infant within the nursery have shown a wide variation in intensity of illumination received by any infant ranging from 15 to 2,500 footcandles depending on the interplay of these factors. Both the physical structure of the nursery and the amount of sunlight available are major variables in determining the ultimate amount of light to which an infant is exposed. Both of these factors need to be taken into consideration in the architectural design of nurseries and the assignation of optimal illumination standards.