A guide to baby night lights
Even though bedtime is lights off for your little one, it may still be helpful to have a little light in the nursery for any late-night visits to take care of your baby. Night lights are great baby accessories for parents to have and can help you avoid fumbling around in the middle of the night as you take care of your baby. But, do you need a night light in the nursery? Like other baby accessories, having one isn’t a requirement but they may help make your life a little easier in the middle of the night. Continue reading for a guide to buying night lights and learn if babies need a night light, what makes a good night light, what to consider when buying one and more.
A Guide to Baby Night Lights
Night lights can be great baby accessories, and they may help you and your little one navigate night-time. Like other baby accessories, though, there are several options out there for different needs. Hopefully, we can shed a little light on these baby accessories so you can decide what works best for your family.
What is a night light?
A baby night light is a small device that can provide just enough light in your nursery so you can change nappies and feed your little one without hurting anyone’s eyes. Night lights are gentle on blurry eyes and are made so they don’t disrupt sleep-time mode. These lights provide just enough light to help you see what you’re doing without fully waking you up.
Do babies need a night light?
Having a kid’s night light in the nursery can be helpful but not essential. When your little one is a baby, a dim light in the room can help with bedtime and late-night duties. When your baby is a little older, having one can be useful if they wake up in the middle of the night from bad dreams or fear the dark.
While some babies may need a night light, yours may not. Experiment with different lights and see what works best for you and your little one. Even if your baby doesn’t need one when they’re little, they may still benefit from one when they’re older.
Do night lights help babies sleep better?
Every child is different – some may sleep better with dim light, others may prefer complete darkness. You’ll get to know your little one best and you’ll figure out quickly whether having a light on all night helps them feel secure or whether it’s just something you want available to use during night-time duties.
Where should a night light be placed?
Since some babies sleep best in complete darkness, you will want to be strategic when placing your night light, so that you can benefit from it without negatively affecting your little one’s sleep. Place the light in areas of the room that you need to use at night, such as the changing table or dresser. Make sure to not place the light too close to your child’s cot so that the soft light isn’t distracting for your baby and interfere with their sleep.
How bright should a night light be?
Night lights are supposed to be soft, gentle and warm-toned to ensure that your little one gets the best sleep they can. Exposure to bright light can negatively affect your baby's sleep, so you want your night light to be low-wattage to minimise effects. The best kind of night lights are those that have different brightness levels so that you can keep the light down when your little one is asleep and turn it up when you need to care for them.
What colour should your night light be?
When buying a night light, look for red, amber or yellow-toned lighting. Warm lights are less likely to interfere with your baby’s ability to fall asleep and they are almost as good as complete darkness. Dim, warm lights will be best for nurseries so you can avoid waking up your little one during night-time feedings while still keeping your own body in sleep-mode.
Blue, green, white and other cool-toned lights may interfere with the production of melatonin, a natural sleep-inducing hormone. These types of light may make your body feel like it’s daytime, and could potentially make it a bit harder to fall asleep. Some night lights have colour options, so you can set it to the colour that works best for you and your baby.
How to introduce a night light?
The best way is to just try it and see what happens. If your little one seems to get distracted by the light, or struggles to fall asleep, you can shift to switching it on and off to change nappies and feed your little one.
Extra Tips When Buying a Night Light
If buying a night light is the right choice for you and your little one, continue reading for a few extra tips and features that you will want to look out for when buying your baby’s and kid’s night lights.
Power and portability
There are several types of night lights on the market, from battery-operated lights to plug-in night lights. When looking at plug-in models, make sure you have a power outlet in a convenient and safe place in the nursery. If an outlet isn’t easily accessible or too close to your little one’s cot, a battery-operated model might be better suited for you. This would also allow the night light to be more portable, so you can move it around depending on if you’re feeding or changing nappies.
Remote controlled
Having a remote-controlled night light can be cost-efficient and energy-saving. If your baby is older and sleeps in their own room, you can turn it on and off from outside the room, so that you don’t have to risk waking up your little one when you check on them at night.
Some even come with wi-fi/Bluetooth control so that you can control the light from anywhere in the house that the Bluetooth reaches. This will make turning a night light on and off much more convenient for you.
Timer
Timers are great features to look out for when buying a night light for the nursery. You can set it so that your little one falls asleep with the light on and have it turn off once they’re asleep so they can rest in total darkness. One downside is that your baby may be in the dark if they wake up in the middle of the night and get anxious.
Special features
There are several variations of night lights that offer fun features that your little one may love. Some night lights feature music and projection. Others may have colour changing effects.
With so many night light and ambient lighting options available, selecting the right one may seem overwhelming. With some light shed on all the features to take into consideration when buying a night light, hopefully you will soon be able to create a cosy nursery for you and your little one. At Baby Bunting, we have a vast range of night lights, night light projectors and more that will help you create a soothing atmosphere for your little one as they sleep.