Some parents go in search of the best night lights before their baby is born, while others turn to them in a desperate bid to ease a sleep regression.
Whatever your reason, picking the best night lights can be extremely tricky - especially because it's a crowded market.
Do you get one perfect for the baby stage and then another perfect for toddlers? Or do you try to get one that does the job for both? And in an ever-growing technologically advanced world, night lights are no longer simply something you plug into a socket and leave all night.
Over the course of this guide, we'll explore why we use night lights in the first place, some of the key features you need to look out for, and of course, we've got 10 of our favourites lined up for you.
Table Of Contents
Our top three night lights
Why do we use night lights?
You may be forgiven for thinking that we use a night light to help our baby sleep, because they're afraid of being in a dark room - offering just enough light to comfort them, without being too bright that it disrupts their sleep. But that's only partially true.
We do, indeed, use a night light in our child's room to comfort them at night when they're afraid of their dark... when they're toddlers. The reality is that we use night lights in our baby's nursery for our own benefit - so we can see what we're doing when we feed them, change them, burp them, comfort them, and so on in the middle of the night.
As a baby, they don't need a night light at all. In fact, babies sleep best in a dark room. The darker the better. Think about it, they spent several months in total darkness in the womb. Babies aren't born with a natural fear of the dark. It develops through exposure to books, stories, TV, films etc that give children a reason to be scared of the dark. So, we might need to introduce a night light to our child's room if they do develop a fear of the dark.
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Over time, you may find that your child takes comfort from having a night light, regardless of whether they're scared of the dark. That's because it becomes part of their routine - they need to know that everything is in place before settling off to sleep.
How to choose the best night light
There are a lot of night lights on the market, so it's a good idea to think about the key features and what is important to you. So, let's look at what makes a great night light.
A dim glow or dim light is the hallmark of a great night light. You don't want a bright light as this will likely overstimulate your child and prevent sleep. You can get a dimmable night light, allowing you to adjust brightness levels as needed.
A growing number of night lights allow you to change the colour of the light being emitted. While this may seem like a great idea, it does come with dangers.
If you are going to use a night light, research shows that an amber or red light is best to help your baby sleep (and toddler!) because it causes the least disruption to your child's melatonin production. However, white, purple and blue light can disrupt your baby’s natural circadian rhythm.
This is more of a practical consideration. Do you want something that plugs into a mains power source or do you want something with a rechargeable battery?
There's not necessarily a right or wrong answer, here. It comes down to your personal preference. If you're going for a rechargeable battery, be sure it's one that promises good battery life - at a minimum, you want it to be able to last the night.
There are additional features you may want to consider when looking for the right night light.
Motion sensor night light
A motion sensor night light will usually stay on for a set period of time, the light shuts off giving your little one a dark room to sleep in, and will only reactivate if it detects movement (indicating your child has woken up and may need the light to come back on to comfort them).
Night light timer
You can get a night light operated by a timer. If you're pretty confident that your child will sleep all night once they've first drifted off, the light shuts off after the set timer.
Sound machine
You may want a night light that doubles as a sound machine. White noise is growing increasingly popular for babies, older kids and adults to get better sleep. There are plenty of night lights with different sound options, such as calming nature sounds.
Smart night light
There's an app for everything these days, including a night lights with app control. The best smart night light is one that is pretty advanced in their own features, so you may be able to select your preferred colour, turn the night light off and on manually, set an auto-timer, play various sounds etc.
Projectors
There are also a growing number of 'projector' night lights that project images (typically a starry night sky) around the room, rather than a steady light. They typically spin at a slow pace, and can help to create a calming environment to help your toddler or baby sleep.
For many parents, this is going to be the biggest factor when it comes to picking a night light. As is usually the case, the more features a night light has, the more it's likely to cost.
A standard night light may cost less than £10/$10. However, a more premium night light may cost closer to £80/$100.
The 5 best night lights for a baby's room
Let's check out the best night light options for your baby's room.
Editor's Review
“I purchased this mainly for travel and it was a life saver! My girls were soothed and comforted throughout their naps...the stuffed animal is so soft, cut, has great sound and overall performs great! This was worth every penny!"
Ewan the Dream Sheep has become one of the most loved sleep aids, with more than one million units sold worldwide. It doubles as a night light and sound machine - with its warm glow of red light and comforting recordings of a heartbeat to mimic being inside the womb.
The Deluxe version has a 'MoonMode smartCRY sensor', meaning it will reactivate when it recognises your baby stirring. It listens for up to 4-hours to preserve battery life
Key features
- Heartbeat recordings
- MoonMode smartCRY sensor
- Washable (with control pod removed)
PROS
CONS
Editor's Review
“I can say after four years I still love this product. Use it all the time. Our son has grown up with it in his room and he knows what time to get out of bed, what time nap is, etc."
The Hatch Rest+ is a high-tech night light with 3-in-1 functionality - a night light, a sound machine, and tool to help toddlers and older kids learn when it's time to wake up, meaning it's effective right the way from birth to the toddler phase and beyond.
It can all be controlled via a simple app and has an 8-hour backup battery in case of power loss.
Key features
- Night light, sound machine and 'time-to-rise' trainer
- App controlled
- Portable with back-up power source
PROS
CONS
Editor's Review
“Looks great. Pleasant warm light. Made for soft silicone so kids can rumble around without any fear. Battery holds very well. Light and versatile in use. Quality product at a good price."
The Shnuggle Moonlight is easily one of the most portable night lights on this list. It's a dual mode night light, offering a parents' mode for night feedings and changes, and a child mode that activates the light at full brightness, slowly dimming to a soft glow through the night. In the mornings, the deck emits a low blue light to help your child wake.
The deck also includes a thermometer, changing the colour of the deck depending on if it's too hot or too cold in the room.
Key features
- Parent and child modes
- Temperature-sensing deck
- Low-blue light for morning
PROS
CONS
Editor's Review
“We love it! We pause it on the red light and that colour offers just enough light for our daughter to feel comfortable while falling asleep."
If you're looking for a simple night light that does one thing and does it well, the LumiPets Bear may well be the best night light for you and your baby's room. It has nine colour options (including some you wouldn't want to use), and a colour lock feature.
Made of soft silicone material with an adorable design, you'll probably find your little one wanting to play with it, too. There are also nine other character choices, including unicorn, bunny, astronaut, owl and more.
Key features
- Tap and remote control
- Nine colour options
- 32-hour long battery life (depending on colour mode)
PROS
CONS
Editor's Review
“I love the variety of sounds and lullabies. Our favourites are the ocean noise, heartbeat and Twinkle Twinkle. Cute gift for any baby or child. We have had this for 5 years and it is still working perfectly."
The Skip Hop Moonlight And Melodies Owl is an adorable night light that offers a couple of different options to help your baby fall asleep. There's one colour option from the owl's glowing belly, but it is adjustable to make sure you can maintain a dark room. It doubles as a sound machine, offering four different soothing melodies and four different relaxing nature sounds. And, there's also a mini starry night sky projector, too.
Key features
- Auto-off timer settings
- Four melodies and four nature sounds
- Mini star projector
PROS
CONS
The 5 best night lights for toddlers and beyond
You're out of the baby sleep stage and you're generally getting a good night sleep. But your little one may need a night light as they need older; whether it's because they're afraid of the dark, have had a night light since they were a baby and need that comfort, or need something to light the way when they need to go to toilet.
Whatever the reason, let's look at your options for the best night light for toddlers and older kids.
The Tommee Tippee Gro Clock is a much-loved sleep trainer that doubles as a night light for older children. At bedtime, the sun goes to sleep and is replaced by the stars, counting down to when it's time to wake up when the sun comes back. It encourages children to check the clock if/when they wake, and go back to sleep if the stars are still showing.
It has a key lock to stop pesky kids resetting it so they can wake up early, and it also comes with a free bedtime-themed story book.
Key features
- Time-to-rise trainer
- Key lock
- Comes with free story book
PROS
CONS
Editor's Review
“My kids are not scared to go to the bathroom at night any more. I love them since it helps conserve the energy consumption and very versatile."
Easily one of the most stylish night lights on this list, this wooden wall light is perfect for older children who need to go to toilet in the night, or need to find something in their room like an extra blanket. The wall fixing attaches using strong adhesive tape, while the light itself can be removed and carried with them wherever they need to go. There are three modes - off, static on, and auto-sensor.
At a 120° angle and 3-4m detection, you may want to place it away from your child's bed, otherwise there's a risk they could set it off just by turning over in their sleep.
Key features
- Motion sensor
- Removable light wand
- 120° angle and 3-4m detection
PROS
CONS
Editor's Review
“My 3 year old had been having lots of separation anxiety at bedtime - we got this for him to make his room more appealing and he absolutely loves it."
One of the best-selling star projection night lights on Amazon, this one has 17 different colours modes offering plenty of single and combination choices. It can rotate 360° to help create a calming environment for your little one to look up to, and there's a dome cover to convert it to more of a night light providing a warm glow.
With four buttons, it's super simple to operate - giving you control over the timer, spin, colour and mode.
Key features
- 17 colour modes
- Night light and projection modes
- 360° spin projection
PROS
CONS
Editor's Review
“The built-in dusk-to-dawn sensor is a game-changer. These night lights automatically turn on when the room gets dark, and they switch off when there's enough light."
A more traditional, 'no frills' night light, the Anker eufy night lights plug straight into the wall and emit a soft, warm glow. It has a light sensor meaning it automatically turns off and on as the ambient light in a room adjusts, thereby saving energy. They're sold in packs of four or six, so you could put an extra light in the hallway for when your little one goes to the bathroom.
Key features
- Daylight sensor
- Glare-free light
- Energy efficiency
PROS
CONS
Editor's Review
“Colour change is great and brightness settings also work really well. Battery lasts through the night when fully charged. Perfect purchase and not too expensive!"
Suitable for most budgets, the LED Night Light from FiDi Tek is a great choice for older children who want to control their own night light and take it with them when they go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. It has a 360° colour wheel with touch control, allowing you to choose exactly the colour you want and brightness level. It charges via a USB cable and can be placed wherever you want.
Key features
- Touch control adjustment
- Full 360° colour wheel choices
- Three brightness levels
PROS
CONS
Is your child having sleeping issues?
Sometimes we go in search of the best night light to solve our child's sleeping issues. Depending on how you're using yours, it may actually be the cause of their sleep woes.
If sleep is a sudden problem, they may be going through a sleep regression or need sleep training.
FAQs
Can a newborn sleep with a night light?
When your baby is born, they can sleep is almost any light environment. They don't need the night light, but it certainly won't cause any issues. This is particularly helpful for those essential nighttime activities during the newborn phase.
However, around 10-12 weeks, your baby becomes much more aware of their surroundings. So, a night light may actually have a negative impact on your baby's sleep.
How dark should a baby's room be?
Babies sleep best when it's dark. So, you want the room to be as dark as possible - so much so that you can see your hand in front of your face.
Is a night light or projector best?
This really comes down to personal preference and they both carry positives. The projector offers something unique that can really help to create a calm environment to support sleep, but if you look at the projector itself, the light bulb is typically quite bright, so it may not be the best option if your little one can see the projector itself.
When will a child start having bad dreams?
Most children don't start having nightmares or night terrors until the ages of 2-3. However, they have been known to start between 12 and 18 months.
