Night lights are no longer as simple as plug-ins that you use to soothe your child from the fear of the dark. On the contrary, the best night lights are small, battery-operated, or low-power lights that illuminate the dark areas in your house, vacation home, or RV. They can also serve as sound machines or clocks and even add to your home’s décor.
Night lights come in all shapes and sizes, with the common one being plugged into wall outlets. Although the price points may vary by model and brand, most of the night light can be purchased at $30 or less.
What is the best night light? This article gives you all the information relating to the best night lights.
What Is the Best Night Light?
Night lights have had a humble beginning and have come a long way. In your search for the best night light for your house, you must consider the efficiency and aesthetics. In doing so, you will find one that best suits your needs.
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Eye Care
Night lights use various types of bulbs such as LED, CFL (Compact Fluorescent Lamp), halogen, and incandescent. When it comes to bulb choice, the LED night lights are the most recommended given their energy efficiency and remain cool to the touch.
Even though they are on the expensive side, these bulbs consume less energy and can last you up to 40 times longer than any other type of bulb.
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Design/Appearance
Night lights come in a wide range of styles to choose from. These include whimsical, artistic, traditional, contemporary, and modern.
The wide selection allows you to select one which will blend with your décor and match your lighting needs. There are, however, some factors that you need to consider.
Flat-profile night lights are the go-for option for high traffic areas like the hallway and entryway. Hall night lights should be utilitarian and perfectly blend with your wall. For your child’s bedroom, consider whimsical designs such as balloons and ducks.
If you are looking for one to place in your room, select one with an integrated music player, alarm clock, various light settings, or a sound machine. All in all, go for one that meets your needs.
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Child and pet-friendliness
The LED light bulb, as earlier explained, is the best choice for children, pets, adults, or seniors for a good reason. This bulb remains cool even after running for a long time while emitting plenty of light.
Moreover, it would be best if you were keen on ensuring the night light is shatter-proof and does not contain any small parts that your child or pet can swallow.
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Smart features
For smart tech fans, there are a wide variety of night lights that incorporate smart feature options. The smart lights can be conveniently controlled using a smartphone app, so you can easily adjust the colors, brightness, choose sounds and alarms.
Moreover, some of the smart lights have motion sensors while some are voice-responsive.
Top 4 Best Night Lights on the Market
Below are some top-rated night lights that are available in the market today.
1. Best Sale – VAVA LED Night Table Lamp with Warm Light for Your Bedside
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These night lights egg-shaped, appealing, and gorgeous to the little ones. When you purchase any VAVA night light, the package comes with face stickers that you can use to add an appealing touch to the child’s night light.
Moreover, this night light is child-friendly thanks to its shock-resistant property. Many verified customers have confirmed that this night light provides a lasting service use. The best part is, this night light features an over 80-hours battery life when on the lowest setting.
It is not only fun-looking but also easy to use. Moreover, it features a convenient rechargeable battery and touch-adjusts so you can quickly select one of the three brightness levels.
Many parents feel safe with this night light in their child’s room or nursery. This night light emits soft and soothing light to help the kids sleep fast.
2. Best Cheap – Lofter LED Plug in Night Light with Changing Colors
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This night light features a playful oval shape that is a perfect fit for any room. Furthermore, it comes with a dusk to dawn sensor, which works to turn it on and off automatically. The best part is, this night light comes at an unbeatable price.
This night light utilizes energy-saving LED bulbs. Also, it assures top performance with up to 1000 hours of soft and safe light. This company offers a 1-year warranty as well as a 90-day returns policy. You can now buy this night light with confidence.
3. Best for Kids – LumiPets Portable Night Light with Remote Control
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This night light comes with a touch sensor and a remote. The buyers love this light with its adorable bear/bunny shape. Also, it is soft to the touch, and the remote control makes it more convenient.
It utilizes LED bulbs, which emit a soft light that is eye-friendly at night. This night light is energy-efficient and rechargeable with a USB port. You can enjoy all this convenience at a low cost.
Parents love the LumiPets night light for their nursery. The changing colors mesmerize children and help them unwind, ready to sleep.
4. Best Versatile – LittleHippo Night Light, Sound Machine and Alarm Clock Combo
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This night light is very popular, having been featured on the Yanko and Mashable design. This night light is not only child-friendly but also performs triple functions. It awakens your child, tells them when it is bedtime, and emits a soft glow, so they are not afraid of the dark.
The LittleHippo has an adorable face with changing expressions to inform kids of change in activity. For more variety, there are 6 color options as well as three sleep sound options. This night light is a top pick for many.
Advantages of owning a night light
You can use night lights to add color and ambiance to space, eliminate trips and falls in hallways at night, or comfort children with a fear of the dark, and aid nursing mothers making late-night visits to their infant’s room.
These are handy as they help you navigate the dark without turning on the bright ceiling lights. Moreover, some of the night lights have multiple functions such as sound machines, baby monitors, or digital clocks.
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Minimal sleep disruption
The best night lights should soothe the baby to sleep naturally. These utilize LEDs, low-light bulbs, or electroluminescence, which work to create a soothing visual stimulus.
Too bright lights may cause sleep disruption. Moreover, night lights also help parents easily fall asleep after tending to their babies in the middle of the night.
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Better visibility
Children’s rooms are often cluttered with clothing, books, toys, and other items. These lights come in handy to guide parents in their late-night visits to the rooms. They offer better visibility, so they do not trip over or step on the obstacles.
Moreover, nightlights can be used in houses with two or more stories to help locate the stairways. They provide visibility in hallways and even bathrooms as well.
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Stress relief
Some children may experience separation anxiety at night when their parents are not around. These lights can help in alleviating anxiety and help them easily fall asleep. Also, they are useful in case they wake up in the middle of the night.
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Cost-effective
Night lights help you to cut down on your energy bills in the long run. These lights are a better option than the overhead lights, which are brighter and consume more energy.
Also, night lights can run all night without causing a dent in your wallet, while this is not possible with the ceiling lights.
A Guide on Buying the Best Night Light
Night lights for home come in a broad spectrum of design options, including the star projectors, plug-in fixtures, plush toys, and so on.
Given the numerous advantages of these fixtures, many night lights are purchased every single year. Here is a guide to help you buy the ideal one for your needs.
– Bulb type
Usually, night lights are electrical fixtures designed for halogen bulbs, incandescent bulbs, CFLs, and LEDs. The LEDs are the most energy-efficient bulbs, albeit expensive.
Also, they pose less risk of burn, which is a vital consideration for parents if they place the lights in their children’s room.
It is worth noting that night light bulbs are smaller with a lower wattage and will not last as long as standard bulbs. The average lifespan of the night light is 1000 to 3000 hours.
Moreover, electroluminescent night lights do not feature any bulbs. They are designed with a material that emits light when responding to an electrical charge or current.
– Convenience
When these night lights were earlier innovated, they would be manually operated with an on/off switch. Today, some are equipped with dusk to dawn sensors that automatically turn on and off by detecting how dark the room is.
Also, some have motion sensors that trigger the light when you enter a room or stairway. That is not all; some have a sleep timer that powers them off at the set time, so they do not run all night.
All these features and functions ensure you have the best experience.
– Type of night light
The type of night light to purchase will depend on your needs. The popular styles include portable night lights, projectors, plug-in fixtures, toys, and tabletop.
The portable models are battery powered and can be placed virtually anywhere in the room. They are, however, not to be placed on the baby’s bed as they sleep.
The toys are also portable and are designed as stuffed animals, dolls, or any other toy with integrated night lights. Unlike the portable ones, your baby can sleep with these lights on the bed. They are ideal for infants and newborns.
Best for Kids – Cloud b Battery Powered Toy Star Night Light Projector
– Price
Most of the nightlights are relatively inexpensive. They may cost you $40 or less. The optimal price point will, therefore, come down to your budget. You are advised to ensure that you do not go for the most affordable option and compromise functionality.
– Dimensions of the night lights
You must find out the overall size- length, width, and height, of the night light before you make a purchase. This will help you determine whether it is ideal for your needs based on available surfaces, outlet locations, and other factors.
Moreover, you should take the weight and shape into account.
– How long will the night light last?
The average night light is designed to offer you service for seven to ten years. More often than not, the durability of an item is tied to the price.
The cheapest may have a shorter lifespan, but replacing them time and time again may be more expensive. It is, therefore, advisable to invest in a durable model. Also, the product warranty may indicate the expected lifespan.
– Does the night light require an outlet?
For this consideration, you are required to determine the configuration of the room of your child.
For instance, if the only outlet available located next to your child’s bed, a battery-powered night light may be the best option. Here, a plug-in fixture is not advisable as it poses a higher fire risk.
– Sensors available
Night lights that are operated manually are rare these days but still in the market.
However, night lights that are incorporated with daylight sensors are quite beneficial for both parents and children. These are designed to turn on and off automatically, depending on the time of day.
Also, some have motion sensors that work to trigger the light whenever someone enters the room.
– Is the night light bed-friendly?
The plush toy night lights are safe for the children, and they can sleep with them in their beds. Other night lights may be unsafe or cannot operate without an outlet. Plush toy night lights are the best option for parents of toddlers, infants, and newborns.
– Type of light emitted
Night lights that emit white and blue lights are most prevalent. However, they are not the best lights as they interfere with the production of melatonin – the sleep hormone.
This may disrupt your child’s or your sleep. A red-light night light is the best option as this color stimulates the production of the hormone.
What Are the Different Types of Night Lights?
You may know the night lights as a plug-in bulb with a low-wattage and in a plastic casing. And you will be surprised to learn that numerous types of night lights are available today. For the best night lights, they fall under the categories explained below.
– Plug-in fixtures
These are the basic types of night lights that many people are familiar with. These fixtures are powered by an electrical outlet rated 120 volts. Typically, they feature a low-profile or flat design to ensure they do not protrude far from the wall.
Plug-in night lights are available in a wide range of patterns, sizes, and shapes. These lights are designed to emit a soft glow emanating around the outlet and even beyond. Moreover, they are the most affordable night lights.
– Projectors
Projector night lights have a unique design as they project images on your ceiling or walls. Usually, these types of lights are placed in rooms to create a calming and soothing virtual environment that naturally helps people relax and quickly fall asleep.
Projectors are usually dome-shaped and can be placed on a desk or nightstand so they can easily project their patterned lights overhead. Some models of the projector lights can play music at timed intervals.
– Tabletop
These lights can rest on any flat surface near your bed. They have a close resemblance to the tabletop lamps or standalone lights but with added functions such as white noise functions, music player, and clocks.
Tabletop nightlights come in a wide range of styles and options. These lights can either be powered by the 120-volts electrical outlets or battery powered. Moreover, some models can conveniently be controlled with smartphone applications.
Conclusion
Night lights do more than illuminate your hallway or bathroom at night. These fixtures are useful in virtually any room in your house. They come in a wide range of designs, styles, shapes, and sizes to choose one which perfectly meets your lighting needs.
This article gives you all the basics to know what is the best night light and how to purchase a night light.
