Night Lights For Toddlers – How To Choose The Right One

A common problem amongst children is that they have trouble sleeping at night. This can be a nightmare itself for parents. A child who cannot easily sleep usually means the parent is up too because of this. Night lights are a common solution for this problem, with multiple uses you need to make sure you select one which suits you and your children best.

Night lights can help to provide a soothing light which will help your child sleep by providing a background ambient light which can gently light the room so it is not as dark. Some come in hard cases while others come in soft units. Many have different functions and uses. The first obstacle you must overcome is to identify your needs as a parent and your child or toddlers needs. This will help to identify the best suiting model.

Here are a few things which you need to consider before you buy:

• – Does your child need to have the light in bed with them while they are trying to sleep and during the night?
• – Do you need the night light to be portable through the use of a battery powered method or are you looking for a mains operated device which will only be used in one place?
• – Are you looking for a light that glows itself or are you looking for a projection light? The most common being ones which project star constellations on the surrounding walls and ceiling.
• – Does the night light need to provide educational value as well as serving the purpose of a gentle light?
• – Your budget can play a big part too as cheaper night lights and more expensive night lights are on the market which creates a range of prices.
• – Is your child teething? Some units offer a soft outer case which can help with this problem as they will not damage teeth.

How Buy Light

Many night lights are great for children as you can see from reviews online, however some have a few worrying problems. For obvious reasons you must go for one which has no design problems as they can be very dangerous for your children. One obvious design fault we can point out, without the product being names, was that the battery cover comes loose to reveal the batteries for children to handle or even potentially swallow. This was not a one off as many users of the product had reported the problem. This is just one thing to watch out for, however other models may have other issues.

The best advice would be to firstly look at your needs and wants from a product and then try to find a product which meets your requirements. From there look at reviews on the product which have been submitted by people who have actually bought and used the product. If there are no alarming negative reviews then you have found the product for you.

Alternatives To Night Lights

There are some great alternatives to night lights and fortunately for you the range of kids night lamps to date are both exciting and cost effective. Just like night lights they too come under different themes for boys and girls. Some models are activated by clapping your hands together whilst others have a cord that hangs beside the bedside table for easy access.

From a safety point of view you really want to make sure that you always unplug the lamp before you go to bed. This will give you peace of mind in knowing that your child all dependent on age of course; does not have the ability to turn the lamp on in the middle of the night.

You can also get some clock radios that have dim lights. These may be useful for older children. Chandeliers for kids are becoming more popular as well. Although the lights are not as dim as night light bulbs you can always reduce the wattage of the bulbs. Talk to the store owner about the different kinds of bulbs available for the chandeliers.

Your child may respond to soft music alone. And a hallway light may be enough for him or her to go to sleep. Reading “happy” stories before bedtime is another great way to help a child relax before sleeping. This in itself may indeed be enough to get your child through the first few weeks of moving into a new room. Warm baths and if possible 1/2 cup of warm milk can assist relaxation.

Others I have spoken too have also made their own night lights. You can buy the bulbs from the hardware store. You may have to get a craft book from the library for that exercise! But I have seen them done before. This could be a good program for the next school holidays.

I personally know that a night light has solved many problems in my household from bed wetting to being afraid of the dark to having the ability for my husband and I to get a full uninterrupted nights sleep. Although I also know there are some great alternatives they simply do not compare to the flexibility of night lights.