8 Night Lights for Kids To Help Them Sleep Better

Every parent knows the feeling: your child has finally gone to sleep after a seemingly endless stream of requests for bedtime stories and glasses of water, only to wake up an hour or so later, terrified by the dark. It’s an understandable fear: waking up alone in a pitch-black room can be a frightening prospect for an anxious child or a child who had a bad dream. A night light can be just the right solution, letting off enough light to beat back the darkness without being too distracting or too bright to sleep.

What is a night light?

Night lights are a subsection of indoor lighting designed to let off a small amount of dim light. Unlike light bulbs and other indoor lighting types, night lights aren’t supposed to illuminate the whole room -- they give off enough light to ward off the darkness. Some models are compatible with the right size light bulb, while others have built-in LEDs.

While there are lights available geared for utility, such as low light in a bathroom or down hallways, it’s not uncommon to associate night lights with children. To that end, there are many kid-friendly night lights available, including in special colors, friendly shapes, or molded in the likeness of popular children’s characters. Some even cast off unique shapes that are particularly appealing to children.

Why use night lights?

• They’re reassuring in the dark. If your children are afraid of the dark, they’ll sleep much better with a room that’s dimly lit. Plus, when you gently open the door to check on your kids, you’ll actually be able to see them.
• They help kids sleep longer. If your kids are struggling with their fear or the dark and have night awakenings in a dark room, they might feel anxious and thus lose sleep.
• They incentivize children to sleep in their rooms. We’ve all heard it from young kids: they’re fighting sleep, maybe they’re feeling anxious about their big new room, or just don’t want to sleep alone. A nightlight can quite literally shed light to ease these fears. Lots of nightlights have cute, kid-friendly patterns, too, which can help kids connect with their nightlight and feel more at ease in their surroundings.

Types of nightlights for kids

Long ago, night lights stopped being small, dim lights you plug into an outlet and forget about. Those still exist, but you’ve got tons of other options now. Those include:

1. Portable lights

On the go? You can’t necessarily count on your destination to have the lighting your kids need. With portable night lights that plug into USB ports, you take that relaxing, beautiful home night lighting setup with you – set them up on desks, near outlets, or bring them along while traveling. Connect to a USB charging base, and you’re ready to go.

2. Themed lights

If there’s a TV show or beloved book character that your kids can’t get enough of, then you might be able to find fun night lights with images from that world. Your kids will feel even more at home with their favorite characters gently watching over them as they drift into a full night of sleep.

3. Galaxy lights

For a calming and gorgeous night light setup, try galaxy lights. They’re exactly what they sound like: They’ll make your kids’ room look like a swirl of stars and a drifting nebula cloud. We like these so much we recommend them for adults too – in fact, our Sky Lite Evolve Galaxy Projector is our top-selling light for all ages!

Sky Lite Evolve: Smart Galaxy Projector

$49.99$39.99

The latest evolution in smart galaxy lighting.

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4. Star lights

These are one of our big specialties here at BlissLights, and we love them for all ages. Instead of standard full-brightness bulbs, use indoor laser projectors or the BlissBulb to light your child’s room – the starry sights adorning their walls and ceiling will be as beautiful as they are relaxing. And it’s not just your kids who might sleep better in this lighting – you might too.

BlissBulb Laser LightBulb

$9.99

Transforming your world is as easy as changing a lightbulb.

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5. Projection lights

When it comes to night lights, the sky isn’t the limit. In addition to stars, you can project other gentle light displays to ease the whole family into a night of uninterrupted rest. And you can plug lights such as our Ark Ambient Aurora Light to add a soothing “aurora” over a soft blue nebula cloud to your child’s walls and ceiling.

ARK Aurora Light

$29.99

Transcend reality with a moving abstract aurora.

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6. Nursery lights

Some night lights are designed with infants in mind. After all, babies are not developed enough to handle brighter or exposed lights, which can make them anxious. Nursery night lights address this through soft lighting you can place far from your baby’s crib – and ideally close to the door so you can enter for nursing throughout the night. Many BlissLights products, including the Ark Ambient Aurora Light, are excellent options for nurseries because of the soothing, nebulous atmosphere they create.

How to choose good night lights for kids

When you shop for night lights for kids, you’ll see all kinds of options. You’ll find the best light for a good night’s sleep for your kids if you consider the following:

• Light placement. Place your lights where they won’t shine right in your kids’ eyes. If your kids think there are monsters or ghosts in the closet, try nightlights near there – smart light placements are key for keeping the Boogeyman out.
• Room and night light size. When it comes to night lights, size is just as important as shape and pattern. Some night lights are too small for big rooms, and some larger night lights might be too bright for smaller rooms. Typically, night light product descriptions include recommended room sizes, so look closely to help your kids’ night proceed uninterrupted.
• Design and color. A small outlet light might function best for your kids’ room, but will it be cute and memorable? You and your kids might prefer night lights shaped like adorable animals or curious critters. Color is important too, as certain shades may correlate to relaxation.
• Features. While you don't always need to go big with a nightlight, you should think big when shopping around. If you want a feature, search for it: Will you have a remote control? Are multiple color modes an option? Can you plug it in, run it on batteries, or both? What about energy efficiency? Is the night light composed of built-in LEDs or do you need to change the light bulb? Ask – and answer – these questions as you shop.
• Usability. Night lights are diverse, so trust us when we say: No two lights will work exactly alike. That’s why you should look into what reviews say about their ease of use. Is your night light a smart light you can control from your phone? Is kid-friendly setup easy? Does the light show patterns? Make your purchase based on what’s best for your child.
• Safety. Some night lights double as toys, and other night lights simply aren’t safe for that. If your kids can turn just about anything into toys, make sure your nightlights are toy-safe. Good sleep is important, but it shouldn’t come at the cost of safety.

Do’s and don’ts for nightlights in kids’ rooms

At this point, you’ve learned plenty about what to seek in your kids’ night lights, but there’s still more to learn. That’s why, to start, we’ve provided a handful of additional do’s and don’ts below:

• Do think about what your kids like. Whether your kids like cute animals, superheroes, or a cartoon character, consider nightlights adorned with those images.
• Do prioritize size. We’ve talked a lot about how important light and room size is, and we’ll say it again – too much or too little light doesn’t quite help.
• Do consider safety. Just because night lights are dim doesn’t mean they’re entirely safe. Look for night lights that won’t burn your kids if they touch them.
• Don’t place your lights incorrectly. Some lights are meant for projecting right above your kids’ cribs or beds. Others work better placed on a faraway desk or installed at the opposite corner of the room
• Don’t forget about yourself. For nursing infants, you need to see well during night nursing without using overly bright lights. For all families, night lights that assist adults too can be helpful.
• Don’t jack up your energy bill. Unfortunately, lighting isn’t free, but with energy-efficient night lights, your overnight lighting becomes considerably more affordable.

Bliss Lights laser lights are your one-stop night light solution

At BlissLights, our laser lights bring dim but gorgeous and relaxing light to rooms as calming for your kids as they are for you – all while keeping your bill low. In our laser lights, we send a laser beam down a narrow path to conserve energy, and we diffract that beam into thousands of additional beams. That’s how we generate projections of starry nights, breathtaking galaxies, and so much more. Browse through our indoor lighting collection to find night light options that work well for not only you but for your kids as well.