Picture this- it’s the middle of the night and your tiny baby has woken you up for the 3rd time. You jump up immediately and in your “mombie” state you stub your toe on the dresser, step on a squeaky toy, and nearly trip over the pile of laundry you forgot to fold.
Trying to navigate the dark in the house during night wakings is something all moms do to try and ensure no one else in the house is woken or disturbed during these feedings. You don’t want to turn on the main light for fear of waking your sleeping husband or toddler, and using the light from your cell phone just isn’t super convenient.
A better option for all moms is adding a nursing night light to your home. These will emit softer lights so that you can still see your baby and the obstacles in your way, but not have a light so bright that it is too stimulating or disturbing to anyone else in the house (especially baby).
There are several varieties of nursing lights out there, and plenty of options, but I took the time to find the top choices just for you. So you can check one more thing off your to-do list!
Types of nursing lights and baby night lights
When trying to decide on a baby night light the choices are endless, and what you ultimately choose will be depending on what your needs are. You can choose lights with basic functions such as just a light that turns on and off, to more high functionality lights that have speakers, white noise, color and brightness options.
When choosing a light you can base your choice off of:
- Affordability
- Safety
- Customer Reviews
- Convenience
What makes a good nursing light?
What makes a good nursing light will largely depend on what features you are interested in, but here are a few of features I believe to be important when choosing a nursing light.
Is it portable and rechargeable? You will find that not all nightlights are portable. If you choose a nightlight that needs to be plugged in you will have to consider the location of the outlet. If the outlet is too close to babies bed the light may be too bright. Likewise, if the outlet is too far away, the light may be too dim. Lights that are not rechargeable are also not portable making using them a bit more tedious.
Design and Color: Babies sometimes prefer certain colors and designs. Choosing a nightlight that your baby isn’t fond of will not do much good.
Is the brightness adjustable? Being able to adjust the level of brightness is an important feature. You want to be able to choose the amount of light you need for each situation.
Does it have extra features? The extra features can really make all the difference. Is the light able to be controlled via remote or smart phone? This will make disturbing baby less likely. A light with a timer option will allow you to stay in bed rather than going to turn it off as it will turn off automatically. And lights that also feature a sound machine can be used for multiple purposes.
Here are my top choices for nursing lights (in no particular order):
VAVA Baby Night Light
Approved by parents and loved by babies, this ultra-safe light is made using food and toy grade materials. Moms can seamlessly switch modes or adjust brightness with just a simple tap, making it a perfect choice for mamas and babies everywhere.
The anti-blue light LED won’t flicker or hurt the eyes of you or your baby and it has a convenient charging base with a rechargeable battery that can last up to 200 hours in the dimmest setting!
Hatch Rest
This nursing light has it all and is a great investment for new parents. It combines a night light, sound machine, and a time-to-rise light, soothing baby to sleep fast while also helping with late-night diaper changes and feeding.
It is easy to set up and has multiple colors and functions and abilities that can be used for your baby well into childhood. It even can be programmed, turned on, and adjusted directly from your phone.
Lumi Pets
This soft silicone night light casts a gentle glow that is designed to calm children of all ages. It is remote-operated, safe, and soft to the touch- constructed from high-quality silicone that is designed to stay cool.
The Lumi Pet light is portable and cordless and can easily be carried from room to room. There are various animals to choose from that can go with your nursery theme or as adorable “pets” for your baby and has 9 different colors to choose from.
Dimmable Touch Tap Light
This is a must-have versatile light that suits all mothers as a nursing light. It has touch control, is rechargeable, wireless, and has customizable diming. Perfect for breastfeeding, diaper changes, and soothing baby.
Simply tap to turn on and off or change between different brightness modes. There is a memory function that saves the last program you set so you don’t have to keep changing it. This tap light stands freely by itself and can be attached to a wall with it’s magnetic base.
Cute Chick Bedside Nightlight
Illuminate your nursery in an intuitive fashion. This baby night light comes with simple and fun-to-use touch controls. It is also 100% baby safe: it has a soft silicone top, rounded edges, and a toy-grade ABS bottom. The anti-blu light LED never gets dangerously hot.
MyBaby Sound Spa and Projection
This nursing light features 3 classic lullabies or 3 soothing sounds to create a relaxing and calm environment. The MyBaby Sounds Spa features an automatic shut off so there will be no need to disrupt a sleeping baby once soothed to sleep.
While it doesn’t have a simple night light, it has an integrated projector that can cast one of 3 scenes onto the ceiling or wall.
SecurityMan Baby Night Light
You can use this nursing light as both a nightlight or a flashlight, making it super functional. There are also different color options, brightness levels, and choice between warm and cool colors.
Its portability makes it a winner. Used in low power mode this nightlight can last up to 28 hours, making this a perfect choice for long term use.
Bluetooth Speaker Lamp With Clock
This nightlight comes with a speaker that can play any song you choose. It is safe for use around baby and can be used to set the perfect atmosphere.
You can also use it as an alarm clock, or a way to keep track of time in those wee hours of the night. You can choose between brightness levels, and light colors making this night light truly customizable.
What are the benefits of a nursing light?
Leaving or turning bright lights on may effect babies sleeping patterns and some babies need a soft light to sleep. Nursing lights are also not just beneficial for babies only but also for night feeding when moms need to be ready when baby is hungry. Navigating the house in the dark is not as easy as one might think.
What light color is best?
Not all lights are created equal. Blue and white lights can interact with the receptors in babies (and our) retinas and drastically reduce the melatonin production which can inhibit sleep. You babies body will interpret blue and white lights as daylight so even a 5-minute exposure to bright lighting can cause a drastic alerting effect lasting up to 90 minutes.
On the other hand red and amber lights have been shown to have no negative effect on sleep or melatonin production. For these reasons pediatricians recommend dim, warm light sources in babies nurseries.
Where to place a nightlight
Try to place your nursing light in a place that is easily assessable, you should also be mindful of the location in relation to the babies crib and other nighttime supplies such as diapers, wipes, clothes, or bottles if needed. If your nightlight is not rechargeable you should also choose a location that is near an outlet.
Safety guidelines for nursing and night lights
While nursing lights can be extremely useful and are a great comfort to little ones it is still important to follow key nursing light safety guidelines.
- Make sure you buy your night light from a reputable dealer, and follow the manufacturer’s instructions carefully.
- It’s important to register a new night light with the manufacturer so that you can be contacted if a safety notice or recall is required.
- If your nursing light uses an outlet do regular checks of the plug and socket for burn marks, sounds of buzzing or crackling, or if it feels too hot to touch.
- Do not use your nursing light if it appears to be damaged .
- Do not attempt to alter or manipulate your nursing light in any way.
As you can see there are several choices for nursing lights and these are just a few of my favorites!
Have you found the best nursing light that works for you? Let me know in the comments below!
