Night lights can be essential for midnight bathroom visits to avoid banging your knee against furniture or tripping over a sleeping pet. They’re also great to have on hand to illuminate hallways and guest bathrooms when a friend or your in-laws visit. For others, a bit of light in the bedroom can create a calming effect.
“Some people find that having a dim light in the bedroom can provide a sense of comfort,” says Shelby Harris, a clinical psychologist specializing in behavioral sleep medicine.
How do you go about finding the best night light to use? To help you out, we spoke to three sleep experts: Harris, Valerie Cacho, M.D., integrative sleep physician, women’s sleep expert, and CEO of Sleephoria, and Harly Greenberg, M.D., FCCP, FAASM, medical director of the Northwell Health Sleep Disorders Center in Lake Success, New York.
Taking in their advice, we researched the category to find best night lights for your home, considering budget, age, and quality in mind.
Best Overall: Night Light
Despite the fact that this is made with babies in mind, the Vava Baby Night Light is an ideal option for all ages. It’s a multifunctional night light that’s simple to use with a touch control system. It’s also portable and lightweight so you can bring it to any room you need. You can set it on a nightstand or wherever you prefer without being restricted to an area with an outlet. No need to charge it every day either, since the rechargeable battery is expected to last 100 hours.
A big perk of the Vava Baby Night Light is it’s dimmable through a tap, allowing you to set it to a brightness you are comfortable with. Plus, you can switch to the RGB color mode and choose between one of eight calming colors if you prefer a different night light color.
Don’t need the light the entire night? A button allows you to access the energy-saving sleep mode, which shuts off the light after an hour.
The egg-shaped night light is just a bit smaller in person than it appears online. But overall, it’s a great option, whether you’re on your own or have young kids in the house since it’s made with safety in mind.
Best Budget: GE GE Automatic LED Plug-In Night-Light
Two for the price of one is always hard to beat, but the GE Automatic LED Night Light also has a few more perks to offer. It’s LED, meaning this night light is long-lasting, energy efficient, and emits less heat. It’s also UL listed, meaning it meets nationally recognized safety and sustainability standards.
The light sensor is another plus since you don’t have to remember to plug it in at night and unplug it in the morning. On top of that, the simple design can work well in any room, including bedrooms, hallways, and bathrooms. The dome shape also makes this night light trendy to boot.
One downside is it’s fairly dim, so it may not be the best night light option for someone who prefers brighter light.
Best Splurge: Philips SmartSleep Wake-up Light
Those looking to enhance both their bedtime and morning routine may want to consider the Philips SmartSleep Sleep and Wake-Up Light. Dr. Cacho is a fan of the adjustable light features on this machine.
The bedside lamp’s midnight light setting functions as a night light that turns on only when you need it by a simple tap on the top of the machine. The soft light is enough to help you navigate without being too overpowering in the middle of the night.
The night light feature is just a small part of what this gadget has to offer. There’s also a sunset simulation to get you ready to sleep and a sunrise one that gradually brings light into your bedroom in the morning. Research shows sunrise alarm clocks can improve sleep quality and reduce stress and burnout. What’s more, there are also several natural wake-up sounds, meaning you can start the day hearing birds or feeling like you’re in the forest. And Dr. Cacho points out there’s a light-guided breathing option to help you sleep. “The guided breathing is a great feature because as we slow down our breath it improves relaxation by turning on the parasympathetic system,” she explains.
One thing to note: The device is bigger than an average night light and requires a tabletop. It also requires a lot more setup and hands-on use compared to a simple plug-in.
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- Adopting low voltage USB charging and energy efficient LED light bulb, the lamp stays cool even after long time use, and gives off fliker-free soft light which would not hurt eyes; By using PLA material extracted from corn stalks, the lamp is odorless and non-toxic
Best for Kids: LittleHippo Mella
The Little Hippo Mella is easy to use and its playful look makes it an adorable addition to a child’s bedroom. It currently comes in four colors—teal, purple, pink, and blue—giving kids a few options to choose from.
This gadget offers much more than just a night light. It works as an alarm clock, sound machine, nap timer, and sleep trainer. The latter can be invaluable for parents as the Little Hippo Mella uses facial expressions and colors to remind kids when it’s bedtime and time to wake up. The aim is to encourage little ones to get into a consistent sleep routine and stay put before the sunrise—letting parents get more sleep too! But these additional functions are best suited for when kids are at least 2 years of age.
Parents should keep in mind the Little Hippo Mella does not work with a rechargeable battery and uses an AC adapter power cord so extra safety measures may need to be taken, especially for younger children.